5.035 Fake Meat

Cycle 5 – Item 35

9 (Sun) February 2014

Fake Meat

0.5

at CHA-a

(Robinsons Place)

-Ermita, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines-

solo

Try Every Restaurant in Robinsons Place (14) (see also TERRP)

CHA-a is Filipino restaurant.

Going in, I assumed the place to be just another cheap Filipino cafeteria-mode rice-with-two-items-combo joint. The only hint otherwise was a sign on the window: “NO MEAT & SEAFOOD ALLOWED.” I interpreted it as a poorly worded prohibition against food from the outside. Turns out, it’s a poorly worded declaration about being a vegetarian establishment. But more than that, CHA-a offers dishes that feature what I suppose are intended to be meat substitutes, probably made from soy. I should’ve suspected something when I asked: “Beef?” (about the stew), and the woman behind the counter replied: “Potato” (because it did in fact contain potato), or when I asked: “Chicken?” (about the stir-fry), and she replied: “Mushroom” (because it did in fact contain mushroom).