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Vegan friendly, Eco-chic cafe

4 Posted on 04 / 08 / 2013

I've written a review here: http://doufumafia.com/2012/07/04/mana-organic-vegan-friendly-eco-chic-cafe/

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Nice and crowded little place

4 Posted on 03 / 14 / 2013

Mana - Fast Slow Food is a very nice looking small restaurant serving mainly food to go, as it has limited amount of sitting places. The restaurant seems to be really popular among the local office workers and as it is quite a small venue the atmosphere at lunch time was quite hectic. But the service was super friendly and happy.

They have different drinks and smoothies (and also vegan organic cider :) and for example vegan chocolate cake, but the most popular items seem to be their "flats" and salads. The flatbreads have gluten-free and wholemeal options and the toppings selection is great. I chose hummus, grilled tofu, slow dried tomato and avocado to my "flat" and it tasted great. But the portion was really small and quite expensive, 80 Hong Kong dollars. Vegan chocolate cake was quite dry and it was served without any accompaniment.

Pros: Tasty flatbreads and vegan drinks, Good location, Great staff and decor
Cons: Very crowded, Dry chocolate cake, Small portions/expensive

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Good for a quick snack

3 Posted on 10 / 17 / 2012

I was a little disappointed by the very European style of the food here, but I got a decent meal and I was impressed by the gluten free options and the eco cutlery and packaging. Fine for a bite on the go, but not a very relaxing place to sit and eat.

Pros: Quick, Friendly staff, Great fruit/veg juices
Cons: Not much seating, A bit utilitarian

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Absolutely fabulous!

5 Posted on 10 / 11 / 2012

Recently, I went to this restaurant with a couple of other veggo friends and I was blown away!
The menu is small which ensures the execution of the meals is of a very high standard. The atmosphere is extremely cool, and I loved the idea that everything (except the straws) are recyled - even the left over food is put in the compost bin! Their idea to create a sustainable and eco-friendly restaurant shines through, with their home made soap, and water saving tap and toilet.
I was very pleased with the food, I ordered the dahl of the day and couldn't put my spoon down. The prices are great and so are the portion sizes, and the range of food on offer is not only wholesome, but deliciously healthy too!
A perfect place to either pick up a quick, healthy take away or a lovely communal restaurant to sit and get away from the stresses of the day!
I highly recommend this restaurant to not only veggos, but also avid meat eaters!

Pros: Great Food, Great Price, Friendly staff

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Expensive and plain food.

3 Posted on 09 / 14 / 2012

The fries were good, but the "burger" was plain tofu on bread. Little sitting space. Even the worst Chinese restaurant would have given that tofu more flavor.

Pros: Western Food, Clean
Cons: Little Sitting Space

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Delicious!

4 Posted on 06 / 22 / 2012

I went here when I was in HK taking students on a class trip. My GF coworker and I were both super happy we made the effort to get away for a bit to try out Mana. She had the GF flatbread while I tried the other. Both were delicious and fresh. The toppings were great as is; the roasted eggplant really made my wrap though I agree more variety (marinated tofu maybe?) would be appreciated. I also had a slice of raw blueberry cheesecake which was absolutely amazing.

I felt the prices were fair for Soho and HK. It was similar to what you'd pay in London or Shanghai for the same style/quality. My only gripe is that the indoor seating is very limited & not particularly comfortable. But that's par for the course with fast food I guess. No issues with the cutlery--it seemed to be all biodegradable, etc.

Pros: healthy & delicious, raw & sugar-free desserts, good location
Cons: uncomfortable dining in

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Another option in Central

4 Posted on 06 / 08 / 2012

if you're tired of Life cafe (or want to eat outside of their proscribed eating hours) Mana is a nice option. The flats are delicious and the salads quite tasty. Juices fresh made, vegan and raw dessert options... 2 problems: the first is the waste! Even if you're eating in, you get these terrible paper boxes and bowls, the worst plastic spoons (I cut my lip!!), and the paper straws are so flimsy that after half the juice you have to replace with another. The other problem is that there is VERY little raw-- we took a raw friend there and her only option was juice and raw desserts. Would like to see an expanded raw menu (and some real cutlery for dining in), and they'll see a lot more of me.

Pros: Delicious flat breads, Good price , speedy
Cons: not a lot of raw, terrible cutlery, wasteful packaging

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A long way to go

2 Posted on 04 / 30 / 2012

They just opened not long ago and at the moment all they had were a tofu/haloumi burger, wraps, drinks and desserts. Flatbread was freshly baked in the brick oven behind the counter so it was all hot and soft when served. GF version available (made of rice flour and allegedly vegan).

As much as I liked the bread, filling options were very slim and basic. There were maybe 10 of them with just one protein (hard-boiled eggs). No legumes (unless you count hummus in). I got a wholemeal wrap with four fillings (avocado, hummus, roasted veggies, rocket) for $75 plus $4 "eco-char". Taste was rather flat, even the fresh flatbread couldn't save it. Totally pricey for what it was. I also had a slice of the cashew and coconut oil based raw chocolate hazelnut cake. A tiny portion for $45. Nice flavor but the texture was more like a mousse cake, very rich and creamy with a discernible hint of coconut. Could've been firmer. Except for that one hazelnut on top there was nothing hazelnutty about it.

As for the salad bar, you can do a small box for $55 or big for $75. Only four dishes available, same ones every day: quinoa salad, roasted veggies, potato salad and beet salad. None of them looked appetizing and again it lacked some protein-dense food. The least they could do is to throw in some legumes or tofu in there.

Staff were knowledgeable and were able to tell me the ingredients in the food. Most of them were friendly except for that one guy with a headscarf at the register. He seemed bothered when I asked about the GF flatbread and just suddenly looked down at his phone tapping away when I was in the middle of ordering. It's just basic manners really.

Don't think I will eat here again in the near future until they improve their menu and work on the prices.

Pros: good flatbread, knowledgeable staff
Cons: overpriced, slim selection, more vegan protein needed