Isaw, but make it winner

My first date with my wife was at a vegan restaurant. It wasn’t planned. The previous restaurant was packed and that place was the only place we could eat. It was pretty good. There were not a lot of people inside. It looked like an old Spanish ancestral home converted into a restaurant. We had some vegan adobo and carbonara, and it was pretty bomb. 

I never have really gone to eat at vegan places on purpose.

There was another encounter when I tutored a kid here in the States. We ate in a local diner after our morning tutoring session, and I wanted to have a burger. They ran out and only had a vegan burger. I couldn’t really figure out the main ingredients but I do know it had tofu, lentils, and tempeh (which I just knew was another type of tofu). Up to this day, it’s still one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten.

With that being said, I’m all good with vegan food. I don’t necessarily look for it, but will gladly partake and enjoy any type of good food.

Then, I tried this vegan isaw in Cholate—a cafe owned by a friend in Metro Manila.

Isaw is a Filipino street food staple made from chicken intestines. It’s cleaned multiple times, marinated, then is usually put in a skewer to grill. The marinade may differ depending on the location, but it usually plays along the lines of soy sauce, chicken oil, ketchup, chilies, onions, and garlic.

Photo by Angelica Salcedo-Alonzo

This vegan blessing named Isawinner by Cholate is the vegan counterpart of the popular isaw, and has been one of my favorite Filipino vegan foods up to date. Replacing the chicken intestine is the tofu skin with the same marinade as the isaw, except also vegan. I’ve tried it multiple times before, and it always tastes the same.

Smoky, juicy, with charred bits of isaw but without the cost of a sentient being. It’s even more satisfying if you pair it with homemade spiced vinegar or Sukang Pinakurat.

Isaw without the oily guilt.

It’s not good vegan food. It’s good food. Period.

You can order isawinner by bulk, cooked or uncooked. Check out their Instagram page @cholatebarph to contact them for more info.