I’m sitting in a dimly lit hall, with a carcass of a giant whale shark soaring above my head. Other wild creatures – including tigers and rhinos – peer at me while I dip a piece of bread into a glowing candle, and bite in.
No, this isn’t some surreal fantasy novel that’s accidentally made its way into the SBS Food pages, but rather, an actual account of a meal taste-testing cultured Japanese quail (a.k.a Forged by Vow) in the natural history section of the Australian Museum. (And I’ll come back to the eating-the-candle part later).
The setting does feel befitting for what sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie.
Forged is the first brand from Vow, an Australian start-up that has invested several years of R&D into lab-cultured meat, bringing a unique crew of specialists together – including ex-Space X engineers – to “solve problems that have never been solved before”. (You may remember Vow as the woolly mammoth meatball people, which was more gimmick than gourmet, however).
What is lab-grown meat?
The cultured meat is manufactured using select animal cells, which are then allowed to grow ‘naturally’ in bioreactors (in other words, fermentation tanks) containing a broth enhanced by various nutrients, that aim to replicate the natural bodily environment of the animal. Then, the ‘meat’ is harvested in a process that isn’t dissimilar to separating curds from whey.
“We’re not asking people to swap their Sunday roast for cultured quail,” says George Pepou, founder and CEO of Vow, and a former chef. “We’re not here to imitate existing meats – we’re creating entirely new ones. What we want is to expand appetites – give chefs and diners new flavours and new possibilities.”
“Quail is somewhat familiar but not common. It has a rich, umami flavour that people really enjoy, making it the perfect entry point for cultured meat,” Pepou explains, as part of a carefully structured narrative.
“Quail stood out for its ability to form rare, indulgent delicacies, like our Forged Gras (our take on quail foie gras), which could never exist in nature. People who try our products often say they taste both familiar and entirely new.”
Vow is one of only three companies in the world currently selling lab-cultured meat, although there are hundreds in the industry vying for a piece of what is touted to be a very lucrative pie. And they are the first to bring lab-cultured meat to the Australian market, with its products now being served in multiple restaurants as of June 2025 – after acquiring hard-won regulatory approvals.
Is lab-grown meat sustainable?
There are many arguments for and against this technology, including ethical ramifications – ie: combating factory farming – and sustainability wins. The jury is still out though on how sustainable something like this will end up being if produced at scale.
It’s simply too new to determine.
Vow has commissioned an independent Life Cycle Analysis to measure the environmental impact, the results of which are awaited.
At the end of the day, whether or not the ambition of creating something totally new in the food world will pay off comes down to one thing, and one thing alone – flavour.
So, what does it taste like?
I tried it in a few different avatars. The smoked cultured Japanese quail spread with sourdough was revelatory – an elevated version of your classic bread and flavoured butter first course.
The quail tallow candle course brought the drama – the meat is served in the form of a lit candle which melts down as you dunk bread into the melting ‘candle wax’. Definitely a conversation starter.
Credit: Kitti Gould
The Japanese quail foie gras was served two ways – with puy lentils, which interesting, umami-rich and something I would gladly order in a restaurant – and also with a classic steak, as a foie gras topping.
In an attempt to showcase the meat’s versatility, even dessert featured the Japanese quail parfait. While the attempt to put it in macarons was brave, it’s not something I’d like to eat again.
I also thought that part of the enjoyment in eating this was the novelty of the experience. Once that wears off, is it something I would become a regular consumer of? As a replacement for foie gras, most certainly yes – ethical concerns have put me off eating traditional foie gras for a long time, and this version is as, if not more, flavourful.
Part of the enjoyment in eating this was the novelty of the experience.
Beyond that, I think it will take a long time for something like this to become mainstream. Until then, it’s likely to remain something unique for people to try occasionally, and chefs to play with.
Singapore was the first country in the world to approve this product for food service, with several restaurants serving it.
Since it was approved for sale in Australia in June 2025, over 20 restaurants have added this product to the menu, including well-established venues like Maiz, Kitchen by Mike, Lana and nel. In Sydney, and Crane Bar at 1 Hotel Melbourne.
Maiz in Sydney is one of the restaurants that has embraced lab cultured Japanese quail.
The end-game is to take this from fine dining restaurants to making it a household staple – not to replace existing meat products but as a complement.
So, will your future cheeseboards include a Japanese quail pâté or will your dinner party table feature a candle your guests can eat? There are many variables in the answer to that question – including how and when products like this become widely available and importantly, at what price point. Only time will tell.
