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Vegan done Right!

5 Posted on 05 / 13 / 2013

I can't think of a better compliment for a vegetarian or vegan restaurant than "I would not hesitate to bring non-veg family or friends here!" The food was great. Not "great for veg food in the maritimes" good or "as good as I've come to expect from veg restaurants" good or any other hedged reviews. It was just great!

We went for brunch, and my wife and I shared the tofu scramble and the waffles. The waffles, while cut-with-your-fork tender and with a sublime taste combination all their own, were a mere delivery system for the mountain of berry confit piled over them. The tofu scramble plate was just a parade of wonderful tastes and flavours, with no part of it being "just there" to fill the plate. Even the toast, which most restaurants just throw on as filler, was their in-house sourdough which has a wonderful taste and texture I've never had before.

The serving staff were also wonderful. Open, friendly, knowledgable and skilled. I'd reccomend this restaurant to anyone, veg or not.

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Will return again to give it another shot.

3 Posted on 03 / 25 / 2013

We weren't particularly pleased with Heartwood's food. We got potato wedges that were still pretty raw and extremely spicy. The desert was dry, tasted bad and was expensive. The pizza was alright. I feel the bill was way too expensive for the food, someday I might give it another shot and aim for brunch or staples like hummus and something else. I give the atmosphere and the fact that they are vegan 5 stars, but the food and price has me not too impressed overall.

Pros: vegan, atmosphere
Cons: price, taste

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quiant

4 Posted on 09 / 21 / 2012

love booths

Pros: booths, space, decor

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Surprisingly tasty flavours

5 Posted on 08 / 01 / 2011

This is a cute, small, urban cafe. I was extremely impressed with the tastes of the food that we ordered. We went to a number of vegetarian restaurants during our recent trip to Halifax and this had the best tasting food, obviously prepared by someone who understands flavours.

Incredibly fresh, delicious tasting hummus according to my DH (and he has had a LOT of hummus!). Highly recommended. We'll go back the next time we're in Halifax. Reasonable prices and pretty good portion sizes.

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Great Overall

4 Posted on 08 / 25 / 2010

My partner and I were visiting Halifax for the weekend on my first trip to the Maritimes and I was excited to try any local vegan offerings. We arrived at Heartwood on what I would call a Saturday morning even though it was already early afternoon, just in time for a rather late brunch. Having been stymied before at so many meat-serving restaurants by their non-existent vegan brunch options (fruit & toast is not an acceptable option, especially when I have to send my toast back because it has been buttered!) I was looking forward to a menu to choose from with only my tastebuds as determinant.

I had the Organic Spelt Waffles with sweet Blueberry Sauce and Fruit Salad ($10). Delicious! The two waffles were substantial and crispy and the sauce was indeed sweet, which made me appreciative for not having to add syrup, but the 'fruit salad' was served with the syrup on top of the waffles which seemed an odd choice to me. I would have preferred it to be separate but this is merely personal taste. And because my stomach is bottomless and I don't mind a wide variety of flavours in one sitting, I also had the soup of the day, which was red lentil ($6). It was heavenly and the bite from the sourdough bread it was served with provided a pleasing complement.

My partner had the Tofu Scramble w/ herbed Potatoes ($9). He seemed to enjoy his food and was pleased enough with the portions to offer me a taste of his meal and I must admit to being particularly impressed by the herbed potatoes. I'm not generally a fan of potatoes - I never have them at home - and my past experiences with a restaurant's herbed potatoes is that they're either barely seasoned, leaving them bland, or they're not even herbed but massively salted, and they're always soggy, like they've been sitting for hours in a warming tray. Heartwood's herbed potatoes were perfection: seasoned just enough to be flavourful without being overwhelming and roasted to a crispy goodness without being overdone. Yum!

Our food was great but unfortunately the same can't be said of our service. While certainly friendly and definitely not terrible, our server provided barely more than the minimum of service. Now, I don't expect to be waited on hand-and-foot but I don't think it's asking too much to have a glass of water refilled. But overall, Heartwood has great food that is reasonably portioned and priced with a pleasant atmosphere. I will definitely be going again the next time I'm in Halifax.

Pros: Great food, Pleasant atmosphere, Reasonably priced
Cons: Sub-standard service

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Amazing, but best for experienced vegetarians

5 Posted on 06 / 22 / 2010

I love Heartwood. However, I would not recommend it to brand new vegetarians. Heartwood is a step above other vegetarian restaurants in the area because of its emphasis on health. You'll find ingredients on the menu that may seem weird or daunting to those without an interest in health, nutrition, or cooking. For instance, you can find umboshi vinegar, agave, kale, and miso paste starring in many dishes. Other reviewers commented on their desserts being gritty. The grittiness is due to Heartwood catering to those eating a gluten-free diet: the majority of desserts are g-free so likely are made with rice or other g-free flours that tend to be slightly gritty in texture. You can truly eat at Heartwood and walk away feeling healthy and good (Heartwood also claims to be organic!). You can be sure that you will not find any grilled cheeses or fake meats on this menu!

The take-away sourdough spelt bread is good, but is an acquired taste. It's a steal when it's two days old (50% regular price!). It's the only time I buy it because the bread freezes very well.

The addition of organic beers, teas, and wines on the menu is nice. In the summer you can even find fresh juices being served.

I've had almost everything on their menu. Amazing dishes: the bean burrito, the "greens", the vegan pizza, and the miso-tahini bowl. Pretty good meals: the spicy peanut bowl, all of the sandwiches, and the soup-of-the-day has always been good. So-so meals have been: the veggie burger, the breakfast granola, and the curry bowl.

I think Heartwood is an experience. I'm sure new vegetarians will love their meal, I'm just scared that they may think that all veggie cooking is this fancy! Seasoned vegetarians and healthy eaters will LOVE this place.

Pros: Gluten free options, Organic teas and alcohol, Huge dessert section
Cons: No side dish with sandwiches, Expensive desserts, No

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Great little place!

4 Posted on 05 / 21 / 2010

Myself and my other half were in Halifax recently and went to Heartwood for a late lunch one day. He had the Shooting Star Curry (a special!) and I had one of the rice bowls with Miso sauce. The food was great - vegetables very fresh, it was plentiful, and really tasty! The only slight bug in the ointment was that the sauce on my rice bowl tasted a little bit sharp, it looked and tasted like it had curdled slightly, but I'm nit-picking really - other than that the main courses were great! For afters, we had the Banana Toffee Cheesecake which, I am sad to report, was not as tasty as it looked. It had a gritty taste and was not as sweet or as creamy as other vegan cheesecakes I've tasted. Again, though, I'm nit-picking, as the dining room was clean and welcoming, the service quick, and the food in the main very tasty and filling. I would definitely recommend this place to others! GO THERE!

Pros: Good food , Good value, Fresh food and desserts

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Tasty curry

3 Posted on 05 / 09 / 2010

My vegan dining partner and I went to this restaurant last July during a trip to Halifax.
We had the daily special curry plate, which was a veggie curry served over rice. It also came with a salad. We bought chocolate chip cookies to go just before leaving.
The curry was full of different flavours and properly spiced (nice and hot,) but it was also, for some reason, really bland LOOKING. It was kind of all one colour - which was yellow. It was a little weird - kind of like a super-opaque sauce - and I don't know how they accomplished such a thing. The vegetables in the curry, however, were nice and crisp/firm and not overcooked. But the rice was a little mushy and overcooked. Regarding the ingredients of the curry, however, I would say that I would have preferred that there was a bit less potato in the mix. And I would have preferred more vegetable curry and less rice on the plate.
The salad was nice and crisp. The portions were decent: not too big, not too small. The cookie was delicious and a nice finish to the meal. The main dish was reasonably priced, but I would say that the cookie was slightly overpriced. The service was fast and courteous and the restaurant APPEARED to be clean.

Pros: Decent portions., Restaurant appeared clean., Service.
Cons: Some overpricing., Strange curry., Too much rice.

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Fantastic Vegan Fare

5 Posted on 05 / 20 / 2009

We had fantastic food - vegan nachos and one of their Heartwood bowls... very flavourful. Dessert was incredibly decadent and rich too! Well priced too!

Pros: delicious, well priced

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The Best

5 Posted on 11 / 15 / 2008

Heartwood is the only restaurant to go to if you appreciate healthy, local, organic, vegan food. Nowhere else compares unless you want to drive to Montreal. The food is great and they have more organic ingredients than anybody in the maritimes. The desserts are great (Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cheesecake, coconut cashew pie etc...) Brunch on saturday is awesome. Prices are comparable to other restaurants in town, but at Heartwood there is QUALITY. I love it. It's worth the cost (I often get the Daily special which is only $10 and is more than enough food). The most expensive thing on the menu is $13.

Pros: Healthy, Organic , Local

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Meh

3 Posted on 10 / 13 / 2008

The staff was nice, and the coconut cake we had was great, but everything else, notsomuch. The rice bowl was nothing special (EASY to recreate at home). Many of the desserts had an overwhelming banana flavor, often where banana does not belong.

Pros: Coconut Cake, Staff
Cons: Price, Selection, Overall Taste

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Disappointed

2 Posted on 04 / 15 / 2008

They have changed to format to a restaurant with a menu that has incorporated some of the dishes that were a part of the buffet. This used to be one of my favourite places. I went for lunch and had a noodle bowl and a cookie which was over $20 and my friend had a portobello sandwich with goat cheese which was almost $15. Pretty overpriced now.

Pros: good food
Cons: overpriced

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Heartwood Bakery and Cafe

3 Posted on 05 / 06 / 2007

New to the vegetarian world, I thought I would give Heartwood a try. I ended up paying way too much for brown rice and a thin bland dill bean sauce. I had a piece of the chocolate tofu pie which was delicious.
I'm going to have to try the restaurant again but I don't like the idea of getting really small portions to keep the price reasonable.

Pros: VERY friendly staff, Delicious chocolate pie
Cons: Hate the weigh for pay

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My favourite restaurant for years!

5 Posted on 12 / 27 / 2006

For me, the measure of a good vegetarian restaurant relies largely on the availability of delicious vegan desserts. Of all the vegetarian restaurants I have been to in all the countries I have visited, Heartwood dominates in this aspect. The desserts are all organic, no-sugar (or honey), and mostly no-wheat and are delicious! My favourites are the Pecan Pie and the Nanaimo Bars although they are all so good! As for main dishes, the pay by weight style can be expensive but eating healthy and organic is never cheap. The dishes are always good, although sometimes the mustardy potatoes are a bit dry and have obviously not been freshly made. The only drawback is that the cold salad section, while delicious, is almost always the same stuff. Overall, still the place I miss most when I am away from home...

Pros: delicious, great desserts, organic and healthy
Cons: rarely new selections