Vegan Block Party: plant-based pizzas and hip hop in Sai Ying Pun – carnivores welcome
With Hong Kong going nuts for her vegan fare, Mayse Artisan Bakery founder brings meat-free fast food to the masses. ‘It’s for anyone who likes good food and music with friends’
The term “junk food” doesn’t conjure up thoughts of plant-based dishes but even vegans like something greasy from time to time. Catering to such cravings, a block party in Sai Ying Pun will serve up vegan (like everything else on the menu) burgers, chicken and meatballs.
The Vegan Block Party, on August 3, will be co-hosted by Elina Strelita-Strele, half of the Latvian father-daughter team at Mayse Artisan Bakery, in Tai Po. The idea sprang from the success of Mayse’s egg- and dairy-free sourdough pizzas, which have gained fans across Hong Kong.
As well as pizza, block party guests can tuck into fried “chick’n”, meatball sub sandwiches made with pork substitute Omnipork, and churros with chocolate sauce – each dish costing less than HK$50 – while a DJ spins hip hop tunes. Tickets will include vegan beer and wine.
“At first I didn’t want to call it a vegan block party, in case it scared off those who weren’t vegan,” Strelita-Strele says. “It’s for anyone who likes enjoying good food and music with friends.”
A self-described “food obsessive”, Strelita-Strele moved to Hong Kong from London four years ago. Her father, Aleksandrs Strelits-Strele, had arrived in Hong Kong years earlier, and each time his daughter visited, he would ask her to bring fresh bread.