Local Vegan Eats-- Wild Leek

The Wild Leek is by far one of my favourite spots in Halifax. It has a rustic artsy feel with delicious food that feels like something your mom would make. A vegan twist on traditional favourites, along with unique one-of-a-kind creations. 

You really feel at home at the Leek.

The menu is not massive but it's still enough that I always have a hard time choosing. Portion size is perfect and prices are extremely reasonable. I always leave satisfied from the Wild Leek. Fare includes bowls, a donair, wraps and an all-day breakfast menu.

I feel a lot of love from the food there.

Ultimate burger and potato soup

Potato soup

Wild Bowl

Chocolate hazelnut cupcake

The Wild Leek offers all day breakfast and to quote Tori Amos "breakfast every hour, it could save the world." I think this is a very smart move on the Leek's part because I am pretty partial to breakfast. They offer a vegan omlette, known as the "nomlette", which is pretty special, as well as housemade seitan bacon, pancakes and homemade cornbread. True comfort food.

They have a great selection of baked goods. I am pretty fond of the cupcakes, I can't leave there without getting one, which change daily. They are truly the best cupcakes in the world. They will also do desserts upon request. So if you are looking for a birthday cake or something delicious for a special occasion, the Leek has got you covered. Brownies, muffins, cookies and more are also always in house.

They have a smoothie and juice bar which are always fresh and made right before your eyes. The Chocolite has got to be my favourite smoothie and I am pretty partial to the Elixir when it comes to juice but they are all delicious and nutritious.

Daily specials, as well as, special menus are constantly being created. Holiday dinners, 3 course meal events, pizza nights and so much more.

It just doesn't get any better than this. I love the homey, welcoming atmosphere that is the Wild Leek. The staff is always friendly and helpful and the food is out of this world. If you are visiting Halifax or living here and yet to go, put it on the list of places to eat. And that my friends is the Vegan Peach seal of approval. 

Located at: 
2156 Windsor Street
Halifax, NS 

Local Vegan Eats-- Heartwood- CLOSED

After visiting a second time to Heartwood, I feel I have enough experience there to give a proper review. First off, entering the restaurant, it's a warm inviting atmosphere. This time I arrived in the evening, you get to see the lovely mood lighting with candles on each table and dimmed overhead lights. The restaurant itself has lovely decor with a really inviting atmosphere. The staff is extremely friendly and attentive. The menu is fairly large, all 4 of us took quite awhile to decide because everything sounds so delicious. The menu is quite extensive offering everything from pizza, burgers, to healthier wraps and salads. They also have a quite extensive dessert selection of cheesecake, cookies and bars and the best part is, it's all vegan except when "cheese" is listed on the menu description. They also offer a full organic menu which is quite rare.

I admit, I'm a fussy vegan. I don't like kale, green peppers and a slew of other veggies. So sometimes it can be hard eating out even in vegan-friendly joints because many of the places use a lot of things I don't care for. When scanning the menu at Heartwood, everything sounds extremely appetizing. To the point I actually want to order several meals.  Tonight we opted for nachos as an appetizer and beet burgers for our main course. The nachos were delicious. The dipping sauces were both flavourful and accented the nachos perfectly and I loved that they had mushrooms with them as I love mushrooms.

 

When the main course came out, my initial reaction was, "this looks good but what a small portion size". The burger is very small and the steamed greens it came with were also extremely small and of course, happened to be kale with 3 small piece of broccoli and some carrots topping it. The burger was delicious and satisfying. I did leave full but I believe that's mainly because we had the nachos first. I honestly think if it wasn't for the appetizer, I would have been very hungry when I left. I got a cookie for dessert and was also extremely disappointed by the size. It was very small especially for the cost.

 

Overall, I think Heartwood makes tasty food but I can't justify spending the amount of money they want for their dishes. Yes, I understand they are organic but when you are strapped for cash and on a serious budget, it's just not worth it. If you are someone that can spend a little more, Heartwood may be the perfect place for you. It's just a shame they couldn't at least give you a little more for the side dishes. Offer the roasted potatoes for no extra charge with the burgers or pile on a little more salad. We need a little more bang for our buck. Just saying. :)

Spicy peanut bowl

Another photo of the vegan nachos

Bean burrito

Portobello mushroom sandwich

Las Vegas Vegan Eats-- Pura Vida-- Closed

Pura Vida is no longer in business.

Visiting Vegas from Canada, Pura Vida was on my list of must visits and I am glad I did. Despite some bad reviews on their Yelp page and a few warnings regarding these reviews, Chef Mayra and the staff of Pura Vida did not disappoint. Our waitress was extremely welcoming and warm. She offered us free samples of their iced drinks and was also very helpful in explaining menu options. My husband and friend, Ana decided on the quesadilla and I decided on "The Frank" which is an eggless salad sandwich.

While waiting for our meals, I spent a great deal of time admiring all the vegan-friendly decor which included cute plaques and adopted turkeys photos from Farm Sanctuary on the walls. Lots of vegan pamphlets and magazines were also laid out for people to help themselves to or just have a look while they waited. The restaurant was very clean and cozy.

When our food arrived we were all in awe. Large portions that were laid out just perfectly. The plates looked so pretty and everything was very appetizing. The food was truly incredible. My friend who is a true Mexican food lover, was extremely happy with her dish. My husband was as well. Mine did not disappoint either which came with not only a massive sandwich but a delicious little fruit salad as well. Everything was flavorful, filling and truly delicious.

I also wanted to mention that people need to realize that this is not a fast food restaurant but a sit down joint with food that is fresh, flavorful and personally prepared with extreme care and love. The staff was extremely kind, fun and welcoming.  We also got to witness where the bad reviews have come from. People coming in with attitudes expecting their food to be there as soon as they order. 

We even went back a second time since we loved it so much. We had just as wonderful experience as the first. I got a delicious marble waffle topped with bananas and chocolate that also came with a side of tofu scramble, my husband got the quesadilla again and my friend got a delicious wrap which came with a salad.

Thank you Chef Mayra and all the staff at Pura Vida for the amazing meal and experience. 

"The Frank" aka eggless salad sandwich

Salad that came with the wrap

Wrap

quesadilla

Marble waffle

Tofu scramble that came with the waffle

 My video review of Pura Vida