Aiming to make “meat” sourced from protein-rich plants appealing and accessible for all, Asia’s first plant-based butcher is riding the wave of the booming alternative protein scene. Love Handle is a two-storey butcher and dine-in deli on trendy Ann Siang Hill in Singapore’s Chinatown. With high ceilings, chic decoration, black and white floor tiles, and a long metallic bar, it brings an edge to Singapore’s growing plant-based movement. Love Handle wants to make plant-based meat that attracts all types of customer, from vegans and vegetarians to flexitarians and full-on meat-eaters. Customers can try raw, semi-prepared, marinated plant-based meats, and have their selection sliced before taking it home to cook. Head chef and co-founder Addis Tan is a big player in the plant-based-food scene in Singapore. A chef of 14 years, he started his plant-based journey originally to support his parents-in-law, who, after going vegan for health reasons, struggled to find food to eat when dining out. Love Handle, which he co-founded with Ken Kuguru and Feline Gondokusumo, was born as a burger joint and quickly became known for its comfort food, such as its Impossible double cheeseburger and mushroom Swiss burger. Wanting to fill a gap in the market and make plant-based proteins more accessible and convenient for the general public, the founders decided to morph their burger joint into a plant-based butcher and deli, while still serving their burgers and comfort food. Veganuary: enjoy the health benefits of a whole food plant-based diet The plant-based meats on offer have all been “love-handled” by Tan so they are ready for customers to cook without any hassle. Marinated and pre-seasoned meats include beefless rendang from Indonesian brand Green Rebel; calamari from Singaporean brand Growthwell; meatballs and mince from US brand Impossible Foods; luncheon meat from Hong Kong’s OmniFoods; sausages from US brand Beyond; chicken and ham from Singapore’s Tindle; and Love Handle’s own pastrami and teriyaki mince. It also serves non-dairy butters and condiments such as its own Hao Gan Ma umami-flavoured sauce, Ricotta cheese, eggless mayo and kombu (edible kelp) butter. By mid-2022, it will also offer cold cuts and deli meats. Coming from the restaurant scene, Tan knows vegan food has been an afterthought for a long time, with meat traditionally the centrepiece of a meal. “I wanted to make plant-based meat the star of the dish and open a place where vegans and non-vegans can come together and really enjoy a meal without missing the meat,” he says. Maretta Grassois, a regular patron, sits at a high table with two of her colleagues enjoying a plate of Love Handle’s home-made vegan pastrami and pâté. She recently went from being a meat-eater to flexitarian, a term used today to describe someone on a semi-vegetarian diet, one centred on plant-based foods with the occasional inclusion of meat. Citing the rise of the cost of meat as her main reason for turning flexi, Grassois is enjoying exploring plant-based alternatives. “I’ve been a big fan of Addis Tan since day one, so whatever he makes, I like it,” Grassois says, adding that the plant-based meats are “just as meaty and delicious” as regular meats. Sitting next to her is Jose Luis del Amo, a flexitarian from Barcelona, Spain. “We like to eat good food that’s good for the planet and for our body,” he says as he enjoys another bite of the vegan pâté. Ynyr Jones is a Welsh expat who’s been in Singapore for two years, working in the food distribution industry. Here for lunch, Jones is impressed with the vegan pastrami made of smoked jackfruit . “This place is going to help make plant-based meat more accessible to the consumer, and that’s what it’s all about,” he says. Tan and Kuguru believe it’s a great time to be in the plant-based-protein business in Asia-Pacific, a sentiment echoed by the international non-profit Good Food Institute. Global investments in alternative protein grew more than 60 per cent from 2020 to 2021 to a record US$5 billion, according to the institute, and in Asia-Pacific, investment surged 92 per cent to US$312 million . Among 2021’s most jaw-dropping investment news was that of Singaporean start-up Next Gen Foods, producer of the plant-based chicken Tindle . It raised US$30 million in its seed funding round, nearly tripling the previous record for an alternative-protein start-up. (The company went on to announce in February 2022 that it had secured a record US$100 million in Series A funding.) Good Food Institute believes 2022 could be the year that the centre of plant-based protein shifts from the US to Asia-Pacific. In a recent report, Ryan Huling, senior communications manager for the Asia-Pacific arm of the institute, said Asia has the potential to “blow the door off its hinges and become a bona fide hotbed of alternative protein unicorns”, referring to privately held start-up companies with a value of over US$1 billion. The plant-based-butcher concept is popular in other parts of the world. Rudy’s Vegan Butcher opened in 2020 in Islington in north London, with its stock selling out within hours of opening. It has been so successful that a second location opened in Selfridges, a high-end department store on Oxford Street, in May 2021. In Singapore, Love Handle also offers online shopping, a concept Kuguru brought to the table. The former head of corporate travel for Asia-Pacific at Expedia has ensured customers receive same-day delivery for all orders placed before 11am. Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here .