1. clockwisefromtop:AnthonyJDamico(2);courtesyofHOME–EattoLive(2);courtesyofF8PHOTOGRAPH
the dish
Veggie Out
A new meatless addition to Hong
Kong’s dining scene doles out fast
food with a clean, green
conscience. By Helen Dalley
Yes, Hong Kong’s new veggie
restaurant Home – Eat to Live is
housed in what had been a Burger
King in Central. While the fast-food
concept remains firmly in place—
customers place their order at the till
and are given a restaurant pager to
signal when their meal is ready—the
Whoppers and fries have given way
to wholesome, mostly organic menu
items named after endangered or
extinct species. Popular bites include
The Polar Bear, a beetroot,
mushroom and oat burger topped
with roasted bell peppers, smoked
eggplant caviar and aioli, as well as
the Silky Sifaka earth bowl, a
vegetarian take on Vietnamese pho
that ditches the meat in favor of
fresh greens and luscious avocado.
“We’ve designed a menu that
caters to everyone, whether they’re
craving a Middle-Eastern flat bread
or a bowl of noodles,” says founder
Christian Mongendre. A dedicated
vegetarian, he’s on a mission to
convince diners that meat-free
cuisine doesn’t have to be limiting.
Mongendre hopes to open a second
outlet in Hong Kong soon and
harbors ambitions to roll out his
healthy fast-food model across Asia.
“We want to appeal to the lawyers
and bankers as well as the hippies
and yogis,” he says.
To that end, he’s made sure to
include more indulgent offerings
than the stereotypical slabs of tofu.
While upstairs serves speedy mains,
guests on the ground floor can kick
back on the sofa and dig into
beautifully presented vegan desserts
such as hazelnut chocolate pie and
raspberry lime tart. Pair them with
a nutritious shake like Balance,
which combines coconut and date
with cold-pressed vanilla extract. In
the evening, health-conscious
revelers can knock back a cocktail or
two sans the guilt: the popular Jade
Supercharged balances out Tequila
Ocho, a single estate artisanal
varietal, with kale, spinach, green
pepper, green apple and parsley.
“Just because food is fast doesn’t
mean it can’t be tasty,” he says. Or
that it must be so sanctimonious. A
little booze, a funky attitude, and
dishes that can sate hardened
carnivores make this a place that
both those who eat to live and live to
eat can enjoy. homerestauranthk.
com; mains from HK$118.
FROM top: The Polar Bear, a
meatless beet burger; restaurant
founder Christian Mongendre;
inside the vegetarian fast-food joint;
organic cold-pressed juices;
hazelnut chocolate pie.
/ here&now /
34 n o v e mb e r 2 0 1 6 / t r a v e l a n d l e i s u r e a s i a . c o m