"Man's Original Diet" - Lun-haw Vegan Cafe
Image credits: Jean Beltran via bitLanders
What's so nice about social media is that I could find new places to check out especially in the same city I am in! I also like that I have new found friends on different writing platforms who had referred me to new things like cryptocurrency, financial advise (shoutout to Sheilamazing), app hunting, bounty campaigns and a lot more! But more importantly, gaining online friends who have the same interests give me this feeling of acceptance.
Lately, one of my online friends who's into cryptocurrency shared a place where she and her bffs dined in and it was interesting because of it being a Vegan Cafe! I follow a group on Facebook called Manila Vegans, its a group of individuals who are embracing the way of Veganism and also those who are transitioning as well as those who are just curious about this lifestyle, I am one of them and most of the time, the things posted here are mostly about food and the restaurants where they eat.
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Unfortunately, since its Manila Vegan, the restaurants are mostly situated as well in Manila and there are not much information or community in Cebu yet, as what I noticed, so I was surprised to found out that there's one which is very much accessible to me and my husband as we can pass by on our way to the office. I promised we will check it out so when we went here just a few hours ago, I was really happy and pumped to post a new blog about it. So here's my personal review of Lun-haw Vegan Cafe.
What Does "Vegan" Mean?
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But first off, I just want to stress out what Vegan means. A lot of my friends and colleagues are not truly aware or educated about what this matter is all about. They do know the term "Vegan" but they do not fully understand that this lifestyle is not only about eating vegetables and fruits, its more than that.
So to distinguish it, Veganism is actually a cruelty-free lifestyle and is not just about the way of eating but in every aspect of their life. May it be the dress, the footwear, the bags and accessories, their food choices, even their principles on the way they treat all living things, they opt not to harm any animal with a beating heart.
A person who is advocating this lifestyle is referred to as a Vegan while those who only eat no meat is called Vegetarian, he or she may still use non-vegan or animal products. So, since that's clear enough, let's move on to the Lun-haw Vegan Cafe.
Lun-haw Vegan Cafe
"Your favorite comfort food without the guilt. For health, sustainability, and LIFE." - Lun-haw Vegan Cafe
In Cebu City, there are only a few food establishments which offer Vegan food. I have found one before but it is super expensive, to the point that one will be discouraged to dine in. In fact, I believe most of us are meat eaters because it is more accessible and cheaper compared to vegan options.
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When I heard about Lun-haw Vegan Cafe, I thought that it would be expensive, that it would be the same as the others I have found before which is why I always settle for Toniq's Vegan Shawarma and Vegan Burger. But later on, when I explored their menu online, I was totally wrong. Their meals are quite affordable and so I already thought of giving it a go.
Lun-haw Vegan Cafe started its operation in 2016 by a guy whose name I can't recall now. I asked one of the staffs but I forgot to take note of it so now I have totally forgotten about it, talk about memory gap!
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It is very Cebuano in a sense that its named is a Bisaya term which refers to lush and growing luxuriantly. It also makes me think of anything green like leaves and plants growing in its full. It is located at the ground floor of Maxwell Hotel along Escario street which is open between 11 AM to 11 PM from Sundays through Thursdays while between Friday and Saturday, they are only available from 11 AM to 5 PM and 7 PM to 11 PM respectively.
Lun-haw Vegan Cafe Ambiance and Interiors
One of the keys to having a successful cafe is the ambiance. The look and feel of the environment is definitely a thing to consider and although Lun-haw Vegan Cafe has only a small area, it sure has its own simple and minimal but definitely fine interiors.
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It has full tall grand transparent glass windows and door, its cafe name shows from the outside. Upon entering, its green artificial wall looks extensively relaxing. The chairs made of plastic weaving with gray colored padded seats. There were three wooden tables at the left and eight on the right-hand side where the green wall is. I should also mention that there were high back chairs here too. Next to it is yet another wall with lots of write-ups about Veganism, animal pictures or more like illustrations, some talked about the rainforest and world hunger.
Also on the right side of our wooden table is a mini display with frames, one of which has a bible verse that states:
"Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
Ambiance-wise, I am surely fine with their minimal designs and accessories. There were few other accents on their wall-attached wooden planks, one of which has LOVE in bold standee letters.
Video credits: Jean Beltran via bitLanders
As the customers increased, the staff had decreased the temperature from the air conditioning for a much colder atmosphere which I appreciated. The customers were also quiet, one of them was a sole foreigner who was waiting for her Black Burger which took some time to be served.
Lun-haw Vegan Cafe Food Review
Image credits: Jean Beltran via bitLanders
Let's face it, we were taught when we were small, at least majority of us Filipinos that we need meat, we need milk, we need eggs and other animal products. We thought it is what we must take them in to have a balanced diet. But there have been arguments about it, research and studies show as well as the history of humans that we are not natural meat eaters. While I understand where Vegans are coming from with their sentiments and what they believe in, I also respect the decision of meat eaters to stay as such.
But with the fast transmission of information in this digital era, it is evident that more and more are being aware of how eating meat had significantly caused a lot of diseases and health issues thus people are more inclined to eating good whole food, ones which don't have traces of meat and animal products in them.
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The vegan diet is one of the best option to look at when we talk about these types of food. With Lun-haw Vegan Cafe, we have these alternatives at a very affordable price. Their meals are priced at 80 to 200 pesos and although they got only a limited menu list, you'll surely pick up one which is the best sought out by their customers to fully grasp how Vegan food taste like and why it is their best seller.
As per their Facebook page and the reviews online, their Vegan Sisig and Buffalo Broccoli are their bestsellers so we had ordered that together with their Yellow Soup because it was gloomy and cold outside.
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True enough, the food was great! I truly love the Buffalo Broccoli which was made of cauliflower and broccoli coated in soy and flour batter dipped in vegan buffalo sauce served with turmeric brown rice and the house salad!
James isn't a fan of tofu though so we had to share the buffalo the Vegan Sisig still didn't disappoint! It was tofu mushroom sisig in spicy and savory coconut butter sauce topped with Vegan egg served with the same turmeric brown rice and salad.
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What I truly love about it though was that they had each of our meals served on a huge wooden plate which reminded me of Casa Gorordo! The Yellow Soup, on the other hand, was a combination of squash and ginger in coconut milk, it was also good but we didn't finish it. Our meal which was only Php 425 was super worth it!
Verdict
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I will surely come back and try their other options. They got Vegan Icecream too and the Black Burger looks really appetizing but thinking of the calories discourages me! Lun-haw Vegan Cafe is truly a gem in the city and highly recommendable, I urge my meat lover friends to try it! I am rating it 4.8 over 5 stars! Staffs were all friendly too and very accommodating, I asked if we can take photos and they agreed plus they got some magazines too which can entertain you while waiting.
I wasn't able to also check if their wifi connection was good. Although they're located at the heart of Cebu City, I believe they have good Internet service. I will check next time.
Lun-haw Vegan Cafe is also rated 4.5 stars by the Happy Cow and Tripadvisor so it is truly worth trying.
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This blog entry was written and published by Jean Beltran-Figues for bitlanders.com.
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