I’m not sure if Hawaii diners were ready to embrace plant-based foods a year ago or if it is strictly a pandemic-driven phenomenon. Certainly, an aging demographic aiming to stave off ailments would have a percentage of people opting for a healthier diet, but in the wake of COVID-19, the growing appetite for vegan cuisine is obvious. New eateries have been sprouting up throughout the year to cover a broad spectrum of clientele, from those who love veggies as is, to those who can only stomach a plant-based meal in the guise of meat.
If you’re hoping to balance out your holiday snacking and perhaps get a jump on your new year diet, here are a couple of options on opposite ends of the vegan spectrum.
Leahi Health
Manoa Marketplace, 2752 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu
I was elated to see Leahi Health, already known for its smoothies and healthful bowls, open a new shop at Manoa Marketplace.
The menu is the same as the other locations, though with a handful of daily drink and food specials unique to this space, such as recent offerings of a broccoli salad ($10) with a light curry dressing and a couscous veggie bowl ($12) with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and garbanzo beans tossed with a lemon vinaigrette.
Recent drink specials have included a dirty chai ($7) with almond milk, house chai spices, coffee, hemp seeds, banana, dates and almond butter, as well as a seasonal peppermint mocha ($7).
You don’t have to be a vegan to get an introduction to the benefits of a plant-based diet through a variety of smoothies that have an element of sweetness. King Green ($7) tempers any bitterness associated with spinach and spirulina with sweeter and acidic elements of apple banana, pineapple, lemon and kombucha, with the spice of ginger. Green Monster ($7) balances spinach and spiraling with the richness of almond milk and butter, plus apple bananas, mac root, chia seeds and agave.
We are often advised to “eat the rainbow” in terms of colorful fruits and vegetables that yield a range of vitamin and mineral content, so switch up those drinks with Deep Purple ($7) blending açaí, beets, orange, pineapple, carrots and chia, or Brazilian ($7) with apple banana, blueberry, pineapple and granola.
On the food menu are a series of brown rice bowls or pairs of nontraditional tacos served on pita bread. You can request gluten-free corn tortillas instead. Many of these green tacos start with kale salad as a base, layered with other main ingredients such as the kale avocado tacos ($10) with black beans in a cilantro-lime dressing, or the “bacon” mustard tacos ($10) with black bean and corn, roasted almonds, coconut “bacon” and maple-mustard dressing. Bowl versions are $2 more, with brown rice replacing the pita or taco shell.
Other items include a pesto pita pizza ($5 for one, $10 two) topped with tomatoes, slices of avocado, sliced almonds and nutritional yeast, and a beet poke salad ($12) tossed with poke sauce, with furikake and the crunch of almonds, served with mock tuna salad made with mashed garbanzo beans that combine smoothness and solids to trick the brain to imagine the texture of tuna salad. Onions and the crunch of celery convince the palate.
Follow @leahihealth on Instagram or visit leahihealth.com for more info.
Badass Burgers
1502 Liliha St., Honolulu
On the opposite end of the vegan spectrum, Badass Burgers is an option for people who want to make that first foray into the world of plant-based foods, or for whom ethical or medical reasons want to break from eating meat without giving up the “meat” experience.
Food technology is making this moment possible, with improvements in texture, flavor and mouthfeel of meat imposters such as Impossible Foods 2.0 burger patties made with soy and potato proteins enhanced with minerals and B vitamins. The aim is to tempt those who generally steer clear of foods labeled healthy in favor of what’s familiar and satisfying, and none of Badass Burgers offerings would ever be mistaken for stereo-typical “diet” food.
Visually, you would have a tough time imagining Badass Burgers’ stacked burgers are vegan. But while many vegetarians view the patties as realistic, for this meat eater, the tech has a long way to go, but Badass tops its burgers with enough other flavorful ingredients to fool the palate into thinking you’re really biting into a juicy burger.
The basic Badass burger ($10) starts with an Impossible 2.0 patty on brioche bun with Violife cheese, lettuce, tomato and house sauce. The popular Trufflin’ Ass burger ($17) starts the same way, with an additional patty, Follow Your Heart smoked Gouda and the house’s signature Trufflin’ mayo with sautéed mushrooms and crispy onions to complete the illusion.
Also popular is the Hammah Burgersteak ($18), their version of a hamburger steak with two Impossible 2.0 patties, three scoops of rice, sautéed onions, mushrooms and crispy onions smothered with gravy.
The Badass Chick sandwich ($10) is a housemade mushroom-based Chick’n patty served on brioche with Violife cheese, lettuce, tomato, house sauce and chipotle mayo.
The family-run operation is based in a shared commercial kitchen space in Liliha with a couple of tables and countertop for those who want to dine indoors. Hours are limited.
Call 808-859-2591. Open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays only.
Nadine Kam’s restaurant visits are unannounced and paid for by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Follow Nadine on Instagram (@nadinekam) or on YouTube (youtube.com/nadinekam).
