Bar Haifi is located on the first floor of the coolest building in Vancouver at the corner of Homer and West Georgia (Sorry. No picture. Go see it!). And how is it that I have never noticed this building? It is fairly new but don't we pass by there from time to time? Anyway, when it opened, I read about Bar Haifa and messaged them to ask if the items on their menu that seemed to be plant-based are really plant-based as they weren't labelled as such? They assured me that they could feed a couple of hungry vegans. So they made it onto my list but we just didn't get there for a while. Then suddenly, "This is Plant Curious" messaged everyone to ask if they would be interested in a deal here. Well, of course!
We actually made a reservation pre-hockey game as given the location, we knew this would be a perfect place to eat before a game. Sure enough, they were very busy. We sat at the bar right in front of the chefs which was fun as they spent a lot of time torching various preparations!
We started with their Seasonal Hummus and this is a bowl that I ran my finger around (licking is frowned upon in polite company) at the end to get every bit. It was spectacular, in short. Creamy and delicious with pistacio and duqquah (their spelling) and crispy Brussels sprouts. Also served with the best grilled pita ever!
Is it possible that I've never had Jerusalem artichoke (aka sunchoke)? I must have at some point, but this was Kaarage Jerusalem Artichoke served with miso sumac mayo. Essentially a root vegetable but not as dense as sweet potato, the texture was pleasantly on the soft side, maybe like very well cooked beet. All that and crispy on the outside! Can't quite nail the description, but we enjoyed this as well.
The Loaded Eggplant was a thing of beauty. Stuffed with farro in a tomatoey sauce, this was the "This is the Plant Curious" deal feature, and we were not sorry.
I had to bust it open to take another photo as how do you stuff an eggplant? The layers of flavour were what really made this thing spot on. In addition to the farro, there were pine nuts, chilis and tahini. Delicious! I looked at a lot of stuffed eggplant recipes later, but this one was unique and evidently the result of the kitchen's creativity.
The people working here were lovely and helpful. I will say that the bar stools were decidedly uncomfortable, but it was partly due to my own awkwardness. It was still cool to sit at the bar and watch the cooks, but try to get a table reservation if you are over 50!. Other than that, we would like to try a few more items on the menu and will be back!
Food 4 1/2 out of 5
Vegan Options Available 3 out of 5
Comfort 3 out of 5
Service 4 1/2 out of 5
Value 4 out of 5
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