Astig Vegan and Papalote's Vegan Sisig Burrito

All it took was one simple Instagram comment, “we should do a colabo“. Simple, casual words from Papalote restaurant owner and executive chef, Miguel Escobedo when he saw the photo of my vegan Sisig on Instagram. Papalote (which means “kite” in English) is a popular Mexican taqueria in San Francisco. It serves generous vegan options and all of their rice and beans are proudly proclaimed vegan. Papalote is also known to collaborate with Filipino chefs and creators for a “mexipino” spin.

The first meeting convinced me even more that Papalote will be a good partner. Miguel had a friendly, warm, laid-back yet passionate demeanor. He said he has been mindful of his health and has been pursuing healthier options for himself and his community. In fact, he has seen documentaries like “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead“, and read the book “Fast Food Nation” (in one sitting!). He said he has also gone vegetarian before. I applaud that he has been striving to improve himself and his community. Every person’s journey is different. I’m glad that he is being more open-minded about the vegan lifestyle.

The second meeting was all about recipe testing. The moment of truth. After all, Miguel had not tasted my Sisig; he had only seen a photo. Eyes may eat first, but it’s the palate that will ultimately dictate if I’m in or out of the game. That morning I made the Sisig and brought it to his restaurant. I was nervous because he had never tried my version before. Miguel took a bite, looked at me, said “that was good!”. My heart was singing!

We then headed to the kitchen to figure out how to make it into a burrito. Miguel placed the Sisig on the grill which brought an immediate sizzle. He explained they designate a specific section on the grill for vegan items (they have vegan menu items like tofu mole, soyrizo burrito, vegan fajitas, etc. All their rice and beans are vegan). He showed me a steel spatula with a white handle and said the white color means for vegan food only. I appreciate that he takes respectful measures in handling vegan food. After grilling the Sisig, we eventually came up with adding spanish rice, pico de gallo, Papalote salsa (100% vegan!), and fresh avocado, wrapped in tomato tortilla, and garnished with jicama on the side. He cut it in half and we took the burrito to the dining table for tasting.

Chef Miguel Escobedo preparing the Vegan Sisig Burrito.

Me happily holding the Vegan Sisig Burrito.

I did mention eyes eat first, but actually cameras eat first. Miguel and I took our phones out and started snapping some photos. We proceeded to take our side of the burrito and munched on. For a moment, there was silence in the air as we enjoyed each bite. The Vegan Sisig Burrito was almost perfect! Miguel concluded it needed few more slices of avocado. Hey, I’m not the one to dispute adding more avocado. In fact, there’s no such thing as too much avocado!

After finishing our meal, we shook hands and decided to launch the Vegan Sisig Burrito as a one-day special on Saturday, October 24th at the Mission district location of Papalote Restaurant.

I’m crossing fingers that people will enjoy what we have been working hard on. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be given a day for vegan Filipino food to shine. I know I’m in good hands with Papalote Restaurant. Hopefully this will be the beginning of more collaborations. I hope to see you on the 24th with a vegan burrito in hand!