'Spring' in the city: where vegetarians and meat lovers get along

Choosing a restaurant can be challenging, because there are so many factors to consider. Who will you be dining with? Is this a date? A quick lunch on a workday? A night out with friends? A family dinner? How much are you willing to spend? Fifty pesos? A hundred? One thousand? And will there be options for your vegetarian friend? It seems close to impossible that a place that fits all these dining requirements exists, but Spring by Ha Yuan is a cozy restaurant that's perfect for almost every kind of meal. With me being the only vegetarian in the family, things can get awkward when we eat out and we realize the only things I can have are appetizers. At Spring, the menu is marked with color-coded circles: red for Ha Yuan's signature dishes, purple for hormone-free, probiotic, free range meat, green for vegetarian, and blue for pescetarian. The first time we tried their food was for lunch. We arrived soon after they opened, which we later found out was a good thing, as it was only a matter of minutes before the place filled up with the office crowd. "Lechon Macau!" my husband said, surprised that I had brought him to a place with meat. It's not often that you find several vegetarian options in a restaurant that isn't vegetarian, and I may have gotten a bit too excited. I decided to try the Kapao!, the lumpia, and the dumplings. I figured that these were snacks, and three snacks would be the same as one regular meal. Besides, we hadn't had breakfast. My husband wisely chose not to say anything about my ordering for three people, and asked for a bowl of Roast Asado Chinatown Mami. I took his silence as a sign of encouragement and asked for an Almond Lychee Cooler. The dishes came one at a time, and I soon realized I wouldn't be able to consume everything. I began with the HY Signature Fresh Lumpia, which was very filling, even in its Go Light size (P40). Stuffed with fresh vegetables, it was tasty even without the sauce. The Roast Asado Chinatown Mami was delicious, too – from the flavorful soup to the homemade noodles, and they didn't scrimp on toppings, either. While the idea of eating tofu with pao seemed a bit strange to me, the Monk's Choice Kapao! (P50) was very good. Also in Go Light size, the tasty grilled tofu and veggies in a soft, sweetish white bun was more than worth the price. Even my husband, who prefers meat dishes, thought it was good. "Parang mali na lahat masarap," he said, before tasting the Tofu, Shrooms, and Chive poached dumplings in soy ginger sauce. He planned to order Mango Sago from the Tahoooo Bar, but after helping me with my food, there was no more room for dessert. We decided a return trip was in order, because there were so many other things on the menu we wanted to try, like the Ha Yuan signature Curry Sate Camto Mi, the Mapo Tofu Rice, and the Piggy Red Bean Pao. Apart from having so many affordable and delicious dishes to choose from, eating at Spring is interesting, because of the decor and the open kitchen. You can watch as they prepare the food, and marvel at how five of them can fit in the small space. Their wall art, we later found out through their Facebook page, has "The Kitchen Rules of Angkong and Amah," which Spring's owner Suzy Lee learned from her grandparents, who started Ha Yuan, the 55-year-old restaurant in Binondo. The next night, we brought the whole family to try the food. We figured it would be a good way to test the restaurant. The nine-year-old picky eater was pleased with her bowl of Soy Chicken Rice (P130), while everyone enjoyed sharing the Lah Lah Land Popiah (P85), Formosa Lumpia (P85), Asado Siopao (P50), Curry Sate Camto Mi (P175), and Squidball Chinatown Mami (P130). The man of the house was pretty happy, too, about the bill, which cost less than P1,000 for five people. As it was during lunchtime, the restaurant was full for dinner. There were families, barkadas and also solo diners – despite being very busy, the waiters were attentive and the food was served quickly. We also liked how diners can customize their lumpia, requesting more or less of certain ingredients. We were quite impressed, except we wondered why the drinks were served in plastic cups. On our way out, we decided to buy some Piggy Red Bean Pao, because they were just too cute to resist. They also had a tempting Mooncake Selection, with flavors like Green Tea Cranberry, Durian Kasoy, Orange Hazelnut-Nutella and classics like Lotus with Yolk. There were just too many things to choose from, and based on what we'd tried, you can't really go wrong with anything on the menu. There was no doubt about it. We'd be back soon. — BM, GMA News Spring by Ha Yuan is at the G/F of BSA Mansion, 108 Benavidez St. Legaspi Village, Makati. For more information, visit their Facebook page.