Who says eating Korean food must always be about ordering army stew, fried chicken, and kimchi? Korean cuisine certainly offers more choices. With the rise of the Go Green culture, dishes have become more diverse. Even Korean cuisine has joined the “vegetarian” trend. Recently, a new Korean-style vegetarian restaurant, “Soil to Soul,” has started its trial operation at K11 MUSEA in Tsim Sha Tsui!
There are different types of vegetarian diets that everyone knows about, in addition to the commonly mentioned “vegan”, “lacto-vegetarian”, “ovo-vegetarian”, and “lacto-ovo-vegetarian” diets, there is also a traditional Korean “temple cuisine culture” that advocates not eating meat, garlic, or onions.
The Korean executive chef in charge of “Native Flower” has inherited from a local Korean Buddhist master, and has followed the master’s teachings in the temple for up to 6 years. He reinterprets the “temple food culture” in a new style, and his methods of handling ingredients also adhere to Buddhist principles, abandoning pungent ingredients that easily stimulate emotions, including garlic, leeks, chives, scallions, and onions. The chef also advocates for using natural plant-based ingredients, making the most of ingredients, enjoying vegetarian food without affecting the natural environment and ecology, reducing the impact on the environment, and implementing green concepts!
In addition to focusing on whether the ingredients are healthy and natural, “Tushenghua” also intentionally uses additive-free sea salt from the local area in Korea, allowing vegetarian dishes to emit a pure flavor. It also uses its unique sugar-making technology to make sugar from green plums and pure natural methods, while also selecting soy sauce from temples in Korea, which is not only additive-free and sun-dried, but also fermented for 5 to 10 years, giving it a pure and authentic temple flavor in terms of purity and color!
Using carefully selected seasonings and organic vegetables from local farms, “Native Blossom” offers selected appetizers such as the “Korean Ginseng Salad” with Korean ginseng, and the “Assorted Mushroom Pudding with Sweet and Spicy Sauce” infused with a French-style pudding flavor. The main dishes include the “Sweet and Sour Crispy Fried Shiitake Mushrooms” made with Korean soy sauce, the “Sweet and Spicy Crispy Fried Mushrooms” seasoned with Korean chili sauce, as well as the “Burdock Shredded Stuffed Tofu with King Oyster Mushrooms,” “Korean Vermicelli Mixed Vegetable Tofu Pouch,” “Teriyaki King Oyster Mushrooms,” and “Korean Vegan Set Meal” featuring temple cuisine.
There are also Korean-style vegetarian snacks, such as “Korean vegetable crisps”, “mushroom stuffed mashed potatoes”, “pan-fried yuzu honey yam slices”, “Korean radish dumplings”, “candied mixed nuts”, “mini Korean pancakes”, etc., paired with a variety of cocktails that incorporate Korean cultural characteristics, bringing a unique Korean-style drinking experience! From appetizers, main courses to snacks, there are vegetarian options available, whether it’s for a meal or enjoying drinks with friends, there is now one more reason to Go Green! The lunch set is priced at HK$218; the evening tasting menu of six to eight courses ranges from HK$598 to HK$788.
“Indigenous Flower”
Address: Shop 704, 7/F, K11 MUSEA, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Phone: 2389 9588
