Anar Persian Cuisine - Vegan Options

Anar Persian Cuisine has been on my list of places to try since it opened a long time ago (well, it's always been a long list). Since my focus became plant-based, I was happy to see that I could still include them on my now shorter list! 

We arrived early on Friday morning to Third Avenue in Steveston, and we were actually glad that we had made a reservation. By the time we had finished our lunch, this place was completely full! They let us come in and served us coffee even though it was a few minutes before opening time. We were happy as it was a seriously chilly morning.

I'm not sure if this is actually called Persian Coffee but it was wonderful. Close to an espresso, it was strong and warming.

We decided to start with the Dolemeh Barg. These grape leaves were stuffed with I'm not sure what, but rice for sure. The stuffing was maybe a little too soft and homogenized for my tastes. That doesn't mean that it's not supposed to be that way as I'm no expert. They were very tasty with a few pomegranate seeds for accent.

The first highlight of the meal for us (other than wonderful coffee) was amazing Fesenjoon Vegan. This was a dish of meaty mushrooms including King Oyster in a sauce of ground walnut and pomegranate. Delicious! Both of our mains came with wonderful fluffy basmati rice with saffron and side salads. 

Next was Kashak o Bademjoon Vegan which is basically a Persian eggplant dip but served as a main dish. Topped with some crispy onion, this was smokey and rich but not overly flavorful. If you're a big fan of eggplant, order this. 

We were thinking at first that Mharie had never had Baklava! Then we remembered that at the Greek Festival in Surrey, pre-pandemic, we had tried some.... nevertheless. This was amazing Baklava, so sweet and rich. Honey isn't vegan, strictly speaking but at least we are only stealing it and not killing animals. Honey is used in typically in the dessert. Our hostess assured me that they did not use honey in their Baklava, so I am going with that.

She was also good enough to show me a picture of the vegetarian ghee (which is actually vegan) that they use in most of their dishes which is pretty impressive. I had never heard of vegetarian ghee.

This is a beautiful little restaurant in a heritage building. The staff are lovely people and quite accommodating. The kitchen seems to be on top of things despite the fact that the place was very busy by the time we were finished. There are a few more vegan options on the menu for us to try in the future.

Food                     4 out of 5

Vegan options      4 out of 5

Comfort                4 1/2 out of 5

Service                 4 1/2 oout of 5

Value                    4 out of 5