Wendy LEUNG, chef and one of the proprietors of Herbivores, witnessed the inhumane way of animal slaughter and the environmental impact of livestock farming when she studied culinary art in France. To promote healthy eating and environmental protection, she decided to open a vegetarian restaurant.

When she started her first shop in Central, Wendy was worried about not having enough vegetarians around. Yet with a dedicated team of chefs and attentive service staff, the restaurant built up a loyal clientele in just a short time. Last year, they opened a branch in a mall in Causeway Bay.

However, she expresses that vegan dishes are still not a main popular dishes in the locality. “Some customers hurry out of the restaurant after they have found out that we only sell vegan dishes.” On the other hand, some eat heartily there without knowing that they are having vegan dishes in fact.

Wendy says, “As a vegan restaurant, we do not cook with meats or sauces containing animal ingredients such as Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce and gelatin. Our cooks have to be extra creative when developing recipes.”

Herbivores offers a mixture of Italian, Japanese, Malaysian and Thai cuisines. They often combine ingredients of different textures and flavours to enrich the overall taste. Some of their innovative dishes include “rice topped with steamed Japanese egg” and “Italian rice balls with curry sauce”. Vegetable main courses at Herbivores include roasted mushrooms steak and roasted stuffed tomatoes.