“Grassroots Pantry revolves around a simple core philosophy: to create food that heals with the highest culinary standards. We make conscious food, using the freshest, most nutrient-dense of sustainable, plant-based ingredients. No corner of the restaurant strays from our eco-conscious theme, from a biodynamic wine list, to the meticulous sorting of waste, to hosting community screenings of environmental films.”

Kelp and mung bean noodle pho; traditional Chinese medicine broth with cloves, cinnamon bark, star anise, and white peppercorn; and profiteroles with organic cacao powder and low glycemic coconut nectar.

In a city where barbecued pork rules, it takes courage to convince Hongkongers to switch to plants. Grassroots Pantry opened in 2012 as a cute little restaurant off the beaten track, but Chef Peggy Chan has since grown, and so has the restaurant. In a chic, loft-like space, she’s serving refined and vegan dishes, with plenty of special dietary options. Chan’s passion and determination for communicating the ecological, nutritional, and ethical upsides of cutting out animal products shows in dishes like the soul-satisfying pho with Chinese medicine broth, to ingenious creations like the dragon maki roll, with chia seeds soaked in kombu water. Most of the components, from fermented sriracha to gluten-free pastry, are made in-house, from scratch. Chan started a revolution in the city’s dining scene, and she’s not going to stop anytime soon.