Vegetarian Dining

Thanks to a proliferation of Buddhist dining establishments, vegetarian restaurants have always been around in Hong Kong. But it’s only in the past couple of years that they’ve gone from humble mom-and-pop stores to seriously stylish dining establishments in their own right—unsurprising, considering that cutting down on meat is a trend that’s here to stay. “The rate [of demand for meat] is just not sustainable—in the next couple of decades there just won’t be enough beef for everyone, and there’ll be an increase in vegetarianism and veganism,” says Todd Darling, co-owner of Homegrown Foods, a community-based private enterprise that collects fresh, organic produce from local private farms and delivers them to customers’ homes. To Darling, going green is not so much a trend as it is a future necessity.

People are also thinking much more about the quality and origin of the food they eat. “I believe we need to make an informed choice about the food that we put in our bodies, and to eat like it matters,” says Christian Mongendre, co-owner of new vegetarian cafe Mana. “People have a lot of misconceptions about vegetarianism, like that you need to take supplements to have a well-balanced diet,” Mongendre adds. So he and other green restaurateurs in our city have tasked themselves with providing a responsible and tasty alternative for diners as well as teaching the public in general about how forgoing meat doesn’t necessarily mean forgoing flavor. If you’re ready to add some greens to your diet, check out these on-the-ball venues below:

Mana

Feel your mind relax and your body slow down against the backdrop of mantra and reggae music as you step into Mana, a new vegetarian, raw and vegan-friendly cafe. Everything here is delivered daily from Mapopo Organic Farms in the New Territories. The place practices raw foodism, where ingredients are uncooked and unprocessed in order to preserve their natural goodness—although many other vegetarian and vegan options are also available. You’ll also find that Mana has a very low energy footprint; all utensils are biodegradable, toilets use low water flow, lights are made from LED and food waste is composted in Lantau Island. Even the main family-style dining table is furnished from reclaimed wood. Grab a cup of free filtered water from the water fountain before you nab a seat upstairs to devour your organic, wholesome, oven-baked flatbread. Other must-haves include the creamy, thick Babylon (banana) smoothie and the scrumptious raw coconut cheesecake.
92 Wellington St., Central, 2851-1611.

Anything But Salads

Online health food site Anything But Salads offers a wide range of healthy dehydrated chips and low-calorie desserts that are free of additives and preservatives. The adventurous and organic chip selection includes red pepper flax crackers ($25), miso eggplant chips ($25), zucchini chips ($35), sour apple chips ($20) and even strawberry chips ($30). Otherwise there’s an un-sinful chocolate cake at $30 a slice.
6743-5000, www.anythingbutsalads.com.

Harbourside Restaurant

Harbourside Restaurant at the Intercon has an ever-evolving “ihealth” menu that is specifically tailored to promote health. The vegetarian mains include the vegetable risotto—a spinach risotto with braised baby vegetables and ricotta cheese. For dessert lovers, one super healthy sweet treat to sink your teeth into is the organic tofu and soy-milk cheesecake.
The Intercontinental Hotel, 18 Salisbury Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2313-2323.

FINDS

Did you know that Norwegian restaurant FINDS has a mouth-watering selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes on top of their venison and salmon dishes? The current menu features an eye-catching beetroot risotto with hazelnuts, white asparagus, baby spinach and feta cheese. You can also try the platter of wood-stone oven-roasted vegetables with roasted zucchini, eggplant and basil tomatoes.
1/F, The Luxe Manor, 39 Kimberley Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2522-9318.

Home Cook

For those who love pottering around in the kitchen, here are some raw food and vegetarian cooking courses and books.

Veggies Galore

Graphic designer and part-time cook Cindy Lam holds weekly Italian-style vegetarian cooking workshops called “Want Some Greens?”. Lam reminds us that there are huge health benefits if you have a plant-based diet. “Ever since I read the book ‘Being Peace’ by Thich Nhat Hanh and became a vegetarian three years ago, I’ve noticed that my skin is better, I rarely get tired after a meal, and feel a lot happier and less aggressive.” Some of Cindy’s favorite dishes to make include a peperonata (an Italian version of ratatouille), green olive tapenade pasta and quinoa salad. Workshops are held every Sunday between noon to 3pm. Each workshop costs $380 (or $250 for first timers).
Room 1B, 8/F, Cheung Fat Building, 7-9 Hill Rd., Shek Tong Tsui, 6772-1561, [email protected].

Go Local

Homegrown Foods is currently holding monthly cooking demonstration classes at Posto Privato, the private kitchen arm of Posto Pubblico. Classes feature dishes using seasonal harvest from local organic farmers who supply fresh produce to Homegrown Foods. The next class will be on April 14 and will be hosted by chef Peggy Chan. Classes are $538 per person and includes a complimentary box of organic vegetables from Homegrown Foods. Homegrown Foods partners with predominantly New Territories-based farms for its produce.
28 Elgin St., Central, 2671-2771, [email protected].

Read Up

If all this green talk has you inspired, Nobu Matsuhisa has recently launched his own “Vegetarian Cookbook” for you to replicate your own recipes at home. It has 60 Japanese-style vegetable recipes using techniques like marinating, pickling, steaming, and roasting.
$500. Available at the Intercontinental Hotel, 18 Salisbury Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui.