Vivian Chang, an advocate of healthy and sustainable food, recently opened a lovely spot – Carrot & Cleaver – inside Shanghai Center.

It's a grab-to-go place ideal for vegans and anyone in search of healthy eating. There are only eight seats available on the patio, but it's nicely decorated with green plants around, ideal for those wanting to have a "healthy" escape between office hours. What's more, it's dog-friendly.

Chang didn't want to open a big restaurant but a lovely hole-in-the-wall spot, centered on tasty, affordable plant-based food. The restaurant's menu is available on delivery platforms including Eleme, JSS and Meituan.

'We did a lot of research and development based on how to pickle, ferment, roast and slow cook vegetables to bring out the best flavor. We want this natural cooking method to be understood and appreciated, so we created the Carrot & Cleaver concept. It's a quick take-out place, but it has so much more if you dig in," Chang said.

Carrot & Cleaver uses different cooking methods for different plant-based ingredients. For example, low temperature baking is essential to keep nutrition in the food, and fermentation is used for preservation in a process that produces lactic acid found in sour foods such as pickled cucumbers, kombucha and kimchi.

It not only focuses on the nutrition of each meal, but also environmental protection through conscious consumption and action. Nothing is wasted in the kitchen. Seven kinds of dipping sauces are prepared using the remaining skin of fresh ingredients like pumpkin, olives and avocados.

The menu offers a wide variety of options from different plant-based ingredients. Each dish is created with balanced texture, flavor and color.

One can start from the signature Cleaver warm salad bowl based on your choice of ingredients, from pickled, smoked, marinated or roasted vegetables to special plant-based crab or meatballs and special dressings. The self-pick selection also comes with home-picked dark lettuce (kale, seasonal leaves and arugula).

"We want to prove how good plant-based food can taste. We combine elements with bold tastes from different cuisines into unique fusion dishes," Chang said.

Info

Opening hours: 11:30am-8:30pm

Tel: 6233-8980

Address: 1/F, Shanghai Center, 1376 Nanjing Rd W.

Average price: 80 yuan