The Westin Manila x Cosmic Collab Is All About Filipino Fare With a Vegan Twist

(SPOT.ph)If you’re trying to cut down on meat this Lent but still want to get your fill of Filipino flavors, The Westin Manila has got you covered. The Ortigas hotel just launched Green Mondays with Cosmic at their Seasonal Tastes Buffet. This limited-time selection of small plates gives plant-based twists to local classics, making it a great meatless alternative for the Lenten season.

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What is Green Mondays with Cosmic?

Happening every Monday until April 14, Green Mondays is a collaboration between The Westin Manila and Cosmic Philippines that features a lineup of veganized Filipino dishes served at the One Dish Wonders live station in Seasonal Tastes’ lunch buffet. In an effort to reduce food waste, these  limited-time dishes are prepared à la minute, ensuring only what’s ordered is cooked while still allowing diners to enjoy unlimited portions.

For this special One Dish Wonder collaboration, some of Cosmic's best-selling dishes are getting the Westin Manila treatment. This includes Kare-Kare with Plant-Based Bagoong, Gising-Gising, Crispy Chicken with Buffalo Glaze, Isaw, Laing Bagnet, and Crispy Bagnet Sisig with Plant-Based Sisig Mayonnaise. 

To make these dishes, The Westin Manila's Executive Chef Rej Casanova worked with Cosmic’s signature vegan proteins—Chopped Un’pork, Bagnet, BBQ Isaw, and Chick’un Chunks—and a whole slew of other plant-based ingredients, some of which the chef admits he hasn't used before. This mix of Cosmic's vegan dining expertise and Westin Manila's hotel razzle dazzle results in plates packed with homey, familiar flavors sans any real meat. 

While all the dishes were flavorful and intriguing in their own way, we do have our favorites. First is the Kare-Kare with Plant-Based Bagoong, which nails the textures so well you wouldn’t guess the bagnet topping isn’t real pork. The crispiness and slight chew of the fat are all there, slathered in a thick and savory cashew-based sauce—talk about a perfect match for your rice.

But the real star of the dish is Chef Casanova’s bagoong. Having a shrimp allergy himself, he made it his mission to create a plant-based version he could finally eat. The result? A bagoong made from mushrooms that tastes and feels just like the real thing, fishy aftertaste and all.

Another crowd favorite is the Crispy Bagnet Sisig, which delivers everything you want in a sisig—flavor, texture, and that irresistible balance of crunch and chew. For those who aren’t big on pork sisig because of the oily and waxy aftertaste in your mouth, trust us when we say this dish offers an alternative that satisfies. It’s a really good pick for a pork sisig alternative, Lenten season or not. 

But it's not only savory dishes getting a vegan makeover; so, too, are desserts. For Green Mondays, Cosmic's Lali Balagtas created a Vegan Egg Pie. We're neither vegan nor big sweet tooths, but this dessert is living in our heads rent-free. A slice of this light and tart "egg" pie isn't enough. Its filling is a light yet thrilling, egg-less custard atop a flaky but sturdy crust with flavors reminiscent of a key lime pie. Every bite is a delicately balanced smooth mouthfeel with just a hint of citrus to keep you going back for more forkfuls.

If you’re looking for a way to enjoy your Filipino favorites without the guilt of breaking your Lenten sacrifice, make a beeline to Green Mondays with Cosmic. It's available as a part of the Seasonal Tastes lunch buffet every Monday until April 14. Rates start at P2,900.

The Westin Manila is at San Miguel Avenue corner Lourdes Drive, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City. For more information, visit The Westin Manila's website.

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