We decided to have NYE dinner here. The food was just "ok". The serving method was a bit surprising. We've done tasting menus before and were taken aback that the first few dishes were shared family style. The norm we are accustomed to is single servings for each party. The food was disappointing as it wasn't as tasty as we anticipated. Of the 7 course tasting menu, the best dish was the chicken wing and the worst dish was the foie gras. Everything else was just "meh". This was first and last time. Note: the restaurant is located in a sketchy part of town. read more

Frightening location. Amazing, fun, creative food that is designed with love and imagination. Here are the pro tips: 1) order the tasting menu 2) on a weeknight 3) at the very start of service (around 5 pm). 4) Sit at the kitchen window booth. We did this and got served by the restaurateur himself. He provided us amazing commentary on each course and it's wine pairing, including the personal stories of the vintners and their wineries. Expect unique, sometimes challenging dishes. That's the fun of it! This is a culinary adventure, not Tim Horton's. Disregard the obtuse, buffoonish negative reviews ( Crystal G.), PiDGiN is the real deal. read more

Stopped by for some cocktails and small plate items. My white Negroni was a little rough but some of the other cocktails were great. The Korean inspired wings were very tasty and crispy. I liked the taro chips served with the tuna tartare. Bartender was very nice and hospitable. I would come back here. read more

On a very hot Saturday night in late June of 2022, we walked into a fairly quiet Pidgin Restaurant at 8:30 PM. As is our wont, we chose to sit at the bar, and we were an island onto ourselves. No one else was at the bar. It took us aback. I anticipated a happening scene. However, there is a certain kindness and empathy that is inherent to Pidgin and its staff. Within seconds we were enveloped by warmth and camaraderie. Brandon, the owner, engaged us in conversation about the food, life, and a whole bunch of stuff, recommending the set dinner after listening to our needs. The food was fantastic, way beyond our expectations. Fresh truffles enhanced our dishes, and my Asparagus Brie cheese fondue with black truffles and almonds will remain a part of my best taste memories for years. Halibut was cooked perfectly, but the accompaniment of flavors enhanced every bite. Each dish put smiles on our faces, and the staff made us feel we were eating with friends who were cooking for us. They all took pleasure in our pleasure. How cool is that! The chef came over to say hello and to thank us for coming in. That made us feel great, but it was his cooking that made us wiggle with joy. The cocktails and wine did give that wiggle some impetus. Pidgin is another great Vancouver restaurant that shouldn't be missed. read more

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Great tasting menu. We had rabbit terrine, soft shell crab tempura, smoked octopus, sable fish and lamp sirloin and dessert . Since every review I read on Yelp, suggested fois gras poke bowl, We ordered it too. Great suggestion. Generous size of fois gras and very rich in taste. read more

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The food was really good and it's nice space. James was our server and he was excellent. A couple other people also delivered food and they were very nice. read more

Popped in for a few pops and a few snacks before the main event. We didn't have resos, but we go out early because we arent as hip as we used to be, so they accepted our walk in party of 4 just as they opened the door. Service was good, food was great, especially the wings and the Pulpo. The fermented cabbage was also tasty but you had to really move the cabbage around in the sauce to pick up the balance of flavours.....maybe drizzle a bit more liberally? The other 3 at our table sampled the cabbage and decided it wasn't for them, so I took it upon myself to finish it off...my advice? Be the finisher....cabbage marinated longer in the sauce and picked up so many flavours. And don't forget to swirl. Good stuff. read more

Pidgin was a great find for our first time in Gastown. We opted for the tasting menu to get a sampling of the food there. One of the first dishes out was an oyster shot with apple, cucumber, and horseradish. Honestly it didn't sound appetizing at first but I'm glad I looked past the description because it was surprisingly good. My favorite dish of the seven had to be the mantou bread with eggplant. The combination of the warm bread with the flavorful eggplant spread was so delicious. Overall I enjoyed all the dishes but the one that was just okay was the woodear mushroom. There wasn't really anything memorable about it. Be sure to try their most popular cocktail - the one eyed samurai. It was a mix of watermelon infused tequila, sake, lemon, and watermelon granite. There is no parking out in front so you might find yourself walking past some sketchy areas to get to the restaurant. I would've given the place 5 stars but our server was so disengaged and just gave off a negative vibe whenever she stopped by. read more

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A small, cozy date night spot that serves Asian French fusion family style sharing plates to allow you to try a variety of different dishes! [Items Tried] Oyster Shot - $4.50 (4/5) Taste: The sauce was quite citrusy and the oysters were fresh and sweet. Portion Size: Good for 1 person. Cultivated Mushrooms - $17 (5/5) Taste: Really enjoyed these abalone style mushrooms with asian accents of yuzu and brown butter. The ramen egg added a nice touch, especially when dipping the ramen into the yolk. Portion size: Good for 2 people. *MUST TRY* Faro Risotto - $24 (5/5) Taste: This was by far my favourite dish, I loved that although very simply made, the flavours blended really well with each other with the buttery risotto and broccolini to garnish. Portion size: Good for 2 people to share or entrée for 1 person. Lamb Sirloin (added Foie Gras for additional $) - $42 (4/5) Taste: The lamb in itself was delicious - very tender, seasoned to perfection and flavourful. The drawback of this dish was the eggplant which was EXTREMELY salty and dissatisfying. In hindsight, I should have returned this dish as I'm sure the eggplant was not supposed to be that salty. The foie gras was also extremely delicious, not too buttery, but the right texture to taste the flavour for long enough before it melts in your mouth. Portion Size: Good for 2 people to share or entrée for 1 person. [Value for Money] At a higher price point, I would recommend this place for a date night. While the ambiance is not notably fancy, it is quite small, comfortable and romantic and the food is delicious. The only reason why the restaurant does not warrant 5 stars is because of the overly salty eggplant :( read more

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Oh my word, we just LOVE PiDGiN! I can't begin to explain where we love it most, so I'll just keep this post short and explain them in my photos. Enjoy guys, I know you will just love everything about this place! From the decor to the the warm inviting atmosphere, to the menu and where the menu is creatively placed. The staff, the foods! PiDGiN chef and founder/owner is a genius. Will definitely be back and tell all our foodie friends for sure! read more

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TLDR: book the chef's table for a great experience. Tuna tartare, spring risotto, foie gras rice bowl, sockeye and spot prawn, and a5 wagyu beef were absolutely delicious. Hands down best restaurant experience I have had. Came here with my parents and like one of the previous reviews mentioned, the location was not ideal considering the number of homeless people we walked by on the way to the restaurant. Once inside though, the atmosphere was great. Service was on the slower side but understandably so because they were packed on a Monday night. We ordered all the food above plus the kombu kobucha squash salad, which was the only item we thought was just okay. But everything else - wow. The nori purée for the tuna tartare was unique and elevated the dish, making it worth the price. The spring risotto was made with asparagus since fava beans were out of season. It was still delicious, and with the black truffle on top? My mom could not stop talking about it for the next few days and still dreams about it. The foie gras rice bowl was amazing as well. I'm usually not a huge fan of foie gras, but this one was seared and did not taste bitter. The sauce and the chestnuts paired so well with the foie gras and the dish was amazingly delicious. Next was the sockeye salmon and spot prawn. I have only had salmon cooked this well one other time at a French restaurant in Berkeley and think about it every time I eat salmon. As for the A5 wagyu, it was my first time trying it, so I am not sure how it compares to wagyu at other restaurants. Personally, I really enjoyed it for the taste, texture, and experience. The chef cooked it a perfect medium rare, and my only gripe was that it was over salted. Thank you chefs Paul, Reuben, and Zack. I will definitely be coming back here in the future. read more

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The area that the restaurant is located in isn't the prettiest but the food and service was amazing . We did the tasting menu and it's mainly shareable even though you don't want to cause everything was soo good from the appetizers to the dessert everything just tasted fantastic and the price is worth it ! Definitely would go back ! read more

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Amazing service, delicious cocktails, and incredible food. If you're visiting Vancouver, do yourself a favor: make a reservation here and do the tasting menu. The lamb sirloin was unbelievably good! read more

PiDGiN - Lamb sirloin. - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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PiDGin An Asian-French restaurant located in Gastown. Tasting Menu // prix-fixe Oyster Shot Made with horseradish emulsion and apple granita. To be perfectly honest, I'm not a huge fan of oysters, but I found this to be okay. It was tangy and smooth. It was a nice little refreshing appetizer to prepare us for the meal ahead. . . . Texture and Flavour profile: light, citrusy, smooth Flavour: 6 Spring Sunomono Consisting of squash, woodear mushrooms, fried tofu, and snap peas, in a yuzu sauce. It was a nice and light salad; however, I would have preferred that they blanched the snap peas to rid of the earthy flavour. . . . Texture and Flavour Profile: sour, light, crisp Flavour: 7/10 Grilled Asparagus, Pickled Fiddleheads, and Vichysossie I actually don't know if these dishes have a proper title to them, so my apologies if I'm creating dish names for them. This was easily the best dish of the whole course. The fiddleheads are a seasonal item, and we're glad we had the opportunity to enjoy them. This was our first time having Vichysossie, which is a thick soup traditionally made out of potatoes. Here, they used asparagus instead, iirc. It's a pretty heavy soup, and for this dish, we ate it as more of a sauce than as a soup. It paired very well with the veggies. It's a dish that you would not leave anything behind. Not. A. Drop. . . . Texture and Flavour Profile: crisp, creamy, savoury Flavour: 10 Cultivated Mushrooms, Squash puree, and ramen eggs A savoury dish made with yuzu brown butter. We couldn't really taste the yuzu in this dish but the brown butter went really well with this dish. Not sure if the different types of mushrooms were seasoned separately, but we found that some were overseasoned and some were just right. . . . Texture and Flavour Profile: spongy, chewy, savoury Flavour: 6/10 Lemon-butter Poached Halibut Topped with Ikura and complimented with morel mushrooms. The star of this dish was supposed to be the halibut, but unfortunately, it was overcooked and there wasn't much taste to it. You really had to concentrate on your tastebuds to find a hint of butter. There isn't really much else to say about this dish. The mushrooms were pretty good, but still... the fish could have been made better. It was a little disappointing, especially with this being one of the two main courses. . . . Texture and Flavour Profile: overcooked, bland, light Flavour: 3/10 Duck Breast with Beet Leaves Presented with a modified hoisin sauce. This sauce wasn't as sweet as the traditional hoisin sauce, which paired really well with the duck and the beet leaves. The duck was tender, and cooked to perfection. It was very juicy. . . . Texture and Flavour Profile: tender, savoury, juicy Flavour: 9 Black Rice Panna Cotta Topped with dragon fruit and meringue. I was hesitant to choose this one over the other option, which was something of a dark chocolate dessert, but it was a good call. It had a nice rice scent to it, and was just the right amount of sweet. I'm actually afraid to order desserts after dinner sometimes, because if it's too sweet it'll make me feel sick. This was nice and light. A good cleanse for our palates. . . . Texture and Flavour Profile: light, smooth, sweet Flavour: 8 Overall, this restaurant was amazing. Their service was great. The waiters were well-aware of what they were serving and told us in detail what we were having. They were incredibly friendly and didn't look annoyed when we asked them more about their dishes. For a restaurant like this to be located in Gastown, you would expect the prices of their menu to fair pretty high, but for food of this quality, it was $65 per person and we found that to be quite reasonable. Service: 10/10 Value: 9/10 Flavour Averages: 7 Instagram: bunnyfoodventures read more

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We ordered the tasting menu as it was recommended that gives us the variety of the food offerings. The food was ok but not spectacular for the price of the tasting menu. Other tasting menu restaurants serve each party on separate plates as that is part of the experience. There were 3 people who had the tasting menu and all three portions came in one bowl/ plate for us to separate ourselves. The experience was not as good as expected especially for the price that was paid. Service was also mediocre. read more

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So this meal was pretty amazing. Since we were visiting Vancouver, we had no idea it was restaurant week. So when we were earring this amazing tasting menu, we would never have guessed it was a restaurant week tasting menu. The food was so smart and brilliant. Too smart for some of the other guests, but that's a different story. Lol My favorite of the tasting menu was the Seafood Dashi. So rich and flavorful. I could've eaten bowls of it. I would even bath in it. SO GOOD!!!!! Ending the meal with the Yuzu Creme Brûlée was really smart. It was so light and sharp, it was almost like a palette cleanser. I didn't leave the meaL feeling reallY heavy. A restaurant that serves Korean, Japanese and French cuisine can go very wrong. Pidgin did it perfect to a T. They didn't try to mash the three cuisines together. They worked with the cooking traditions and carefully made a great progressive meal where the cuisines complimented each other. read more

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A falling star! I'm sure in 2022, this was the talk of the town earning a Michelin recommendation, but since then this place has lost it's luster. Back in 2022 when I tried for the first time, the food was great. It was innovative and delicious; the servers really cared about their patrons and enthusiastic about their food. It was worth braving the surrounding neighborhood to get to the restaurant. Today, I could not have been more disappointed! It's no wonder Michelin removed their recommendation for this restaurant for 2023. From my prior experience and reading all the reviews we were expecting the best, but actually received mediocrity. We tried the tasting menu again tonight The food was tasty but salty, certainly nothing special. The scallop tartare and the Hamachi crudo was salty, which made me believe that they are trying to hide the poorer quality of the seafood. The second course, the asparagus was drowning in the orange sake vinaigrette. The fifth course, the sockeye salmon was nothing spectacular. The 6th course and the only dish worth noting was the Bulgogi steak, which arrived 3 hours into our meal, by which time we've already lost our appetite; the couple of bites we tried was delicious, I have to say. I find that even mediocre fare could be hyped to sound amazing by a good serving staff. The servers today made you feel like you were in a short-order cafe. Typically, they kept the tempo of the courses and showed enthusiasm about the food that they are serving. This staff was less then enthusiastic about anything. I'm hoping it's because we came on the day after Canada Day and maybe they were under staffed. As for ambiance, to no fault of their own, the neighborhood has gotten very rough around them; so the ambiance was gone before you even arrive at the restaurant. In this situation, they really needed the food and the staff to shine to save the visit Unfortunately, from what I've tasted and seen from today, they've lost IT! Somehow they need to get their groove back or else I don't think that Michelin recommendation will ever come back. Maybe I'm being too critical, and you can do your own review after you try their tasting menu. However, if you insist on trying this restaurant after reading this rave review, then my recommendation is to go a la carte. Better yet, if you really want a good recommendation and an amazing Asian experience for not much more cost, try the tasting menu at Miku. read more

The food, service, and atmosphere were amazing. My partner and I finished our night with their szechuan pepper beigniets and they were...interesting? The desert may not be for everyone but it honestly blew my mind in terms of what food can be. Not only did the flavour have me coming back for seconds but the numbing sensation provided by the Szechuan peppers was really something I've never experienced before. I would definitely recommend this restaurant! Lots of love, Owen read more

What it's like to come here with Canto speakers: Peep1: Let's got to PiDGin Peep2: 咩喺 PiDGin 㗎? P1: It's a restaurant. P2: 喺咩? 唔喺乳鴿咩? P1: No, it's not a bird. Let's just go. P2: 咁點解叫乳鴿㗎? P1: It's just a name, not a squab. P2: 但喺我中意乳鴿喎.... P1: Stop whining you idjiot P2: Idjiot? 第二種乳鴿咩? P1: 咩你個頭!! **Bitch slaps P2** Upon arrival we are greeted to an inviting atmosphere of clean and modern decor. We are seated and menus are passed out. P1: Ready to order? P2: 點解呢個菜單冇乳鴿㗎? 我又唔識睇英文喎.. P1: Your English sounds pidgin. I'll do the ordering. P2: 有英式乳鴿嘅?? 喺唔喺紅燒㗎?? P1: **Bitch slaps P2 again** 8 course tasting menu. Starts off with pickled veggies and continues with a veggy theme until mid meal when the proteins start coming out. I didn't care too much for the veggies, but the proteins were good, specifically the trout and the steak. See my pics. In sum, a bit of a weak start, but finishes strong. Dessert was a matcha green tea parfait. Quite good. 3.5 stars rounded up. There's no roasted squab served here, much to the chagrin of P2, who required bitch slaps. read more

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Wow!! I am utterly impressed by how amazing this place is. Every single thing we ordered was a 5/5. Excellent flavors in each dish! We got the oyster shot, mushrooms appetizer, udon and clams, and the foie Gras rice bowl. Highly recommend ordering any or all of those dishes above. We got a drink that only the locals are aware of and it was deliciously boozey. I already can't wait to come back to Vancouver just to eat here!! read more

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This place is located in the shady area of the town but the place itself is modern and upscale. We got the oyster shooters, wild mushrooms, chicken karage with charcoal gochujang aioli, Lamb, foie gras bowl and chocolate semifredo. We found both the Oyster shooters and the mushrooms just ok, not bad but nothing exceptional. The chicken karage was definitely one of our favourite dishes of the day. The coating was very different to what we have ever had and the charcoal gochujang gave it a very pleasant smokiness. Next the lamb with burdock was absolutely delicious and so was the foie gras. The dessert was just ok. Overall everything was made well and we had a good experience. read more

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Such an underwhelming dining experience. We came here for the prix fixe menu for dinner. We appreciated our server explaining each dish with great detail-- he was clearly passionate about the dishes he curated. However, every single dish was so average. They weren't bad, but they didn't have the "wow" factor that we expect from a prix fixe menu. The presentation of the dishes were not impressive in any way, and I didn't like how the dishes were placed in a shared dish for everything. So for the entirety of the meal, we ate out of one plate (for each dish). Don't get me wrong, I love family style, but dining this way wasn't what I expected when I was going for this 8-course prix fixe menu. Photos are of every dish from the prix fixe menu besides the first dish, which were oyster shooters and picked vegetables. Each plate contains the portion for two (again, I wish they would have just separated the portions so that we could eat out of our own plate). TL;DR-- Underwhelming prix fixe menu. Would not recommend. Extremely pricey meal and definitely expected more for the price we paid (about $160 for two people). read more

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I've eaten here I think 3 times and it's been excellent. Thought they deserved a review. Location is across from Pigeon Park in the 'gritty' section of town but don't let that distract you. I've eaten all over the US and Europe and this is a top tier restaurant. It's kind of a fusion type restaurant I suppose. Very innovative. They have a delicious tasting menu. We had poached halibut with corn and shaved zucchini bamboo shoots and a delicious sauce. I forget the ingredients but it was stellar. Then we had pork belly with rice and it was sublime. Service is attentive but low key and everything was outstanding. This place is running on all cylinders. Worth a visit. They know what they're doing. Highly recommended. read more

We went here to grab a few cocktails. The minute we walked in, we got the biggest whiff of alcohol and we knew we were in the right place!! We went straight to the bar and was greeted by Sam. He was great!! I started off with a cocktail of some sort. I told him to surprise me and to just make it sweet and he did just that. It was so good. It taste like a sweet grapefruit. It was very refreshing. For my second drink I wanted to try one of the cocktail flights on tap and I got the Coconut Negroni. I'm not a major fan of coconut but in this drink, it was just a hint of it so I could handle it. It had a spiced after taste. like a hint of cinnamon. It was strong but good! A shot on tap is about 4.5 CAD (the cheapest drink I've had in Canada by the way lol). The cocktail was about 13 CAD. Aside from the drinks, don't judge a book by it's cover with this restaurant. Walking up to the place it was a bit sketchy and we saw the bars on the outside and almost didn't walk in. The area isn't the best so this is understandable why they have to take extra safety precautions. Nonetheless once you walk in, it's decorated so nicely. It's warm and cozy with dimmed lighting. It was the perfect cocktail setting. read more

PiDGiN - Signature cocktail with grapefruit - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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The reason why I picked this restaurant for dinner coz I found most of the reviews were good and Chef Makoto's creations is awesome! Asian fusion cuisine - cool!! I was wonder is it safe to go there for dinner when we're finding the parking spot on East Hasting!! We saw a group of people were protesting in front of Pidgin. We're happy to support the local development and restaurant industry, that's why we chose Pidgin!! Personally, I'm not against the protestors, why they don't just go get a job to make $$$ for better dinner or life style? If no business, it would be no employment. Come back on the foods and services The interior décor and atmosphere was great but the music was a bit loud. The server was so attentive; she took us to our table right beside the window. She kept smiling when she's talking and introducing the foods/drinks to us. All the foods were served in nice presentation! Sea urchin w/cauliflower mousse ($12) - It should be great idea and matched perfectly. However, the sea urchin wasn't fresh even mixed with smooth of cauliflower mousse. Pan fried scallops w/fried polenta ($17) - Fantastic!! I loved it, the quality and taste was superb. Pork belly bowl rice w/kimchi and quail egg ($12) - Fatty pork belly in rice, so filling. Pork belly was slow cooked for a while and texture so soft, of coz, it's quite delicious Steak Samm ($26) - Real fusion dish steak lettuce wrap with kimchi and sprouts. Half Duck ($29) - Roast slow cooked duck was tasty. As a Chinese, $29 for 1/2 duck just a bit too expensive. Dark chocolate mousse w/matcha cream sauce - Fabulous dessert!! When I scooped in it, the green tea sauce flowing into the bottom. It made each scooped mixed w/green tea cream sauce and chocolate mousse. Overall, the price is on parable for the quality of the food and worth to try. read more

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The drinks were good. The service was attentive. The portions were surprisingly small considering they recommended "sharing size". The delicata squash dish was overpriced and underwhelming, and could be passed for a deli counter salad purchase. The scallops (3 small ones for $29) was tasty, but too small for the price. The red wine risotto was a good size but the flavors simply did not work. Ultimately, this restaurant was overpriced and the dishes did not deliver. read more

My excitement for trying PiDGiN stemmed from the well curated tasting menu & reasonable price. The meal was by no means poor, however it did not leave a dent in my "memories" The Tuna Tartare was pretty decent, although a bit over slated. The rabbit and guinea fowl terrine honestly tasted like a can of tuna that was nicely presented. I would have added something to cut through the excess mayo (more radish or even a fruit currant) The maitake mushroom was hands down the start dish, and it was superbly executed. What a delicious snack. Bravo. The Lamb beat the Halibut and was very well prepared. Nice overall dish profile. They ended it with a bang, chocolate cake, vanilla mousse, yuzu curd. 10/10. I could eat that every day and be happy. It was a good experience paired with great service. The food sadly just didn't shine. read more

When you walk in, it is very romantic and dark when you sit down they give you immediate service and give you your menus. The three favorite dishes of mine were the Korean bbq wings because of the amazing balance of meatiness and spiciness. Next, my second favorite dish was the spring risotto given the fact me and my brother were scooping every last drop of risotto sauce. Then, the rice cake with bolognese was my third favorite because of the amazing spiciness of the rice cake which I love. In summary, this restaurant, Pidgin is the perfect place for romance and bringing your date or a group of adults and all the wonderful dishes are perfect for groups and a date and you. read more

beware of long review ahead (lol). also, of note, chopsticks and bowls are used - so if you cant use chopsticks make sure to ask for forks! cute, classy and hipster asian french fusion restaurant tucked away in vancouver. this was my christmas dinner get-together thing with my cowrker S before she left the office for temp position elsewhere. we were running a bit late (lol) and the restaurant was super nice in accommodating us - they basically changed my reserv to 6:15pm when i had it booked for 6pm. made it there early at 6:11pm - to the restaurant's surprise. we were seated right away in a high bar table but with comfy chairs. the tables were basically right next to the bar. it's a nice and cozy place - not too loud and not too quiet. only bad thing abt being close to the bar was that the bar stools made a high-pitched squeaky - think nails on chalkboard - sound whenever someone dragged their stool out to get up. aside from that, the table was great. sierra - LOVE HER - was the highlight of the whole night...aside from the food lol. actually there was someone that i didn't catch the name of but he was hilarious as well. i was getting a bit tipsy and was hand-talking with my hands in the air; he thought i was calling him but then he was jokingly going - are you asking for me or is this part of the story? loved it. back to sierra, who was our waitress for the night - she was great at explaining the menu, dishes and drinks. she also didn't do the awk mid-bite "how's everything tasting" check! she came around at the right moments to clear dishes and cups, and asked if we needed anything else. now onto the main part - FOOD AND DRINKS! we got there before happy hour ended **their hour ends at 6:30pm!** and ordered some drinks. S had a glass of pinot noir that she loved so much that she ordered a 2nd glass at reg price. i had a sip of said pinot noir - it was a very smooth red and light taste. likewise, i loved my pidginade - it was a perfect balance of vodka, lemonade and syrup. not too sweet but tangy enough - i ordered a 2nd glass even tho it wasn't on the menu lol. sierra made it happen! we ordered 4 dishes - daily special, 2 appies/bites and 1 main to share. the daily special for the day - scallops with foie gras in duck confit broth with quince and chestnuts. the scallops were seared perfectly and wasn't overdone. both S and i LOVED the broth - we wanted to drink it but there wasn't rly enough in the bowl lol. the quince helped cut the fat of the foie gras but both of us felt the foie gras was too...heavy for the dish. the chestnut absorbed all the loveliness of the broth so that was yums for me even tho i'm not a big chestnut person. bite 1 was chicken karaage - astonishingly good. i rly liked the mayo on top of it. the only thing was i didn't rly like the batter on the chicken - it felt too doughy and tough. it was sort of soggy tbh but idk if that was because of the mayo/sauce on top of it. bite 2 was the cultivated mushrooms with yuzu brown butter and ramen egg. S was confused abt the ramen egg so i told her it's basically the egg you have with ramen lol. THIS DISH WAS AMAZINGGGGGG. i loved the yuzu brown butter drizzled on top - a nice, rich butter flavour but not too overpowering. the server that dropped the dish off advised to dip the mushrooms into the yolk of the egg until it's all done. the creaminess of the egg yolk adds a whole different level of taste and texture for the mushrooms. S and i both loved this dish - best choice ever lol. the main we ordered was the pork belly rice bowl. the pork belly was super tender as S was the one that tore everything up and mixed it all together. the asian pear kimchi and bamboo shoot added a nice crunch to the rice. the quail egg....it didn't do much and i felt like a normal egg would have sufficed but i know that quail eggs are more flavourful. i love my quail eggs lol. we didn't have dessert there because we wanted soft peaks ice-cream lol. sierra and everyone else in the restaurant created such a nice aura and experience for the whole dinner. i clearly had a nice time because look at the length of my review lol. read more

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The overall experience was underwhelming. Although the service was friendly and we got seated at a good spot, the food and its portions were low compared to the price. Served as family style, me and my friend shared all the food. However, the portions were quite small. The beet salad was okay. It was interesting, but lacked consistency. They gave us more portions of beets than the sauce and crispy bits (idk what it's called) that it was supposed to go with. Then came the terrine and foie gras with beef tendon (not pictured). That was the only dish I liked. However, the foie gras wasn't very good quality as it breaks apart easily. The beef tendon is very crispy, reminds me of pork skin! The third dish, the ricotta, was basically fish on top of cabbage. This dish was mediocre at best. Our okonomiyaki was delicious. However, it tasted like any other Korean or Japanese pancake with mayo and sauce. The addition of caviar did make the meal richer. Last but not least, out skirt steak and foie gras addition, I must say, is the most disappointing dish of all. The steak is very chewy and thickly cut, so it was hard to chew. It was also quite bitter. The sauce is abundant, although the kimchi and salad wrap portion was very small! That was the whole point of this dish!!!! The foie gras was good portion (but for $25....not worth). It was extremely oily, but does work well with the steak. Our dessert was a pleasant change from all the dishes, but keep in mind, all these portions are for 2! They advertised the portion to be "generous" but I disagree. read more

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Wonderful experience at the Chef's table - highly recommend! Good and service were superb.

Dine out Vancouver brought me to this spot. The ambiance is vibrant, service was ok, and the place was packed. However, it was so loud, it was really hard to hear what the servers were saying and maintain an undistracted conversation. Often, I wasn't quite sure what I was eating had it not been for keeping an extra menu with us. Anyways, in addition to the Dine out Vancouver preset menu, I also got a flight of sake to go with my meal. However, for $15, I was expecting to receive more than a sip of each. They were nice flavor profiles, but I personally think a cocktail would be a better value and way to go. The best dish of this entire experience was the first one. Grilled bread with some nori purée, ramen egg, and taramasalata. Eaten together this was pretty tasty. Blistered green beans with almonds and salmon roe: The beans were nice, but the roe in this dish was waaaaay too fishy ... Kind of tasted like the smell of old roe used for fishing so we finished the beans, but left the roe. Cauliflower with uni: Strange to say, but this was my first taste of uni. My friend who came with me loves it though and she just could not bring herself to eat much of it - she actually had to wash her small taste down with a few glasses of water. I don't have anything to compare it to, but felt the texture was a little odd and flavor tasted off, at least to me .. All that to say, we finished the cauliflower, but sadly left the uni. I know... An expensive leave huh? Sigh. Grilled squid with fennel kimchi and blood sausage paste was a bit too salty for my taste and didn't have any distinctive flavor besides that to make anything else stand out. The steak with smoked beet and miso gorgonzola was very good. The meat was a little more well done then we would have liked, but it was still tender and cooked relatively medium rare. Flavor was nice and miso gorgonzola was an interesting combination. For dessert, we both felt the chocolate mousse with fennel gelee was very strange. It came with a few grains of oatmeal and a sprig of something... but we just didn't care for this either. All in all, I was bummed that I didn't like the food here. I was really looking forward to it, especially because of all the great yelp and friend reviews, but in the end, it just felt like this attempt at "fusion" was more confusion than my taste buds could handle at least this time. read more

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Had dinner here tonight, did the tasting menu and was blown away by the food. Definitely a Michelin star quality of food but a much more fun and laid back atmosphere than you would normally find in Michelin restaurants. Prices are way more reasonable as well, staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. Drinks were great and affordable. Shout out to Harrison, he did a great job. Thanks from Oregon! read more

Haven't done Dine Out in years and decided to give it another try with PiDGin, boy is it amazing. The Ramen Egg is so tasty and the tuna tartare with uni? Loved every dish. It is a family style even with 2 people, but it just means you get to try everything on the Dine Out menu. 3 appetizers, 2 entrees and 1 dessert. You can add fois gras or truffle. I added the BC uni to the tune tartare and it makes it that much better. The staff are very friendly, service was great. Could this be one of my favourite new restaurant? read more

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Came here for dine out Vancouver, I didn't know what to expect when coming here, but I did not expect it to be all sharing plates. At first I was fine with it, but as the food came out, it was good but the portion sizes were very small for two people to share. I was still hungry after the 5 course meal because it was so small. Not sure if I'd consider coming back here. read more

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We went to Pidgin on a Friday night and were able to get a table right away. Ambiance: Quiet, good lighting and pretty decor inside. Music was fantastic too. They played old school hip hop which cut the pretentious side of a fine dining type of restaurant and was pretty relaxing for a date. The place is in the heart of gastown and fits with the vibe of all restaurants so it was fun trying this place out. Service: Waitress was quick to explain the somewhat overly complicated menu. The food came out pretty quickly and each dish was brought out by someone different who gave us a detailed explanation of what it was. Food: We got the daily ceviche, spring salad, cultivated mushrooms (recommended by other yelpers) and the daily fish which was butterfish. Ceviche was good, but the spring salad that had the soy maple salmon was too salty. Cultivated mushroom was super buttery and the squash puree was delicious The best dish of the night was the daily fish which was a grilled butterfish with scallop and beans(?) On the side. They had a long drink menu but we ended up only getting the wine. Giving it a 3 or a 3.5/5 because the price didn't justify the quality of all the dishes. read more

PiDGiN - Ceviche - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Incredible restaurant in Gastown! I went last night with my boyfriend and we enjoyed some sake, and some great food. Our favorite was the wagyu steak dish. The service is always great and they will make sure you order the right combination of food. We happened to leave something behind at our table and the called us to grab it right away. We met the owner and he was great.l!! I highly suggest this place to anyone who wants good food that is safe right now. They had tons of sanitation stations and distance between patrons. 10/10 will return!! read more

- BOTTOM LINE: Loved this place! We had trouble choosing our dishes so we went for the tasting menu. It came with more than enough food, and they seemed obliging for any specific dishes you wanted included or any dietary restrictions. We enjoyed the fusion element of the menu. It was a fantastic balance of interesting and familiar flavors. - THE SPACE: Pretty and spacious. The kitchen is open and there are booths, a bar, and smaller tables for all kinds of parties. Seems like a nice place for dates. - THE FOOD: Our favorites included: 1) Mushroom with yuzu orange and squash purée - So. Good. So. Simple. Perfectly cooked and balanced so well with the bright fruit notes. 2) Beef striploin - perfectly cooked steak. The gojuchang was very present. 3) Honey roasted veggies - the tahini sauce was wonderful. We learned quickly this place does simple things like mushrooms SO WELL. This meal was one of our favorites in Vancouver. read more

PiDGiN - Sweet buns with condensed milk (Re-uploading because it wasn't attaching to my review!) - Japanese Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Tried the summer tasting menu, and was underwhelmed. Perhaps my expectations were too high for this place, and it just didn't live up to it. This restaurant has an interesting shared tasting menu concept at for CAD 65 per person. We were able to finish the meal in about two hours. My favorite items were the oyster shooters and the sautéed mushrooms (with squash puree, yuzu brown butter, and ramen egg). The ramen egg was cooked perfectly, and the yolk provided a really nice dipping medium for the mushroom. I also liked the slight char/wok fire taste on the mushroom. There were 7 courses total -- a pickled starter dish, a salad, a squash dish, the mushroom dish, two proteins, and a dessert. The two proteins of the night were a poached halibut and seared duck. The halibut was a bit too meaty for my taste, and I wish the skin on the duck were crispier. There was also a missed opportunity to make the bok choy vegetables more vibrant. The dessert was pretty interesting, which was summer berries over some pound cake dusted with dehydrated raspberry. I guess that you get what you pay for, and while there were several courses, the quality of each course was somewhat lacking. I felt like I could have probably cooked some of the dishes, although the different puree sauces were a nice touch. Still, most of the dishes seemed pretty amateur -- like a slightly more refined home cooking. The ambiance was really nice though, and I liked the interior decoration of the restaurant. They have a really nice bar, and the cocktails could be really good. They also have a happy hour menu, which is nice. I like that there's a little something for everyone here -- from snacks to drinks to a tasting menu. read more

I honestly never would have came here had it not been for Dine Out, as it's a fine dining restaurant, meaning that a) it's expensive and b) small portions. This was a very last minute decision, as I originally planned on going to Timber (I will still go there, probably on Tuesday), but I randomly came across this place on Instagram this morning and I was like I'm changing my plans. So, yes, I will argue that destiny led me to try this place out. Honestly the food was so unbelievably amazing, I almost licked thee plate clean (obviously, I didn't, but I did use my spoon to clean up all the sauces). I only have two minor complaints, and it's that the place is located in a shady area (we had to walk through a group of people smoking weed to get here), and that the food came out way too quick so I felt like we were being rushed. Obviously portions were small, but I expected it so I planned a dessert stop at Mello afterwards (just posted review). The ambience was nice, and the servers were friendly. As we were a party of four we went with one omnivore and one herbivore set menu, giving a total of 12 courses. The bill came to $189 for for before tip, which is kind of pricey, but to me it was worth it. Tuna tartare (4.5/5) This ties for my second favourite of the night along with the beet tartare. The sauce was perfect, and not too overwhelming, so you could still taste the tuna. The lotus crisps were so delicious, and god I wish there was more ! Beet tartare (4.5/5) This ties for my second favourite of the night along with the tuna tartare. This was so incredibly unique, and the sauce was amazing. It went perfectly with the lotus crisps, which I literally could not get enough of. Brussel sprouts (5/5) This was my favourite of the night ! The miso sauce was so so good, and I literally did not leave any sauce behind. The brown butter crumble on top was absolutely sinful ! All the flavours went together perfectly, and I could literally eat this all day. Mushrooms and egg (4/5) We all went for the ramen egg as soon as the dish landed on our table. The egg was delicious, and I loved the creaminess of the celeriac puree. The mushrooms were a bit too salty, however. Seafood dashi (4.5/5) This was my dad's favourite dish of the night. We all devoured this, broth and all. The mashed potatoes were creamy and light, and the fish was super tender. Everything was cooked perfectly, and the broth was super flavourful. Vegetable oden (4/5) This was very light and refreshing. Everything tasted super fresh, and my parents really liked the tofu. The broth was a little salty, however, and we all though that the seafood broth was much better. Duck breast (3.5/5) I didn't try the duck, but it was pretty decent, according to my family. I tried a bit of the turnip cake but I thought it was meh. Overall, not bad, but it wasn't the best dish of the night. Sunchoke risotto (3.5/5) This was one of the better risottos that I've had, even though I'm not a big fan of risotto and thus haven't had many in my lifetime. I've never had sunchoke before, and literally had to Google it when the dish got here. It was so good though! It kind of reminds me of a cross between a potato and cassava. The crispy garlic on top added a nice crunch, giving the dish more depth. Yuzu creme brulee (3/5) My mom was the only one who enjoyed this, as my dad said it tasted too sour and my brother and I hate yuzu. The brussel sprouts and the tartares were my favourites. I love the food, and I want to say that I will be back, but I'm not sure if I could afford eating here :(( Maybe for a special occasion? I would definitely have to have proper dinner at another restaurant afterwards. I would say you definitely have to try this place out at least once though. read more

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