I got excited about Dine Out Vancouver the day after Christmas and I was hoping and praying the one place I wanted to try was included in the annual event. The day restaurant names were released I raced to my iPad and scrolled down until – hooray! – I found exactly what I was looking for: PiDGin. This restaurant, located on Carrall and Hastings, first got recognition after targeted attacks by anti-gentrification picketers led to broken windows. More recently, however, head Chef Makoto Ono has been making waves and winning awards with his unique and cutting-edge dishes with Korean, Japanese, and French influences. I knew I had to try it out!
My boyfriend and I were slightly nervous walking towards the restaurant and I kept a firm grasp on my Marc Jacobs wallet but as soon as we entered I felt transported. The restaurant is beautiful with white accents, lots of dimly lit candles and a great bar. The walls behind the tables were magnetic and the menus hung from them on clipboards – cute! We arrived early so the waitress suggested we have a drink at the bar first. I started with Frank’s Daiquiri which was finished with a white chocolate/wasabi foam. It was both the strangest and best drink I have ever had. Seriously – this foam was white chocolate AND wasabi! The hostess was super friendly and, since we had arrived earlier than our reservation time, prepared us a table quickly.
My boyfriend is going through this vegetarian stage so I thought to make him happy and since he was paying we should both get the vegetarian menu. We were so glad we did! Our waiter, who was awesome and described every dish to us with such enthusiasm, told us we were the first couple to try their vegetarian menu!
We started with their daily pickles, which was a mix of pickles and beets served in a little dish. These were an awesome start to the menu and left us wanting more. They were both sweet and spicy and very refreshing. The next dish to be brought out was shishito peppers covered in parmesan and pine nuts. Our waiter warned us 1 in every 6 or so was spicy! We were served a very generous portion so the chances were pretty high. These were great as well and were quite light. The peppers were a beautiful, bright green color.
I believe they are perfect for a healthy late-night option. After this we had the “dan dan” rutabaga noodle salad. This looked like spaghetti as it was covered in tofu and almond slices. The dish was served cold and I found myself enjoying it way more than I expected. The almond and tofu mix was superb. Again, the portions for their Dine Out menu was large and I felt food just kept coming and coming. After the noodles came out a mushroom, snap pea and egg salad was served. This was my favourite dish of the night. The waiter told us the contrast and humour in this dish is that most expect the mushrooms to be served cold and the egg to be served hot, yet the opposite happened and the contrast was magic. Seriously, I would return to PiDGin solely for this dish. I still think about it.
Before the dessert we had one more course and I was getting full. Then the waiter put down a plate of gnocchi with house-made ricotta and radishes and I forgot that I was full. I completely forgot when I finished my boyfriend’s plate of gnocchi too – Oops! This dish was fantastic and the gnocchi was some of the best I’ve ever tasted and I know good gnocchi. Finally, we were on to dessert! For both menus dessert was black sesame meringue, kalamansi custard, and coconut and lime white chocolate. This was the perfect way to finish the meal as it was light, refreshing, and sweet.
PiDGin certainly lived up to the hype! The food was indescribable and I found myself three days later still thinking about our meal. I should have saved PiDGin for my last Dine Out event because after that nothing even came close to comparing. The people working there seemed genuinely excited about the food and event and were so happy to serve us. The restaurant exceeded my expectations and the menu was above and beyond any Dine Out I’ve ever been to. I cannot wait to go back. In fact, if I keep talking about it someone will get annoyed and take me. See ya there!
Written by: Micaela Monk
Images via PiDGin
