Cover (Source: Ān)
(Source: Ān)
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The collection of milk, pastries, candles and more soy-based items will be available at a pop-up in Date by Tate this July and August
It all started with an Ode to Tofu, a single-ingredient lunch menu created by chef-founder Vicky Lau at Tate Dining Room back in 2020. The menu was Lau's first study of soy in which she applied French culinary techniques to humble soy products, resulting in nostalgic yet brilliantly executed sweet and savoury dishes in a fine dining setting. But her love for soy didn't stop there, as Lau went on to open Mora, a restaurant that not only dedicates its menu to soy but celebrates its many forms, textures and flavours with the majority of the soy-based ingredients on the menu produced in her own dedicated factory
See also: Mora's Vicky Lau and Percy Ho on Reinventing an Age-Old Ingredient
Now—in the next chapter of this soy love story—Lau is launching Ān, a new collection of gourmet and lifestyle soy products including milk, pastries, puddings, soap, candles, and a DIY kit to make tofu at home. To introduce the products, Ān will host a pop-up at Date by Tate, the lifestyle and pastry shop inside Tate Dining Room, on July 14-16; 21-23; 28-30; and August 4-6.
Named after Liu An (the grandson of the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty Liu Bang) who is often credited for the invention of tofu more than 2,000 years ago, Ān combines the age-old tradition of Chinese soy milk with modern soy milk-producing technology from Japan to make their products and uses non-GMO organic soybeans and a bean-to-pulp extractor specified to Lau's requirements in the process.
Banana soy milk
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The collection of Ān products include an extra thick soy milk that is available in five different flavours, from the original soy milk flavour to others enhanced with banana, pistachio, black sesame and coconut, and Chinese almond. There are also pastries to sample including Chinese almond and soy-milk crème filled doughnuts rolled in roasted soy flour and sugar; soy milk flan parisien (a custard tart); chocolate chip cookies made with soy pulp; and sweet-savoury soy sauce caramel soy milk puddings.
Soy cream doughnut
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Making the most out of soy, Ān also offers lifestyle products such as a soy blend wax candle, made in collaboration with Hong Kong-based brand BeCandle, with notes of roasted wood, fresh spices and sweet vanilla; a handmade, all-natural soy milk soap; and a tofu DIY kit which comes with a traditional wooden tofu mould, one litre of Ān soy milk, and a recipe to make fresh tofu at home.
Aiming to normalise sustainable dining practices, Ān hopes to provide another option for protein and nutrition that does not have the hefty environmental carbon footprint that usually comes with consuming meat. The soy-based brand will also work with local suppliers and producers, supporting the community while preserving cultural heritage.
Ān soy products are available for purchase at the pop-up and can be pre-ordered from Tuesday to Saturday. For more information, visit an-soy.com.
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A storyteller by day and a first-class food devourer by night, Fontaine is the Regional Dining Editor at Tatler Asia, overseeing dining content across all regions and shaping the brand’s editorial voice on food, chefs and culinary culture.
She is also Content Lead for Tatler Best and Co-jury Head for Tatler Best Hong Kong and Macau, guiding the awards’ editorial direction and evaluation process. With over a decade in the lifestyle and media industry spanning London and Hong Kong, she brings a cross-regional perspective to the table.
Follow her on Instagram at @fontimes.
