Auckland’s East Restaurant at Sudima Auckland City is marking EcoFest 2026 with a limited time vegan set menu designed to highlight the potential of plant forward dining. Running from 22 March to 22 April, the four course menu focuses entirely on vegetables, grains and plant proteins while exploring how ingredient choices can influence the environmental footprint of a meal.
And yes, it is entirely possible for some of the best meals you will ever have to be vegetables, trust us!
The initiative reflects a broader movement across the hospitality sector, where chefs are thinking more carefully about what goes into their dishes and how those ingredients are sourced. In New Zealand, agriculture accounts for around half of the country’s gross emissions, with livestock methane a major contributor. Research from AgResearch also suggests that most emissions linked to beef and sheep occur at farm level, which means the ingredients restaurants choose can have a noticeable impact on the overall footprint of a meal.
This isn’t to say you can’t enjoy your favourite meat-based dishes, but why not dabble in some plant-based ones every now and then. You might just be surprised!
For East Head Chef Vincent Yan, that shift is increasingly shaping how menus are designed in modern kitchens. “As chefs we always start with flavour, but increasingly we’re also thinking about the footprint of what we put on the plate. Shifting the balance towards vegetable ingredients is one of the most practical ways restaurants can reduce emissions while still delivering dishes that feel rich, layered and satisfying.”
East has long taken a produce driven approach. The restaurant is proudly imitation meat free and instead builds its dishes entirely around vegetables and plant ingredients, allowing the kitchen to explore flavour, texture and seasonality in different ways. “It allows us to design menus that celebrate seasonal, local ingredients,” Vincent says.
Local sourcing is another important piece of the puzzle. Around 60 to 70% of the fresh produce used at East comes from growers across the Auckland region via produce supplier Chevalier Produce. Ingredients featured on the EcoFest menu include shiitake mushrooms from Fancy Mushrooms and vegetables grown by Barefoot Gardens and SK Low in South Auckland.
The restaurant also receives its deliveries in reusable wooden crates instead of plastic packaging, helping cut down waste across the supply chain.
Chevalier Produce Key Account Manager Shraddha Desai says chefs are increasingly interested in understanding exactly where their ingredients come from. “We’re seeing more chefs wanting to work closely with growers and understand the story behind their produce. That focus on seasonal vegetables and responsible sourcing is becoming a bigger part of how restaurants think about their menus,” she says.
At a wider business level, the initiative also reflects the sustainability goals of Hind Management, the parent company behind Sudima Hotels and East Restaurant. “Large-scale climate solutions are critical, but there are also meaningful changes businesses can make day to day,” says Kanika Jhunjhnuwala, Chief Strategy and Sustainable Growth Officer at Hind Management. “For East, focusing on vegan dishes and working with local growers are two practical ways to reduce the footprint of a menu while still delivering a great dining experience.”
While sustainability is part of the story, the menu itself is designed first and foremost to showcase flavour and creativity. One of the standout dishes is East’s Crispy Cups, inspired by Kra Thong Thong, a traditional Thai appetiser remembered from a member of the kitchen team’s upbringing. For the EcoFest menu, crisp pastry cups are filled with Thai green curry cauliflower mousse and pineapple, bringing together sweetness, acidity and texture.
Other dishes on the menu include ginger caramelised shiitake mushrooms, char kway teow noodles with seasonal vegetables, and a salted caramel chocolate tart with coconut sorbet to finish.
For Yan and the team, the set menu is ultimately about showing that plant based dining can still feel indulgent. “Plant-forward cooking doesn’t mean compromising on the dining experience,” he says. “It pushes us to think differently about texture, seasoning and ingredients so the dishes still feel indulgent and memorable.”
The EcoFest vegan set menu is available for both lunch and dinner at East Restaurant from 22 March to 22 April 2026, priced at $69 per person for four courses and a glass of wine, with a minimum of two guests per booking.