X
theAsianparent Logo
theAsianparent Logo
Product GuideSign in
  • Awards
    • Parents' Choice Awards 2023
  • Pregnancy
    • Due date calculator
    • I'm pregnant
    • Trying To Conceive
    • Labour
    • After birth
    • Baby loss
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Child
    • Newborn
    • Baby
    • Toddler
    • Pre-Schooler
    • Kid
    • Pre-Teen & Teen
  • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diseases-Injuries
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Meal Planner
    • Health
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
  • Education
    • Pre-School
    • Primary School
    • Secondary School
    • Primary School Directory
  • Lifestyle
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Home
    • Fitness
    • Contests & promotions
  • News
    • International
    • Health
    • Celebrity
    • Singapore
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping
  • Press Releases
  • Project Sidekicks
  • Community
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Become A Contributor
  • VIP

Impossible Foods & Plant-Based Substitutes: Do They Taste Like The Real Deal?

4 min read

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll probably have heard of Impossible Foods, which has partnered with numerous restaurants in Singapore to offer plant-based substitutes for dishes traditionally made with meat.

Today, you can get your hands on burgers, meatballs, pizzas, dumplings, and even satay made with Impossible Foods’ plant-based substitutes. 

But here’s the question… is it obvious that these dishes are, in fact, vegetarian? Or do they taste like the real deal?

We recently had the chance to try several plant-based dishes as Meat: The Alternative, hosted by Shangri-La, AgFunder and Makana Ventures. One particular dish – the trio of “meatballs” with sgagliozze, truffle plant-based mayonnaise and vegan cheese – stood out as being particularly impressive, with everyone agreeing unanimously that it tasted no different from meat.

impossible foods in singapore

Impossible foods in Singapore: yes, there is such a thing as vegan cheese. | Photo: HGW

Meatballs aside, we were also pleasantly surprised by the vegan cheese, which mimicked the texture and taste of real cheese perfectly. This was made with cassava, a root vegetable and tuber crop that’s essential to Latin America cooking. 

Another dish that won us over was the crabless crab cake with green kale and sesame and plant-based mayonnaise.

impossible foods in singapore

Photo: HGW

Again, we wouldn’t have been able to tell that this wasn’t made out of real crab; we see this as a great canape option if you’re entertaining a large crowd, and want to have vegetarian options for your guests who don’t eat meat.

That said, the other dishes we tried were less convincing than the meatballs and crab cake. First up, there was the arepas with mushroom “meat”, aubergine, lemongrass and cress. 

impossible foods in singapore

Photo: HGW

Here, the texture of the mushroom was a pretty obvious tell. This tastes like the standard mock meat that you get at vegetarian cai png (read: economic rice) stalls. 

There was also the avocado roll with confit young jackfruit marinated with seaweed and lemon:

Impossible Foods & Plant-Based Substitutes: Do They Taste Like The Real Deal?

Photo: HGW

This sounded like one of the more intriguing dishes on the menu, but it didn’t turn out to be one of our favourites. Our two main gripes: the lemon was too overpowering, and the textures and flavours of the avocado and jackfruit meshed too well together, making it hard for us to taste the different components. Like the mushroom arepas, you wouldn’t confuse this with actual meat.

Our final dish of the evening was the cricket flour cocoa rocher, served with 64% Caraibe mousse and chocolate chips. Yes, you read that right – we said cricket flour.’

Impossible Foods & Plant-Based Substitutes: Do They Taste Like The Real Deal?

Photo: HGW

For the uninitiated, cricket flour is touted as the next big thing in sustainable protein. Cricket protein contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a “complete” or “whole” protein. As an added bonus, it takes significantly less resources to farm crickets than livestock, so you’re doing your part to save the environment when you consume cricket powder in place of meat. 

While cricket powder isn’t plant-based, it does fall into the category of alternative meats and protein. Our verdict: We felt that the cocoa rocher had a slightly gritty texture and a somewhat funky aftertaste, but all in all, it wasn’t too offensive. 

Have you tried Impossible Foods (or other plant-based substitutes and alternative meats)? Can you tell the difference between these and traditional meat? Let us know in the comments below! 

Partner Stories
Great ideas for gifts for Chinese New Year 2023!
Great ideas for gifts for Chinese New Year 2023!
Learn Tech and Media Skills, Gain Industry Exposure and Build a Portfolio. Here’s How Your Child Can Benefit from an Infocomm or Media CCA!
Learn Tech and Media Skills, Gain Industry Exposure and Build a Portfolio. Here’s How Your Child Can Benefit from an Infocomm or Media CCA!
Korean Stars Take Center Stage at Disney Content Showcase in Singapore
Korean Stars Take Center Stage at Disney Content Showcase in Singapore
Health is Your Greatest Wealth. Learn How Your CPF Savings Can Safeguard Your Healthcare Needs and Provide Peace of Mind
Health is Your Greatest Wealth. Learn How Your CPF Savings Can Safeguard Your Healthcare Needs and Provide Peace of Mind

This article was first published on HungryGoWhere and was republished on theAsianparent with permission.

HungryGoWhere is Singapore’s definitive food guide. It’s the first place to visit for the latest reviews and recommendations on food and drink. Whether you need to search for a restaurant, book a table, or just read up on food, HungryGoWhere.com is there to help foodies like you.

Also READ: 9 Best Bubble Teas In Singapore You Must Try

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download theAsianparent Community on iOS or Android now!

img
Written by

hungrygowhere

  • Home
  • /
  • Lifestyle
  • /
  • Impossible Foods & Plant-Based Substitutes: Do They Taste Like The Real Deal?
Share:
  • SaladStop! Launches Good Food People, A Brand New Plant-Based Grocer On Deliveroo

    SaladStop! Launches Good Food People, A Brand New Plant-Based Grocer On Deliveroo

  • 9 Tasty Vegetarian Burgers To Try In Singapore

    9 Tasty Vegetarian Burgers To Try In Singapore

  • I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

    I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

  • Study: Nagging Mothers with High Expectations Raise Successful Daughters

    Study: Nagging Mothers with High Expectations Raise Successful Daughters

  • SaladStop! Launches Good Food People, A Brand New Plant-Based Grocer On Deliveroo

    SaladStop! Launches Good Food People, A Brand New Plant-Based Grocer On Deliveroo

  • 9 Tasty Vegetarian Burgers To Try In Singapore

    9 Tasty Vegetarian Burgers To Try In Singapore

  • I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

    I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

  • Study: Nagging Mothers with High Expectations Raise Successful Daughters

    Study: Nagging Mothers with High Expectations Raise Successful Daughters

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Education
    • Events
    • Allergies & Conditions
  • Family Occasions
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Child Safety
    • Health
    • Diseases-Injuries
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Money
    • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diet & Weightloss
  • Normal Delivery
    • Cesarean Delivery
    • Behaviour
    • Secondary School
    • Formula Feeding
  • Ages & Stages
    • Latching & Concerns
    • Festivals & Holidays
    • Education
    • Pre-teen & Teen
  • More
    • TAP Community
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Become a Contributor


  • Singapore flag Singapore
  • Thailand flag Thailand
  • Indonesia flag Indonesia
  • Philippines flag Philippines
  • Malaysia flag Malaysia
  • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
  • India flag India
  • Vietnam flag Vietnam
  • Australia flag Australia
  • Japan flag Japan
  • Nigeria flag Nigeria
  • Kenya flag Kenya
© Copyright theAsianparent 2023. All rights reserved
About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
  • Tools
  • Articles
  • Feed
  • Poll

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

theAsianparent heart icon
We’d like to send you notifications for the latest news and lifestyle updates.