If it’s Ha’s, He’s Doing It Right
Tucked away in the Lower East Side on Broome Street is Ha’s Snack Bar (or Ha's Đặc Biệt), a small bistro-style restaurant that is the perfect date spot. When you walk in, the vibe is already perfect. It’s been curated to perfection but in an effortlessly chic way. It’s not looking to maximize space or efficiency – in fact, it’s kind of the opposite. The space is meant to be quite small, intimate, and casual. The dim lighting flickers off the walls and bookshelves, and the quirky pops of color really make it like you’ve walked into someone’s chic living room. Both MIlly and I agreed that if someone secured a reservation to Ha’s, it would be super impressive. The wine list is extensive, the dishes are small and delicious, and it’s quiet enough to have a conversation. In fact, I think we were the only ones not on a date in the restaurant.
Here’s the run down of everything we got:
MUSSELS ESCABECHE ON TOAST - Beautifully punchy and a great start to the night! It was everything that you wanted a summer escabeche to be – bright, briny, acidic, and just an overall punch of flavor to the beginning of a great meal.
EGG MAYO WITH MAGGI AND TROUT ROE
This is the dish I was the most excited about since it seems so simple on the page. By the end, it literally had me licking the plate. It was like the best parts of an egg sandwich but with a nice soy sweetness from the Maggi seasoning, with the occasional bright pops of umami pearls. It was eggs on eggs on toast and I absolutely loved it.
EGGPLANT IN SWEET NUOC MAM + GARLIC - What attracted me to this dish was the nuoc mam. I feel like every Vietnamese place does it slightly differently, so I was interested to see their take on what reads like a classic dish. We were both surprised that when the eggplant came out, it was prepared in such a way that it almost tasted and felt like fish!
It felt like it was broiled in some way that gave it the most interesting texture. This dish was sort of the dark horse of our menu, the more we ate it the more we loved it. I’m also so glad that this dish came with rice, because it
SNAILS IN TAMARIND BUTTER
I believe this is one of Ha’s most famous dishes, and one of the dishes that we came for. Initially Milly was worried about the size of the escargot, since they were on the smaller size, but I thought that since the texture tasted almost like a mix of liver and foie gras, I didn’t mind that it was on the smaller side since there was so much flavor.
The tamarind butter was also a big highlight of the night. Not only was it the perfect condiment to completely coat the bread, but the sweet and sour nature of the tamarind brought a welcome brightness to the dish that really kept the dish light and perfect for the summer weather.
CLAM TARTLETTE WITH CURRIED TOMATO & SQUASH - If you’re fan of a buttery, flaky crust, you’ll be a fan of this dish. This dish pairs a beautiful lemongrass forward tomato situation with a multi-layered crispy puff pastry. A great bite that ended up being very filling but not too heavy.
COFFEE CHOCOLATE + CANDIED HAZELNUT TRIFLE
This dish was so good that Milly made a separate reaction video just for this dish. In some ways, I feel like that says it all. The balance between coffee, chocolate and hazelnut was perfect – and between the airiness from the whipped cream, the fluffiness from the chocolate cake base, and the caramelized crunch you get from the hazelnuts, this truly makes the trifle a fun and delicious dessert to eat.
Before coming here, I read some reviews that mentioned that they felt like the food was too salty or overseasoned, and after eating there I would a hundred percent disagree. The food is salty, yes, but it pairs perfectly with wine and it naturally packs a punch of flavor. So Ha’s Snack Bar – I’ll be back soon – hopefully on a date with someone who appreciates how much work you put in to make this place special.