SUSI by Bianca Mabanta: Making Vegan and Glutten-Free Food Yummy and Sexy! @SusiPH

SUSI is a green gastronomy, plant-based restaurant by Bianca Mabanta with a 100% vegan and gluten-free menu. It’s located beside the most carnivorous restaurant in Burgos Circle in BGC–Burgers & Brewkies. #contrast #irony

The concept was inspired by Bianca’s passionate conviction for sustainable living, by being vegan by choice and not using any leather products. It was also driven by necessity as she cannot eat anything with gluten because of Coeliac disease.

“Susi” is tagalog for key, which is in line with their vision of unlocking the secret to sustainable living. 

I was impressed by how yummy the vegan dishes were, and how sexy their design is. It’s going to be the hottest restaurant in BGC this Summer 2015.

Check it out…

It was fun to witness the little face-off between Bianca “The Vegan” Mabanta of Susi and Donny “From Vigan” Elvina of Burgers & Brewskies. 

Best to ask for the tables beside the glass windows with a view of Burgos street.  

I love the overall natural, hip design of the place, and this quote. 

SUSI MENU:  About Susi | Small Plates, Salads, Soups, Raw Vegan | Mains | Desserts, Boulangerie | Brunch, Extras | Smoothies, Drinks | The Susi Glossary | Vegan Nutrition

Their menu has soy-free, sugar-free, nut-free, and protein-packed vegan dish options.

The second floor is good for bigger groups and more private meetings. 

The resto is complete with branded merchandising and vegan ingredients to take with you and continue the healthy sustainable experience at home.

 
Bianca quit her visual design job in Barcelona to come back home and set up Susi. It’s her first time to open a restaurant business featuring all her recipes.

(Trivia: She is the niece of Chiqui Mabanta of Corner Tree Cafe fame.)

✮ OSCAR THE GROUCH (P195 +10% service charge). Kale, Spinach, Wheatgrass, Banana.

 Start with this super food smoothie with a balanced veggie-banana flavor.

ROYGBIV (P295 +10% service charge). A vibrant salad with Quinoa, Bell Peppers, Carrots, Mixed Greens, and homemade Teriyaki dressing.

You have to mix the salad well and eat a bit of the quinoa, the greens, and teriyaki dressing to really enjoy this. 

✮ QUINITTO (P415 +10% service charge). Teriyaki Quinoa “Risotto” with Tamari-glazed king oyster mushroom “Scallops”, topped with fresh lemon zest strips.

A brilliant seared scallop risotto-inspired vegan dish using quinoa and oyster mushrooms with a nice teriyaki flavor.

✮ MAC & GEEZ (P295 +10% service charge). Macaroni & “Cheese” topped with Arugula & Smoked Paprika. 

The pasta is made from quinoa/non-gmo corn and the “cheese” from soy cream with carrots. Part of the advocacy of Susi is to provide healthy but yummy options for kids by cleverly “disguising” veggies in their dishes.

✮ EL CHIMICHURRI (P475 +10% service charge). Instagram-worthy Beet Burger with chimichurri, “cream cheese,” pico de gallo, and Sweet potato wedges.

The beet burger has the texture of an actual patty and the medium doneness color when you bite into it. The flavor of the beet is enjoyable and filling. The burger bun is a bit heavy as they use sorghum flour. 

The beet patty goes really well with the kamote (sweet potato) fries dipped in the aioli sauce.

Donny of Burgers & Brewskies checking out the Vegan burger competition. He liked it! 🙂

BERRY WHITE (P295 +10% service charge). Strawberry Tart with an Almond-coconut cream filling. (Barry White, we can’t get enough of your love! Yep, he was vegan, too!)

This dessert was just OK. The strawberry-almond-coconut cream combination lacked the punch you look for a good dessert ending.

✮ EAT YOUR FEELINGS (P225 +10% service charge). Decadent Dark Chocolate Cake sprinkled with Walnuts.

The chocolate ganache was so good it tasted like Royce, and the sorghum flour chocolate cake has the texture and flavor of an actual chocolate chiffon cake. Very addicting! You won’t stop eating it until it’s all gone. 

Brewed Coffee Susi House Blend (P115 +10% service charge) and Chocolate Chip Cookie (P85 +10% service charge).

The coffee was good but the chocolate chip was a bit dry. 

Congratulations to Bianca Mabanta for the awesome Susi concept! 

Overall, I love SUSI‘s concept of showcasing how vegan food can be hip, sexy, and yummy, and of making sustainable living approachable and attainable. You can really feel Bianca’s passion in every corner of the restaurant–in the sustainable design, the vegan dishes, and the natural ambiance.

Start with the OSCAR THE GROUCH smoothie and QUINITTO as appetizers, order the MAC & GEEZ pasta or EL CHIMICHURRI burger as your main course, and end with the EAT YOUR FEELINGS chocolate cake for dessert. Budget about P800/head for a 3-course meal.

Susi has all the elements of an inspiring entrepreneurial story–a Barcelona designer quitting her day job and coming home to Manila to set up her first vegan restaurant, opening a 100% vegan and glutten-free place in the land of pork-loving foodies, and living up to the Mabanta family‘s culinary heritage and success rate. 

Susi is probably one of the vegan restaurants in Manila that a carnivorous foodie would rave about. You have got to try it! 🙂

SUSI: The Key to Sustainable Living
Burgos Circle, Forbes Town Center, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila
Telephone: +632 833 SUSI
Website: www.susi.ph
Email: Info@susi.ph
Instagram: @SusiPH
Operating Hours: Open Daily 11am – 9.30pm 

Note: Credit Cards accepted. Soon to open for breakfast at 7.30am.

Legend: ✮ – Really good! Highly recommended. 🙂

 

Live an Awesome Life,

Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com 

Disclosure: We paid for our meal. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights. Read Our Awesome Planet Complete Disclosure Policy here.  

P.S. It is best if Bianca is the one actually cooking the food in the kitchen. She is still training the incoming chefs in the restaurant and the commissary on how to cook the vegan dishes properly.