Sneak peek: HAAM’s plant-based Dominican delights, coming soon to Williamsburg 

By Scott Lynch

The grand opening is still several days away — November 15, to be exact — but Yesenia Ramdass’ all-vegan Dominican and Caribbean restaurant Healthy as a Motha (styled as HAAM) is already humming.

Along with her husband Randy, who helps out with operations, Ramdass — founder, owner and chef — is getting ready for a special dinner for their immediate neighbors on the corner of Union and Montrose, an event preceded by a “friends and family” affair earlier that week. There is also a media preview dinner coming up, as well as photoshoots and interviews to attend to, plus greeting the dozens of passersby who stop in wanting to see a menu. Things are hectic at HAAM.

But even though this is their first-ever restaurant, the couple are used to this sort of pace — they did more than 70 popups this past year all over the tri-state area, including a full slate of Smorgasburgs — all while raising three young kids. And now this. Make no mistake: HAAM is going to be fun.

It’s also going to be delicious. Ramdass, with no formal training, is an excellent cook. At Healthy as a Motha, she’s turned loads of Dominican and Trinidadian classics into vibrant, big-flavored vegan fare. “I’m a first generation Dominican-American who grew up in Washington Heights,” she says (Randy’s family is from Trinidad). “And after I adopted a fully plant-based diet, I had a hard time finding food to eat from my culture. So I was forced into the kitchen, to learn on my own.”

Ramdass has made me three dishes as a preview, and they are all superb. The sweet plantain boat, which I first swooned over at their booth at the Heritage Fire Festival this past May (to be precise I called it the “sleeper hit” of the day), is even better when it arrives full-sized. The plantain is beautifully caramelized, sliced open and filled with Ramdass’ well-seasoned, lentil-based crumbles, which function as a ground beef substitute, and topped with crunchy slaw and a creamy, fiery sauce.

Sweet plantain boat, $18 (Scott Lynch)

Another big winner is the patacon, which carried the most obviously Trinidadian flavors of the meal in the form of Ramdass’ jerk oyster mushrooms. These slippery beauties are stuffed between a pair of fried, flattened plantains. They’re thin, not at all dry, but still structurally sound and come with pineapple, chewy fried “queso,” more of that good slaw, and spicy mayo. This is a great sandwich. And if you really want to go nuts, ask for a small crock of the housemade scotch bonnet hot sauce, and pour with care.

Patacon de jerk mushrooms, $18 (Scott Lynch)

But the showstopper here is HAAM’s chimichurri steak, one of the few mock meats on the menu. It’s made by a company called Chunk, and visually and texturally, it’s almost freakishly convincing. Even the taste is pretty cow-like, though much of the work in the flavor department falls on Ramdass’ chunky green sauce and her fabulous bowl of beans.

Chimichurri Chunk steak, $28 (Scott Lynch)

There’s so much more here too, including a buss up shut (Trinidadian roti) plate, a bake and shark, a mashed yuca platter with oyster mushroom “scallops,” a bunch of vegetable sides, loaded-up salads and an empanadas trio as a starter. Guava cheesecake, coconut flan and cassava cake with soursop ice cream star in the menu’s dessert section. Beer, wine, sangrias and spritzes bring the booze to the party.

The room is comfortable and contemporary, with a lounge-y area up front set below a colorful mural that celebrates “love and unity,” says Randy, represented by the national flowers of the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago — as well as the highest points on those islands — and portraits of both Yesenia’s and Randy’s mothers.

“I’m really excited about what’s next,” Yesenia says. “I don’t come from a culinary background, and my husband and I have never worked in a restaurant a day in our life, so we’re learning from the ground up. But this is the fun part. There’s a lot of heart in this part of Williamsburg, and we’re finally seeing our vision come to life.”

HAAM, or Healthy as a Motha, opens on November 15. The restaurant is located at 234 Union Avenue, at the corner of Meserole Street, and will be open on Tuesday through Thursday from 1 to 9 p.m., on Friday from noon to 10 p.m., on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (212-271-0110)