TiNDLE Vegan Chicken Launches In 16 Hong Kong Restaurants Including Michelin Starred Bo Innovation

TiNDLE, the new plant-based chicken brand developed by Singapore food tech Next Gen, is making its debut in Hong Kong and Macau for the first time. Launching on Thursday (June 24), plant-based dishes featuring TiNDLE will be served up by chefs in 19 restaurants, each with their own take—from Japanese-Brazillian fusion “chicken” wontons to local Hong Kong pineapple bun sandwiches. 

After teasing the expansion of TiNDLE to Hong Kong, Macau and Kuala Lumpur last month, Next Gen has now officially launched its brand across Hong Kong and Macau restaurants. From tomorrow (June 24), diners will be able to taste brand new culinary creations featuring the plant-based chicken analogue at nearly twenty restaurants, ranging from Mexican to Japanese. 

It comes just months after TiNDLE made its first-ever debut in its home city Singapore with 11 restaurants, and has since expanded to over 40 locations islandwide. Next Gen says that it will “continue to make its way across the region” to reach Kuala Lumpur soon. 

TiNDLE lands in 19 restaurants across Hong Kong and Macau

Next Gen has partnered with Classic Fine Foods for its international expansion to Hong Kong and Macau. In Hong Kong, a total of 16 restaurants will launch TiNDLE, including two-Michelin-starred Bo Innovation, where smoked Sichuan-style tacos will be served. Michelin-recommended Balinese establishment Poem and Japanese Katsumoto Sando Bar are also on the list, alongside flame-grilled chicken joint Big Birdy, where a buttermilk fried “chicken” served with peri-peri butter and maple syrup awaits.

Mediterranean dishes featuring TiNDLE will be found at Shek O beach’s Cococabana restaurant, while newly opened Candour on Peel Street will be serving up local-inspired classics, from TiNDLE Pineapple Bun Sandwich to Cantonese-style orange “chicken”. Other restaurants include Second Draft, Alvy’s and Potato Head. 

Over in Macau, three F&B brands are slated to launch TiNDLE, including Common Table in Taipa, vegetarian café Vega Vega, and Jak’s Kitchen near the Cotai Strip.

TiNDLE was ‘made with chefs, for chefs’ 

TiNDLE Thy is described as a 100% plant-based chicken alternative that was “made with chefs, for chefs”. In the R&D process, Next Gen worked with chefs to create a versatile analogue that allows them to create their own dishes across various cuisines, styles and culinary influences. That’s why all the TiNDLE creations set to land on menus across the city will each be so different from one another—it’s the chef’s own take on “chicken”. 

“To put it simply, TiNDLE surprised me,” said Rafa Gil, executive chef at W Hong Kong, who has designed a Tex-Mex-style dish featuring tequila-marinated TiNDLE. “I’m impressed with the texture — it’s seriously like chicken. The product is very versatile which made it easy for me to work with, and allowed me to push the boundaries of my creativity.”

Brazilian-Japanese fusion restaurant Uma Nota’s head chef Gustavo Vargas agreed, saying that TiNDLE allowed them to “recreate traditional street snacks like pastéis and Japanese style kushiage, offering new dishes to our customers looking for non-meat dishes.” 

The product is very versatile which made it easy for me to work with, and allowed me to push the boundaries of my creativity.

Chef Rafa Gil, W Hong Kong

Gastronomy-first strategy

The approach that Next Gen has taken by working with restaurants to launch its brand has been dubbed the “gastronomy-first” approach to market—the same strategy credited for the mainstream success of food techs Impossible Foods and Oatly. 

For us there is no better environment than gastronomy to help create good consumer experiences.

Andre Menezes, Co-Founder & COO, Next Gen

Speaking about their strategy, Next Gen co-founder and COO Andre Menezes said: “Through the creative minds of chefs and all other elements around gastronomy, consumers are invited to challenge paradigms, to reimagine what is possible.”

“For us there is no better environment than gastronomy to help create good consumer experiences,” Menezes added. 

Healthier and far more sustainable

According to Next Gen, TiNDLE requires far fewer resources to produce compared to its animal-based counterparts. It uses up 74% less land, 82% less water and emits 88% fewer greenhouse gases compared to conventional chicken—which is already a lower-carbon animal protein next to methane-emitting beef. 

In terms of nutrition, TiNDLE is protein-packed, containing 17 grams per 100 gram serving. Using only 9 non-GMO plant-based ingredients like soy protein, wheat protein, sunflower oil, coconut oil and oat fibre, the product is also free from hormones, cholesterol and antibiotics. 

Expansion on the way 

Now that TiNDLE has landed in Hong Kong and Macau, Next Gen says it’ll continue to expand across Asia, with Kuala Lumpur next on the list. 

“The reception has been incredible in Singapore and we’re excited to bring the TiNDLE experience to foodies across Asia, starting with Hong Kong and Macau,” said Jean Madden, CMO of Next Gen. 

“We’re so proud to see the innovative creations by our restaurant partners and are humbled to get the stamp of approval from so many esteemed chefs. We are also looking forward to sharing the TiNDLE joy with Kuala Lumpur very soon.”

We’re excited to bring the TiNDLE experience to foodies across Asia.

Jean Madden, CMO, Next Gen

The company recently welcomed F&B veteran Marc-Antoine Jolly to its leadership team as its new Asia-Pacific Growth Director based in Hong Kong—a signal that the firm is going to have a strong focus on expanding across the Asia region in the future. 

According to a recent analysis, key Asia-Pacific markets are estimated to grow 200% within the next five years, driven by consumer concerns over health, food safety and sustainability. 

All images courtesy of TiNDLE / Next Gen.