The Flying Pig @ Gastown
The Flying Pig Gastown
102 Water Street, Vancouver, BC
(A block straight down from the steam clock)
604 559 7968
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at The Flying Pig. It's been a priority of mine to try out for the summer and I found the time to go during the last week before school. I almost went to the Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown, but I changed my mind last minute and went here instead.
When I came across this restaurant on yet another VancityBuzz article, I was instantly drawn in by the visual plating; fresh, flavorful food and unique dishes.
The dishes are more on the heavy side, but its great knowing that you get quantity for what you paid. Prepare to be stuffed! The menu is on a podium outside, which is convenient for the typical tourist wandering around wondering what to eat. The Flying Pig itself, is a roomy restaurant capable of seating a large number of people. They have a partial second floor overlooking Water Street, Patio tables on the sidewalk and indoor group tables. As you head to the washroom, the cool thing is that you can even watch the kitchen at work making dishes and dessert at breakneck speed.
A Highlight Menu Item that most people come for is "Andrew's Pulled Pork Poutine" - $7.50 (above).
They use organic Pemberton valley potatoes from BC, and there's the perfect amount of pork and cheese to accompany the fries. I haven't been a big fan of barbeque sauce (which they use in this dish) and i'm more of the gravy type, but in this case its pairs well with the pulled pork.
If a restaurant serves you sourdough with balsamic vinegar and olive oil before you order, there a high chance through my experiences, that its going to be a great restaurant. And oh look, there's water in an Avalon Milk Jar! Instagram Heaven...
2nd Appetizer - Artisan Meat and Cheese Board - $7 per person Its possible just to order it for one person and it looks like the picture below, because my 12 year old sister insisted on getting it. :P
The platter consists of Three Cured Meats (Salami, Proscuitto), Local Cheeses (Blue Cheese, Camembert and Aged Cheddar) and Spicy Olives.
Grainy Mustard is provided as a condiment and crispy toasts act as the 'glue' for all the elements on the dish.
3rd Dish - Lobster and Prawn Risotto - $11
This was by far my favourite out of all the dishes I tried! The cheese and the cream sauce weren't overwhelming, and the lobster paired with the risotto brought about a uniqueness to this dish. The portion is very generous and there's enough here to share with three people at least. I'm a die hard fan of seafood and cream sauce.
4th Dish - Braised Beef Shortrib Jumbo Macaroni - $14.50
The combination of flavours here works well! However, i would've hoped for more beef brisket and the Cabernet Sauvignon (wine) mushroom cream sauce was a little too overpowering and thick in my opinion, but it was delicious. My friend, Sherry has also tried this dish and her opinion is different from mine. She totally loves every aspect of this dish.
