The farm-to-table philosophy has been embodied across Hong Kong’s top forward-thinking restaurant as a key tool to drive sustainable food practices and cook for the future.
At Cyberport in Pok Fu Lam, green smart-living tech company Farmacy is advancing a seed-to-table philosophy by leveraging data, science, and engineering to build smart indoor farms. These mobile farming solutions support sustainable food practices and promote a more resilient and efficient agricultural future.
Delivering 100% Hong Kong-grown hydroponic living plants, each indoor farm built by Farmacy ensures increased freshness and nutrition, with a reduction of food wastage, carbon emissions, and water consumption.
Farmacy has employed its indoor smart farm technology for several years at locations including Le Méridien Cyberport, city’super, Tuen Mun Town Plaza, Landmark South, MTR Corporation’s headquarter, residential clubhouses, various primary and secondary schools, and notably at SEED by Farmacy – one of Asia’s first restaurants to incorporate a fully operational smart indoor farm.
Foodie sat down with co-founder Wing Kwong and marketing manager Benjamin Lam to explore how Farmacy’s seed-to-table philosophy comes to life in a restaurant setting at SEED by Farmacy, where Hong Kong’s freshest produce is grown onsite and transformed into modern European cuisine in the heart of Cyberport.
What inspired the team to create SEED by Farmacy in Cyberport?
Wing: “With building Asia’s first and largest Smart Farm Lab, and employing a hydroponic system to grow our plants, our incubator and partner Cyberport was interested in us creating a practical showcase of our seed-to-table business within the local community, introducing Farmacy to other ventures and partners.”
“With the development of Asia’s first and one of the strongest decentralised networks of smart mobile farms, we’ve positioned Farmacy at the forefront of innovative urban agriculture. Our incubator and partner, Cyberport, saw the potential in turning this technology into a practical, real-world application. They supported us in creating a showcase that demonstrates how our seed-to-table model can function as a sustainable business, while also connecting us with like-minded ventures and partners.”
“Previously, we partnered with local restaurant group Intervals to develop Interval | Farmacy, integrating an extensive indoor farming system directly into the restaurant. This year, we took over full operations and management, allowing us to fully utilise our farm-grown produce to create a truly unique dining journey – from seed to harvest to plate – delivering freshness and storytelling in every course.”
“The beauty of operating our farm is to produce our own herbs, edible flowers, and green vegetables to use in every dish on the menu.”
What is the difference between the commonly known phrase farm-to-table and your philosophy seed-to-table?
Wing: “From seed germination in our dark room to sprouting, growing, and harvesting, we offer a fully transparent, one-stop experience where guests can witness the entire journey of their food all the way to the table. It’s a clean, pesticide-free process that reconnects people with how their food is grown.”
“Our seed-to-table restaurant is all about real freshness. Once a vegetable is harvested and placed on a supermarket shelf, it can lose up to 50–80% of its nutrients. You may be eating the vegetables, but you’re not getting the nutrition you think you are.”
“At SEED by Farmacy, we’re able to show our guests what vegetables are truly supposed to taste like fresh, nutrient-rich, and harvested just steps away from their plate.”
When creating your menu, do you focus first on the sustainability and nutrition factors first and cuisine second, or are they both central to the mission?
Wing: “Both the ingredients and their nutritional value are at the core of every dish we create. While our cooking style is rooted in Western cuisine, particularly sustainable Italian, we also draw inspiration from Asian flavours when redefining our signature dishes. We see the beauty and balance in both worlds, and that fusion is the core to our culinary philosophy.”
Benjamin: “With over 200 seed species logged in our database, we grow based on what the restaurant truly needs and what we’re most proud of, selections that have gone through rounds of experimentation to ensure quality, flavour, and consistency before serving it onto the table.”
“As sustainability is our key message, we grow our own herbs to use in the dishes, specifically, Italian basil. The basil is used for our pizzas as a topping and made into pesto to use for our Confit Salmon with SEED Pesto Cream dish and our Sourdough with SEED Dips.”
“Our chef team is continuously developing our menu to serve new dishes. Thus, we plan how we can grow special plants for some new species to add onto the menu, such as sunflowers seedlings for our nutty drinks, microgreens for our pizza innovations, or herbs infused with our jam as part of the breakfast and afternoon tea menus.”
What is a signature dish you recommend guests to order at SEED by Farmacy?
Benjamin: “SEED by Farmacy has one of a few Italian imported pizza ovens in Hong Kong where we cook our signature sourdough pizza.”
“Using a 48-hour fermented sourdough base for the pizza, we are able to create a traditional Neapolitan style of the pizza, with a crispy crust and chewy texture.”
“We are very proud of our sourdough pizza, made with ingredients found in our indoor farm!”
How do you expect SEED by Farmacy to grow as a hub for eating and learning?
Wing: “We see SEED by Farmacy as more than just a restaurant—it’s a community hub and platform for people to explore the future of farming and understand the full seed-to-table philosophy.”
“We regularly host school and corporate visits, offering a first-hand look at how we grow and serve our own vegetables, herbs, and seeds in a completely transparent and sustainable way. Through our workshops and talk events, we aim to educate and inspire people to appreciate the original flavours of truly farm-grown produce and to see the deeper value of what it means to eat fresh and consciously.”
“Through our experiments and workshops, we want to educate and inspire others to enjoy flavourful produce and see the value of truly farm-grown vegetables.”
Sindy Wong, head of tourism & hospitality at InvestHK, Hong Kong’s government department for supporting overseas businesses to set up and expand in the city, aims to empower companies at the forefront of sustainability.
“With a focus on sustainability for the future of Hong Kong, we want to support the propagation of locally grown hydroponic farms in the city, to help reduce the city’s carbon footprint and boost the freshness of the food that Hong Kongers eat.”
“At InvestHK, we will continue to support international agribusiness and food tech companies to expand their operations in Hong Kong to support the future of food and eating in the city and region.”
Visit SEED by Farmacy today to enjoy farm-fresh European-style cooking made with the brightest technology available for city-centre farming!
This feature is brought to Foodie in partnership with InvestHK.
