How Hong Kong's F&B scene is branding itself for a greener future

“I feel like in ten years people won’t talk about sustainability as a brand. It’s just what we have to do,” says Agung Prabowo, co-founder of Penicillin, Hong Kong’s first “closed-loop” bar.

Prabowo is no stranger to the city’s (sometimes wasteful) F&B scene. The decorated mixologist built his career in some of the region’s top hotels before co-founding The Old Man, named “Asia’s Best Bar” by Asia’s 50 Best in 2019. Earlier this year, he set out with his partners to create a new concept, one grounded in the fundamentals of sustainability. In collaboration with partners Roman Ghale, Laura Prabowo, Katy Ghale, and COLLECTIVE architectural firm led by Betty Ng, that concept became Penicillin, which opened in Central this November.

While sustainability was always in Prabowo’s sights, he admits that going green has been an educational experience.

“I knew that I wanted to use all ingredients to the fullest, but I didn’t know there was an exact name for that. I searched, and found, ‘Oh, it’s a closed-loop cycle,’” he says.

From the recycling and up-cycling of kitchen scraps to fermenting and growing their own ingredients for cocktails and dishes, plus the sourcing of produce from local farms and vendors, Prabowo aims to minimize Penicillin’s carbon footprint while being as waste-free as possible — even utilising the scraps from the team's other new bar, a "dive" concept called DEAD&, to soften the blow on the environment. 

Prabowo’s vision for a greener and cleaner world is inspiring, and it fits consumer demands, as well: A 2020 study by GlobeScan indicated that 75% of Asian consumers want to “significantly lessen their environmental footprint”, citing climate change and air pollution as the most serious current global issues after COVID-19.

For businesses, while sustainability ensures an objectively better future for all, it can come at a cost. At least, initially.

“They’re not cheap,” says Ash Salmon, head chef at Hong Kong’s Roganic, the international outpost of Simon Rogan’s Michelin-starred farm-to-table London eatery. We’re looking at a pair of Evogro cabinets, hydroponic terrariums where the restaurant grows a variety of fresh herbs and leafy things that complete its award-winning dishes.

Those close to F&B know the industry often operates on razor-thin margins, despite the lavish associations many have with fine dining. And to do so in Hong Kong, where organically grown or eco-friendly products can be harder to come by, adopting and holding yourself to certain values can be difficult, especially financially.

However, Salmon notes that thinking and purchasing locally has actually proven beneficial despite the challenges faced by the industry.

“I don’t wanna say it’s easy, but I haven’t seen too much of a change because of COVID, because we did the hard work two years ago to find local suppliers,” says Salmon. “It’s sort of built to last.”

Salmon hopes the changing attitudes in a post-pandemic world inspire more interest and investment in sustainable concepts, both by the public and the government.

“What I’ve been told by a few guests is that this sort of concept might not have worked in Hong Kong five years ago,” he adds. “The consciousness and the mentality have changed here, which can only be a good thing.”

With the spectre of COVID-19 continuing to loom over the year, many restaurants have been forced to rely on delivery and takeaway just to survive. For Vicky Lau, chef-patron of Michelin-starred TATE Dining Room, launching DATE by TATE gave her an additional opportunity to serve Hongkongers throughout the pandemic, and to do so in an eco-friendly way.

“DATE by TATE is a response to COVID-19 as people’s eating habits and preferences are changed this year,” says Lau. “We would like to offer our guests more options with the current situation, where we are rediscovering the joys of dining at home.”

DATE by TATE’s Gastronomy Gourmet Box offers a multi-course menu, a beverage pairing, and a playlist for an upscale take on takeout. Meals are made with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients and come in reusable packaging — all of which will be personally picked up and returned to the restaurant by the DATE by TATE team after completion of the meal.

While Lau concedes delivery and return is more expensive for the restaurant, she credits grocers like Slowood and Green Common as inspirations that helped her pursue more eco-friendly business practices. For Lau, being able to offer her dining experience while supporting the good of the planet is worth the added cost.

“Businesses from all over the world also have responsibilities to embrace sustainability as a way of life and business,” says Lau.

Photos courtesy of Penicillin, Roganic and DATE by TATE.

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