Celebrity Life

From renowned environmentalist venture Green Monday, Green Common is unveiling a brand new 2-storey flagship eatery and marketplace on Wednesday, October 6 2021 – Green Common Nexxus.

An update on and expansion of its plant-based concept stores scattered around Hong Kong, Green Common Nexxus is a four-in-one vegan eatery and marketplace with gourmet dine-in, a coffee and drinks bar, a grab-and-go section and a mini grocery mart.

The flagship comes with a fresh new revamp featuring a soothing teal-mint "Aqua" and white palette that's present throughout the two floors' interiors, packaging and merchandise.

As you enter, you're greeted by the dairy-free coffee and drinks bar where oat milk is the default option – courtesy of UK milk-alternative brand Minor Figures – where you can choose from locally roasted coffees (including dark roasted and full-bodied blends) and superfood smoothies (new breakfast specials include an avocado green tea flaxseed and beetroot banana). Also present on the ground floor is a vegan bakery and a section with healthy meals-to-go made daily in-house.

The expansion of its grocery sees sections dedicated to vegan products for those with food restrictions, like the keto diet or a gluten intolerance, as well as freezers and fridges stocked with familiar ready-made frozen meals and every plant-based product you'll ever want from well-known brands like OmniFoods, JUST Egg, Heura, Beyond Meat and more.

Walk a few stairs up to the restaurant on the first floor serving up completely vegan Asian fusion dishes. Some sumptuous highlights include the Lolli-OmniPork, a crispy plant-based meatball glazed in a sweet and sour sauce on a stick, a reimagined "beef" wellington with OmniPork Luncheon, mushroom and truffle sauce wrapped in roasted vegan pastry sheets, and the ochazuke made with OmniCrab and tororo kombu served with roasted brown rice genmaicha tea.

And as animal products are often incorporated in the making of alcohol (such as egg whites or gelatine as fining agents in winemaking), Green Common Nexxus has sourced vegan-certified wines and sakes from all over the world – available to enjoy at the restaurant in November.

Green Common Nexxus opens on Wednesday, October 6 2021.

Green Common Nexxus, Shop G01 & 101, Nexxus Building, 77 Des Voeux Road, Central; +852 2727 6682

The post Green Common Opens Brand New Two-Storey Flagship in Central appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Vegan eggs are all set to join the ever-growing ranks of plant-based foods.

With World Egg Day taking place on October 13, an Indian start-up is making headlines with a food innovation that may shock some purist fans of traditional omelettes. It has created a vegan egg, made exclusively from vegetable proteins. And to top it all off, this 'egg' is...liquid.

The egg is one of the most commonly consumed foods in the world. Internationally, 145 eggs are consumed per capita per year, according to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).

[caption id="attachment_211049" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Several innovators are looking to create vegan eggs. (Image: Guido Kirchner/ DPA/ AFP)[/caption]

With changes in eating habits and the growing success of the flexitarian diet, this staple food has not escaped notice from researchers and innovators looking to produce an alternative without animal protein. The worldwide success of meatless patties designed to imitate beef, made famous by American start-ups Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, has inevitably created interest in making versions of other foods without animal proteins. In India in particular, a young company has made a vegan egg its flagship product.

Evo Foods has developed a recipe based on vegetable protein to make an egg without animal protein. The start-up recognises that the texture of its innovation is softer than that of an ordinary egg. And a major difference: The 'egg' is totally liquid. The process involves the extraction of proteins from legumes, which are then fermented before being injected with texture agents. The 'egg' can be kept in the refrigerator for six months.

[caption id="attachment_211051" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] An omelette made with Evo Foods' vegan eggs. (Image: Evo Foods)[/caption]

The vegan eggs, which have already gathered American investment, are to be launched in the United States in April 2021.

Is it just another food innovation? Not necessarily. In France, where vegans represent only 0.5 percent of the population according to estimates by the firm Xerfi, there are also efforts underway to create eggs without any involvement of a chicken. Two female biology students have made 50 or so attempts to create an 'egg' from ingredients of vegetable and mineral origin. Code name for their project: The Merveilloeufs.

(Main image: Erol Ahmed/ Unsplash; Featured image: Joseph Gonzalez)

The post Vegan Eggs Will Soon Be a Reality appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

By now, your bosses and colleagues have probably seen more of your abode than you would've ever expected to show them.

With many of us working from home these days, meetings held over video conferencing apps the likes of Zoom and Microsoft Teams have become the new normal. Inevitably, this means letting colleagues into our residences — albeit virtually — and having them catch glimpses of it via our backdrop. Depending on where your workspace is located, this view could range from a boring blank wall to windows or cluttered bookshelves.

Your makeshift office may not be the most glamorous, but there are several easy interior design tricks that you can employ to quickly jazz up the background of your Zoom calls.

Textiles and cushions

If your workstation of choice is the couch or bed, all it takes is a few snazzy throw pillows wrapped in eye-catching fabrics and prints to provide visual interest in the space behind you. Consider dressing your cushions in the Armani/Casa Exclusive Textiles by Rubelli collection, which is inspired by modern art — specifically works by Henri Matisse, Vasilij Kandinskij and Paul Klee.

It showcases striking colour blocks embellished with embroideries, ikat details and intertwined motifs. These are available in various patterns and shades ranging from pastel to neutral hues. More details here.

Houseplants and greenery

Adding houseplants to your home office will help the space look less spartan and bland. Smaller plants like cacti, succulents and spider plants can be displayed on shelves or tables, while larger ones such as philodendrons, snake plants and ZZ plant (Zanzibar Gem) can be placed on the floor to break the monotony of blank walls.

Online plant retailer Flora Houses offers a wide variety of houseplants that will thrive indoors and are generally low-maintenance. Its range includes Japanese fir, fiddle leaf fig and Bird of Paradise. The store provides free doorstep delivery with a minimum spend.

Artworks and paintings

Perhaps houseplants may seem like too much of a commitment, or you simply don't have green fingers. This is where paintings and art pieces make an easier alternative. You can simply hang a couple of them on the wall that constantly forms your video call backdrop.

An Andy Warhol or Basquiat will certainly impress your co-workers, but your art doesn't necessarily have to be expensive or by big name artists. Consider procuring artworks instead from indie galleries such as Odd One Out, which boasts an array of creations by local and international printmakers and illustrators. We can't take our eyes off the above acrylic painting by Micke Lindebergh, which is titled 'Small Yellow Flower Pot' and features colourful blooms accented by quirky squiggles and bright hues.

Statement ornaments and furniture

Inject a dose of quirk into your meeting setup by peppering your background with assorted decorative items and statement furniture pieces. These can be anything from figurines to colourful tiles and dramatic room dividers.

Our go-to is Lala Curio, which is a whimsical wonderland of objets d'art such as brass monkey sculptures, cloisonné birds, and, one of our favourites — an adorable trio of cranes adorned with rock crystal feathers and perched on crystal balls.

Wallpaper

Why settle for one specially curated work area, when you can turn your whole room into an Instagram-worthy space? Wallpaper is a bold and easy solution — if every wall in your room is clad in beautiful prints, you can essentially park yourself in any corner and still have an envy-inducing Zoom backdrop.

Designer wallpaper has seen a resurgence in recent years, and we're obsessed with Christian Lacroix's exquisite Oiseau Fleur vinyl wallpaper, which depicts vibrant botanical and bird motifs against a silk effect embossed base. It comes in two colourways of pink and grey.

(Main image: Brina Blum/ Unsplash; Featured image: Christian Lacroix)

The post Vegan Tuna is the Latest Addition to the World of Plant-Based Dining appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Skincare brands continue their quest for the most active, effective and powerful plant-based ingredients.

The post 9 Plant-Based Beauty Products to Nourish Your Skin appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.