Buhay Ermitanyo — Attraction in Iloilo City

Finally dined at Buhay Ermitanyo and it did not disappoint! This vegan private dining spot in the heart of Iloilo is owned by the delightful couple Juan and Judy.

Although my husband is a meat eater, he said, "If all vegan food tasted like this, I could easily be converted!" Such a compliment from a heavy meat eater like him. We opted for the 7-course menu, and Judy's culinary skills truly shone. While everything was delicious, my personal favorites were their coconut and lemongrass soup (brought me back to Thailand), notzarella sticks, cheesy spam musubi, and their vital tonic potion. I immediately bought their vegan luncheon meat and other products the next day at Simple & Whole—couldn't get over them, haha!

Apart from the exceptionally high-quality and tasty vegan food, the service here is top-notch! Juan and Judy graciously accommodated our literal last-minute request to include our 6-year-old daughter in our dinner plans. Booking in advance is necessary, and notifying them at least 24 hours in advance for any changes is important since they prepare their food fresh. While they couldn't serve her the entire 7-course menu, they kindly provided her with something to nibble on. I also shared my food with my daughter, and she loved it, especially their Kunyaring Fried Chicken (KFC) and carrot chocolate cake!

Our meal began with a meditation guided by Juan (optional but highly recommended). Before leaving, we also received messages from the universe, a gesture our daughter appreciated, saying she got the perfect message.

I've been to Buhay Ermitanyo twice now to have a meal. The first time was for a Christmas dinner in 2022. The second time was when my brother and his wife visited from abroad a couple of weeks ago. Both times, we had a wonderful dinner. We enjoyed the food immensely and felt like we went through a special experience you can't have anywhere else.

Each dish was lovingly prepared, so beautifully plated that they felt too pretty to eat! Still, once we took a bite, the different flavors and textures were worth it. In the recent visit, the lychee ceviche was such a lovely explosion in the mouth, cleansing the palate to be ready for the dishes to follow. The basil sunflower wonton with white balsamic glaze was my personal favorite. I could've eaten that forever. The main was a tasty 'salmon' fillet over steamed rice. Delicious. The dessert was a choco carrot brownie with coconut vanilla cashew cream. We couldn't believe it was made of carrot as it tasted like a legit brownie!

We all enjoyed the welcome drink, meditation session, and our messages from the universe, too. I won't say too much about those because it is an experience best left to real life!

Thanks again to Juan and Judy for a special evening. My family were so happy about the experience at Buhay Ermitanyo and it was a perfect farewell dinner for them before they...

We had the most incredible private vegan dinner last night. We chose to go with the 11 course meal and the owners were shocked and delighted that we cleared our plates 😂.

The evening started off with a quick meditation and then meal service started. Plates were brought to us one at a time and each time we were ready for the next one, we would hit the gong to let them know. At the end we received what was their version of a fortune cookie. The messages from the Universe were surprisingly on point!

I always say pretty much anyone can cook meat dishes but cooking vegan meals and making them taste good is truly on another level. We’ve been fortunate to try so many types of foods so our palates are more discerning. It’s been awhile since my taste buds were this happy!

Judy and Juan were great hosts. Judy is very talented in turning plant based foods into meals that everyone would love. You can’t tell everything was vegan. Everything was made fresh down to the vegan butter. We appreciated how much thought and artistry it took to prepare our meal. The menu is different with every booking. The menu is sent the day before. It took 3.5 hours to get through everything but it was worth it. Next time we might just have to try the 17...