Shinsegae Food Launches 'Yua What You Eat'
Plant-Based Alternative Food Brand
Operating Specialty Restaurant at COEX Mall
Shinsegae Food will officially operate the plant-based alternative food restaurant 'You are What you Eat' on the B1 floor of Starfield COEX Mall in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul starting from the 21st. 'You are What you Eat' is a brand name that means 'You are what you eat,' offering plant-based alternative foods that consider the environment and health. It is a forward base to focus capabilities on a new area beyond the existing market of home meal replacements and restaurant meal replacements, and to accelerate the alternative food business.
Models are introducing ready-to-eat meals and menu items made from plant-based ingredients at 'You are What you Eat,' a plant-based alternative restaurant by Shinsegae Food located on the B1 floor of Starfield COEX Mall in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. [Photo by Shinsegae Food]
Visiting the restaurant a day before its opening, preparations were in full swing with about 15 menu items ready to welcome customers. Representative dishes include 'Truffle Jajangmyeon' made with Shinsegae Food's alternative meat 'Better Meat,' 'Avocado Ham Poke Bowl' centered on plant-based ham, and 'Bun Cha Chao Vegetable Trio' served with Southeast Asian-style noodle salad. They also offer sandwiches containing cheese made from oats. Prices are in the low to mid 10,000 KRW range. A Shinsegae Food official explained, "The prices are set at a level similar to other dining brands within COEX Mall."
The alternative foods used in these menus are developed with Shinsegae Food's proprietary technology. Menus composed entirely of plant-based ingredients are labeled as 100% plant-based, while menus containing some animal-derived ingredients such as milk or fermented fish sauce in sauces, frying breadcrumbs, or some ingredients are separately indicated on the information boards.
Choi Jeong-yong, head of Shinsegae Food's menu development team, said, "Previously introduced plant-based alternatives were mainly Western cuisine, but with the launch of You are What you Eat, we structured the menu with an 'Asian food' concept combining Chinese and Southeast Asian representative dishes. Preliminary inspections showed that Better Meat paired well, and evaluations conducted with panels received positive responses."
Menus sold at Shinsegae Food's plant-based alternative restaurant 'You are What you Eat.' (Clockwise from the top) Bun cha cha gio vegetable trio, truffle jajangmyeon, avocado ham poke bowl
Shinsegae Food's research team, composed of about 100 in-house experts including food engineering majors, develops raw materials for plant-based alternative foods, and chefs led by Team Leader Choi incorporate these into dishes to create plant-based alternative menus. They plan to expand the consumer base by developing not only dining-out menus sold at this restaurant but also convenience foods.
To commemorate the launch of the You are What you Eat brand, three types of plant-based convenience foods (PMR) were released: Luncheon Kimchi Rice Bowl, Bolognese Lasagna, and Ragu Rigatoni. The Luncheon Kimchi Rice Bowl is a product topped with Better Meat luncheon slice ham and plant-based stir-fried kimchi on rice. The Bolognese Lasagna is made with Shinsegae Food's self-developed plant-based Bolognese sauce, mozzarella cheese, and durum wheat, which is high in protein and dietary fiber. The Ragu Rigatoni uses plant-based ragu sauce with Better Meat ground meat on chewy rigatoni noodles. Unlike existing home meal replacements (HMR) that require baking, frying, or boiling, these products only need to be heated in a microwave.
A Shinsegae Food official said, "If home meal replacements focused on convenience are the first generation, and restaurant meal replacements (RMR) emphasizing taste and reasonable prices are the second generation, plant-based convenience foods are the third generation market considering consumers who value health and ethical consumption. We plan to continuously develop plant-based alternative foods and expand popular menus into convenience foods while growing the PMR market and the You are What you Eat brand."
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