Roasted veggies, grilled haloumi, a smear of hummus and a sprinkle of mint, all wrapped in an organic, oven-baked flatbread and topped with Zaatar. Sounds like a kebab only healthy, doesn’t it? Well that’s exactly what it is: ‘fast slow food’ from Hong Kong favourite, Mana!.
If you’ve never been to Mana!, simply follow the health-conscious hordes, hunting for on-the-go food come 12 o’clock. We all know that lunch can be a difficult task. If you failed to meal prep or simply left your perfectly portioned kale salad in the fridge, finding a quick and healthy meal on your lunch break is no easy feat. Which is why Mana! created their ‘Fast Slow Food’ joint, to transform take-away into a nutritious affair. Serving organic, vegetarian food, it has a menu bursting with delicious soups, salads, juices and more, but it’s the signature ‘Flats’ that truly bring the masses
Reinventing the traditional Middle Eastern flatbread, Mana!’s ‘Flats’ are baked (read: not fried) in-house, topped with their exclusive blend of Zaatar, filled with toppings and hand rolled… in just a few short minutes. Customers can choose from the menu of pre-tested flavour hits or opt to build their own in three simple steps: 1. Choose your base – wholemeal or gluten free (or go carb-free with a salad), 2. Choose your topping – unlike the first step, here you are presented with a never-ending list of hearty plant-based toppings including the more substantial: grilled tofu, falafel, soft-boiled egg; the saucy: tahini, garlicnaise, baba ghanoush; and seductive: caramelised onions, kale, slow dried tomatoes, and finally, 3. Make it a combo – would you like a soup, juice or fries with that?
The food’s not the only thing that’s green at Mana!; the whole space is built to respect and give back to the environment, with energy-saving lights, water-saving toilets, reclaimed furniture and paper straws. They even have a tap on the wall for ‘free water’ as opposed to bottled and customers receive a 5% discount if they BYO container.
But take-away lunch isn’t all they offer and guests are welcome to dine in right through to the evening. That being said, the communal table gets pretty packed at meal times so if you’re keen to share a mezze platter you could try their full-seated venue, Mana! Cafe at 8 Tai on Terrace, PoHo, Hong Kong.
Mana! Fast Slow Food
Address: 92 Wellington St, Central Hong Kong
Open Everyday 10am – 10pm
Website: www.mana.hk
Instagram: @manafastslowfood
