PiDGiN is bringing their signature culinary fusion of Asian and French techniques and flavours to their Dine Out menu this year! Their menu is similar to their Prix Menu where your table shares dishes. Instead of being limited to one choice, you and your table are given 6 dishes to share family style. You can add cocktail pairings for $40

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For easy navigation:

Appetizers: Omnivore | Vegetarian

Entrees: Omnivore | Vegetarian

Dessert: one option: vegetarian friendly

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Appetizers

Omnivore Menu

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Fried brussel sprouts and pickled turnips, miso dressing, fennel and caraway salt, brown butter crumb

The brussel sprouts were crunchy and tender. Along with the miso dressing and sweet brown butter, it was a winning start as the first course. The pickled turnips help cut some of the richness and oiliness of the dressing and fried brussel sprouts.

Drink pairing

masseria li veli, fiano ’18 puglia it

Tuna tartare, pickled mustard seeds, mentaiko mayo, lotus chips

The tuna tartare, at first bite, was salty but I found out you had to eat the pickled napa cabbage on top of the tartare for a balanced bite. The lotus chips were very crispy and we wouldn’t mind taking a bag of them home! Overall, this dish satisfied what I hoped an asian inspired tuna tartare would be.

Drink pairing

park meadows-gin, juniper syrup, yuzu, sage

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Vegetarian

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Cultivated mushrooms, truffle celeriac puree, yuzu brown butter, ramen egg (both in Omnivore and Vegetarian menu)

The ramen eggs were calling my name and I was not disappointed at all. The perfect runny consistency, the seasoning gave the yolk a sweet caramelized flavour! The truffle celeriac puree had an abundant of truffle flavour. However, one set back for me about this dish was the salt level. If it was reduced just a bit or there was more citrus flavour, the yuzu brown butter could have shined more on the dish.

Drink Pairing

tengumai, 60% yamahai, gohyakumangoku, jp (sake)

Beet tartare , pickled mustard seed, celeriac, mirepoix, lotus chips

This dish was my favourite of the night because the slight tangy flavour of the beets with the mirepoix (a.ka. the Holy Trinity or onions, celery, and bell peppers) had a sherry like flavour and it opened my tastebuds and appetite for more food. Each vegetable was diced perfectly and there were no criticisms for the lotus chips!

Drink Pairing

park meadows-gin, juniper syrup, yuzu, sage

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Entrees

Omnivore

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Seafood dashi halibut, prawns shoyu dashi, mashed potato, wakame, enoki mushroom, braised daikon

The halibut was flakey and delicate. It melted in my mouth and not much chewing was needed. I love a good dashi and it had a deep shoyu flavour. The wakame added a slightly sweet but sea salt flavour to round out the dish’s unami flavour. The mash potatoes soaked up that dashi broth and it was delicious!

Drink Pairing

taiheizan 59%, yamadaniskhiki, jp (sake)

Magret duck breast citrus hoi sin glaze, radish cake with confit gizzards, chinese green with shaoxing

This dish brought me back to the past where I watched my grandma make radish cakes. It had a light crispy exterior but the radish cake lacked some texture, it was too mushy. I don’t mind the consistency but I wish they put some dried shrimp, chinese mushrooms or scallions to balance out the Chinese sausages’ salt level and moisture in the cake. They could consider deep frying the radish cakes like the xo sauce versions from dim sum

The duck was cooked well and tender but I felt it may have needed more of the citrus hoi sin glaze. The Gai Lan was crunchy and delicious!

Drink Pairing

origine wines, cab. sauv/merlot/cab. fran. ’17 Okanagan, CA

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Vegetarian

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Vegetable Oden, cabbage, squash, enoki, wakame, potato, daikon, garlic oil

The broth in the Vegetable Oden was rich in soy sauce flavour which I enjoyed a lot. The vegetables were cooked perfectly where there was still a slight crunch to each bite. Everything goes well with wakame and I think the vegetarians would enjoy this dish a lot.

Drink Pairing

taiheizan 59%, yamadaniskhiki, jp (sake)

Carnaroli Risotto, sunchokes, miso butter, pecorino, spruce tip oil

PiDGiN was smart to use Carnaroli because it is more resistant to overcooking and its starch produces the creamiest consistent among the other types of risotto rice. I definitely did not find any over or undercooked rice and I love how the grain is larger than arborio rice. The sunchoke s were a tad bitter in the beginning bite but the garlic chips helped give it a savory and fragrant mask.

Drink Pairing

nk’mip. chardonnay ’17 okanagan, ca

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Dessert

Yuzu Creme Brulee, sudachi pepper, candied castelvetrano olives

This may look like a simple creme brûlée and it had a very strong lemony yuzu flavour. It was as if I was eating a curd instead of a creme brûlée (but no complains!)

Seeing candied olives in a dessert did surprised me but I understood its place in the dessert. Olives do have sweetness amongst its bitter, salty and pungent taste. The candied castelvetrano olives helps balance the sweet, thin burnt sugar and sour yuzu creme brûlée. However, once the candied sugar coating dissolves from chewing the olives, the brininess becomes quite pungent.

Drink Pairing

Toffee coffee – miso salted caramel espresso martini

Final Thoughts

I appreciate the concepts of each dish and PiDGiN’s dedication towards ensuring you are eating well and feeling full after their Dine Out Menu. They understand that Dine Out is an opportunity for folks who have never tried their food to come and experience their signature dishes but also present new experiments. There is still plenty of time for changes so you might be surprised!

Make reservations here

Location: 350 Carrall St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2J3