The second part of our sustainability series sees us checking out Love Handle in the Mini Electric.

The quirkily named Love Handle, widely identified as Asia’s first ‘plant-based butcher’ is a restaurant located in the heart of Singapore city at 8 Ann Siang Hill.

And getting us there this time is a Mini with its iconic three doors – specifically, the Mini Electric. The very first Mini Cooper was designed by Sir Alec Issigonis back in the 1960s, and it’s always had a reputation for not just being incredibly fun to drive, but for also being timelessly stylish throughout the decades. 

As the seasons change and our cars get greener and more sustainably manufactured over the years, the mini (pardon the pun) and stylish hatchback now has an electric version as well. 

The Mini Electric has zero tailpipe emissions and is as practical as ever. The zippy little front-wheel driven, three-door hatchback packs an electric motor that produces 184hp, and is able to cover up to 270km on a single charge in everyday use (based on WLTP figures).

Plus, in true EV fashion, the Mini Electric is capable of instant power delivery, and does the century sprint in 7.3 seconds.

A car so nimble is the perfect ride for taking us into the narrow streets of Downtown Singapore, within Telok Ayer where Love Handle is located. 

Co-founder and head chef Addis Tan is the man behind the curtains at Love Handle. But apart from being a ‘butcher’, Love Handle is also a diner that serves up comfort food to its customers with a plant-based twist.

While they work closely with vegan brands – Tindle and Impossible – to create their selection, they also make their own products. Take the Love Handle Pastrami for example – it’s made predominantly from jackfruit but smoked in their wood-fired oven.

Apart from pastrami, Love Handle also produces flavours more familiar to our Singaporean palate like satay and mee sua (rice vermicelli) with minced ‘meat’.

But Love Handle’s ethos extends further with the furniture they use for their main dining area made out of compressed recycled plastic bottle caps. Don’t let the body fool you – they’re made of bottle caps but they’re heavy – enough to anchor a small boat, probably. 

Plus with artwork like a tarot card titled ‘The Vegan’, merchandise like cooler bags and t-shirts to take home, and a brand design that speaks to the vintage renaissance, it’s every millennial vegan’s dream.

As Instagram-worthy as Love Handle is however, it’s more than just treats for the camera at the joint. During our visit, Addis lovingly prepared two classic comfort dishes for us to try – Love Handle’s MyNuggets and cream spinach loaded fries, made with bechamel. 

But wait – “bechamel is not vegan” you cry! It isn’t, and that’s why Addis has used soy milk as a substitute along with vegan butter produced in-house. The spinach is mixed together with it to a mouthwatering consistency before being ‘slapped’ onto the fries, in Addis’ words.

The nuggets on the other hand were created after countless hours of research from Addis on fast food restaurants, in the hope of recreating that comfort you get from digging into a 20-piece box after a long night out. 

At Love Handle, the nuggets are made from soy and plant-based binders. They’re then seasoned with masala spice and given a bit of lime juice for that acid kick. It’s then served up with their homemade barbecue sauce that also stands as a testament to Addis’ research. 

Similar to manufacturing moving towards sustainable production methods, Addis mentions how a plant-based diet plays a huge role in sustainability. From reduced CO2 emissions to the amount of water used in farming, and making use of different resources, a plant-based diet can greatly reduce your carbon footprint. Not to mention the added health benefits. 

But what’s most important to Addis is that the food has to taste good. “If you make all this food and it doesn’t taste good, then who will come and support you?” Must be why the food at Love Handle is good enough to make love to your mouth water.

With Addis giving us a taste of sustainable eating, we were itching to give him a taste of sustainable motoring. 

Luckily for us, Addis is a huge Mini fan and couldn’t be more excited to jump into the Mini Electric. 

Having loved Minis since he was a kid, it’s always been his dream car. “I think the Mini comes with a certain kind of vibe, a certain kind of lifestyle. I just wanna be seen in one. The guy driving the Cooper, he’s always the coolest guy to me. I’m like, I wanna be like you when I grow up.”

And with the Mini Electric, the untrained eye might not be able to tell its electric because it’s really a Mini first, and EV second. You get all the Mini-ness you want from a car, without the tailpipe emissions. Just like Love Handle’s MyNuggets – all the comfort food while being better for the environment.

Addis was none the wiser to how the Mini Electric was powered too. Upon learning that the batteries were under the car and rear seat, he exclaims “But it’s so minimal, it doesn’t look like there’s a bunch of stuff going on.”

Because you don’t have to wait for a gear change or to rev the engine, EVs are able to deliver acceleration almost instantaneously. 

Just as Love Handle lets diners have their ‘chicken’ nuggets with a reduced impact on the planet, the Mini Electric lets drivers have all the fun of a Mini but in a sustainable way. But Addis feels it’s better.

“People come to Love Handle and sometimes I tell them about the nuggets that we have. ‘Oh but it’s not chicken’ they say. I mean if it’s good, it’s good. People have to experience firsthand what it’s like to eat a plant-based nugget or what it’s like to drive a Mini Electric.”

Needless to say, we both emerged that afternoon as converts – us to the plant-based diet, and Addis to the Mini Electric.

Find out more about the Mini Electric at www.mini.com.sg now!

Brought to you by BMW Asia