Omnipork and Beyond: what happens when a carnivore samples 7 Singapore spots with vegan dishes?
Meat lover Lynnett Yip tries mouth-watering Beyond Meat and Omnipork dishes at a string of Singaporean restaurants. Read on for her verdict
I hate veggies. I’ve never liked them and would never order them at restaurants. OK, maybe not all veggies – I am partial to French beans, carrots, watercress – but only my grandma’s watercress pork rib soup – peas, enoki mushroom and potatoes. Everything else in the vegetable category: no, thanks.
Growing up, vegetables always tasted like plastic to me and, thankfully, my Tiger Mum never forced me to eat them. So, I was obviously surprised when my editor asked me, a lifelong unwavering carnivore, to taste some interpretations of the meat alternatives Beyond Meat and Omnipork at speciality restaurants in Singapore. I decided to accept the vegetable challenge as an opportunity to widen my culinary horizons.
To my astonishment, all the plant-based dishes I sampled far exceeded my expectations and were delicious and mouth-wateringly creative. I never thought the day would come when I would admit I now enjoy food that hasn’t got any meat in it.
Here is my review of 7 impressive vegan-friendly establishments in Singapore. I can also humbly report that I’m now taking baby steps to embrace vegetables.
1. Novotel Singapore On Stevens
As much as I once detested vegetables, I love pork. Pad krapow, a dish of minced pork with Thai basil, is a favourite. So, when I was told I would be sampling the Omnipork version of pad krapow at Novotel’s all-day dining restaurant Food Exchange, I wondered what the vegan version would taste like.