Non-vegans almost always associate vegan fare with healthy options, and many of those on meatless diets who just want to stuff their faces with a juicy burger usually have to settle for an underwhelming veggie variety — that is, until now. Local joint Sweet Ecstasy (Sweet X) released a meatless version of their popular cheeseburger, which makes use of the plant-based Beyond Beef patty, last week.
Called the Beyond Ecstasy Burger (Beyond X Burger), the new offering is available at Sweet Ecstasy’s Makati City branch in Jupiter St. and is priced at PHP500 (US$9.77).
According to owner Al Galang, the Beyond X Burger is exactly like their classic cheeseburger, but with vegan components. This includes vegan buns toasted with olive oil, melted dairy-free cheese, and of course, a vegan version of their “ecstasy sauce” made with tofu instead of mayo. They’re also cooked on a separate griddle so that they don’t ever come into contact with beef burger patties.
“It’s unfair to say it tastes just like beef. That would be wrong because it’s not beef,” Galang told Coconuts Manila. “But it’s smoky, it’s slightly nutty, and it’s got [a] great texture. It even sears like beef does.”
The Beyond Burger is made with pea protein isolate (among other things) and was created to mimic the texture, taste, and look of beef. It even “bleeds” like it.
Manila diners have increasingly become more diverse when it comes to their diet choices and Galang said that adding a meatless burger to their menu has been a long time coming.
“Our friends and family are comprised of vegans, vegetarians, animal lovers, Buddhists, cancer survivors, yoga practitioners, and people who just want to eat consciously,” he said.
And the Beyond X Burger is not going anywhere anytime soon. According to Galang, they plan to make it a regular item.
“We have every intention in keeping this a permanent fixture on our menu. We only add a new menu item every couple [of] years, so we really believe this is something special,” he said.
Sweet Ecstasy opened in 2012 and became popular for its “ecstasy sauce” that many compared to the so-called secret sauce in American fast casual chain In-N-Out’s burgers. It has since become one of the more popular burger joints in Manila and now has four branches. Apart from burgers, it also serves French fries, onion rings, and chicken wings.
FIND IT:
Sweet Ecstasy is at 10 Jupiter St. cor. Asteroid St., Bel-Air, Makati City
Open daily, 11am – 12mn
Phone: (63) 906-346-7989, (63) 916-594-1229
FB: @SweetXManila | IG:@SweetXManila
More branches here.
Read more of Coconuts Manila’s Food & Drink articles here.
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