(Co-written by Emilie Yabut-Razon & Claudia Lee)
Whether you’re creating some new traditions this holiday season or continuing on your plant-based journey, these Christmas feasts on offer by Hong Kong’s favourite vegan/vegetarian restaurants will certainly leave you in a festive mood:
See also: The Best Vegan Cookies In Hong Kong
Ma… and the Seeds of Life
For its Christmas Menu, Ma… and the Seeds of Life’s Chef Tina Barrat presents several decadently inventive French vegan dishes, including Lobster “Mane” Bisque, made from Lion’s Mane mushroom, carrot and celery; Pan-fried Faux Gras (porcini mushroom and cashews) folded into hearty risotto with morels and truffle, and King Oyster Scallop truffle cauliflower mash, topped with white chaviar (made from chia seeds) and champagne foam.
For dessert, enjoy a chocolate log with orange cream and strawberry snowman, and finish off the meal with coffee and tea. (HK$480) A special Christmas and New Year Menu, which includes Roasted Stuffing (no bird here!), a cheese plate and a glass of non-alco sparkling wine is available from 21 December from 2 January, 2022 (HK$880).
Ma…and the Seeds of Life, Shop 11, 1/F, H18 CONET, 23 Graham Street, Central, +852 6469 4533 or +852 3165 1717
Veda
Newly reopened, Veda offers a Festive Menu that is packed with rich flavours, guaranteed to keep you feeling the Christmas spirit. The set includes a hearty sweet potato soup, roasted butternut squash with yogurt sauce and pine nuts, vegetarian wellington from spinach, paneer and beetroot with a port wine reduction, and bourguignon of mushroom and Brussels sprouts with mashed Jerusalem artichokes. Finish off the meal with apple crumble and salted vanilla ice cream. (HK$470) The restaurant is also offering 20% off on its Champagne Brunch on Boxing Day.
Veda, Ovolo Central, 2 Arbuthnot Road, Central, Hong Kong / 37553000
Miss Lee
Recreating our favourite Cantonese dishes into healthier, even tastier vegetarian options is Miss Lee. The restaurant’s six-course Festive Dinner Menu, available on 24 to 26 December, and 31 December and 1 January includes exclusive seasonal dishes such as soul-warming Chencun Flat Rice Noodle Rolls, Watercress Gnocchi and Handmade Noodles with Honshimeji Mushroom, with Walnut Puff with Vanilla Ice cream for dessert.
The best part? Miss Lee offers gluten-free, allium-free and vegan alternatives. A four-course lunch and seven-course dinner ($598) are also available throughout the holiday season.
Miss Lee, G/F The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Sheung Wan, +852 2881 1811 or reserve online
Soil to Soul
For a taste of Korea, visit Soil to Soul at K11 Musea. Led by Korean chef Gu Jin Kwang, dishes hail from Buddhist culinary traditions, and the selection of simple yet superb-quality ingredients. The restaurant is offering a seven-course Festive Tasting Menu for lunch and a nine-course dinner from 13 December to 9 January which includes Korean Ginseng & Chestnut Soup, Jae Chae Rolls and Veggie Bibimbap. Prices start at $568 per person, with wine pairing options.
Soil to Soul has also reimagined the traditional poon choi, with a colourful and tasteful combination of tofu skin pockets, zucchini noodles, Korean rice cakes, radish dumplings and more, available for takeaway from 18 December to 15 February in servings good for 4 ($888) and 8 ($1,688). Please order a week in advance.
Soil to Soul, Shop 704, 7/F, Victoria Dockside K11 Musea, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, +852 2389 9588
Chaiwala
For those looking for an Indian inspired Christmas meal, Chaiwala is offering an Indian Themed Festive Brunch and a Christmas Eve Dinner tasting menu with vegetarian options. Start the festivities off right with signature Chaats and Indian snacks and end with flavourful spiced desserts. The sharing plates are especially suitable for a season like Christmas, although you might to keep your Aloo Tikki Chaat or Saffron Ice Cream to yourself after you’ve had a bite.
Price: Festive Brunch is HK$398 per person; Christmas Eve Dinner is HK$498 per person
Chaiwala, Basement, 43, 55 Wyndham St, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2362 8988
Ask for Alonzo
Mushroom loving 8Shaders will appreciate Ask for Alonzo’s Festive Vegetarian Menu. Both their starter (Chestnut and Mushroom Soup) and mid-course (Porcini Mushroom Ravioli with Truffle Cream sauce) are inspired by the earthy mushroom. Their panettone mousse is a unique twist on the staple Christmas bread, it’s the first time we’ve seen this on a Christmas menu and we are so curious to try.
Price: HK$248 per person for vegetarian lunch or dinner
Ask for Alonzo, multiple locations
POP Vegan
POP Vegan’s six-course Christmas meal is curated for those who want a traditional Christmas feast. Inspired by Christmas crowd favourites like Pork Belly and Christmas Pudding, POP Vegans’ team created dishes like faux Pork Belly with Roast Lemonade’s New Potatoes and vegan Christmas pudding. Using seasonal produce, the team also conjured a hearty Parsnip, Chestnut and Apple Soup that will delight any platter.
Price: The six-course Christmas lunch or dinner is priced at HK$999 for two
POP Vegan, 1/F, 28 Elgin Street, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2628 6211
Salisterra, The Upper House
Salisterra offers vegan and gluten free Christmas Eve Dinners and a Christmas Day Lunch. One of the main courses, Celeriac, Potato and Truffle Pithivier, is inspired by the celeriac, a root vegetable that has come into its own lately because of its versatility. Sweet tooths out there will struggle to choose between the Vegan Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Sorbet or the gluten free Moscato and Saffron Poached Williams Pear with Pear Sorbet.
Price: Christmas Eve dinner starts at HK$1,188 per person; Christmas Day lunch starts at HK$1,988 per person
Salisterra, Level 49 The Upper House Pacific Place 88, Queensway, Admiralty, +852 3968 1106
Amber, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental
Landmark Mandarin Oriental’s Director of F&B Richard Ekkebus has long been an advocate of sustainable dining. Since November, the restaurant has been donating proceeds from their vegetarian and vegan menu to support The Green Earth’s Plantation Enrichment Programme to restore woodlands in Hong Kong.
Amber offers a contemporary French Christmas menu, where guests can choose from three-, four-, or six-course lunch menu and six- or nine-course dinner menus. Marrying earthy beetroot with sweet tart plums, the Crapaudine Beetroot Plum, Home Made Umeboshi & Pepper Berry Dish as a true reflection of a seasonal, locally sourced dish.
Price: Christmas Eve dinner from HK$2,088 per person, Christmas lunch and dinner from HK$1,788 per person; kids’ menu available at HK$708 per person
Amber, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central, +852 2132 0066
Co-written by: Emilie Yabut-Razon and Claudia Lee
Sign up for the 8Shades weekly newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox!
