With a location in Yaletown and a location in Gastown, The Flying Pig is one of the few restaurants not participating in Dine Out Vancouver this year but it’s well worth a visit if you enjoy high quality comfort food.

I visited Flying Pig at their Yaletown location with my husband and brother-in-law on a Sunday night just after their appy hour (they have appy hour from 4-6 pm). A reservation is recommended, because the place was packed when we arrived. I also recall walking by around lunch time or dinner time other evenings and they always seem full. A good sign for any foodie!

Even though they were very busy, they were able to squish us in and our waitress quickly served us some warm, soft, french bread with olive oil and balsamic while we scanned their menu. Yum; I love warm bread on a chilly evening.

We decided to start off with the meat and cheese board ($7 per person). This particular night, they were serving brie, blue cheese, bocconcini, olives and various cured meats. It was good to nibble on while we decided on dinner.

(Side rant: I really don’t know what I am expecting when I order artisan meat and cheese boards in Vancouver but I always find myself underwhelmed. I guess I am always praying for some amazing/change my life artisan cheeses and local cured meats, but I have yet to experience this. So, if you know a restaurant that is serving an out of the park meat and cheese selection, please let me know).

At any rate, end of rant and back to The Flying Pig. After looking through the menu, my brother in law decided to order the Pan Seared Alaskan Sablefish with yukon gold potato gnocchi Provencal at $27, while my husband ordered the Red Wine Braised Beef Short Rib with roasted bone marrow, aged white cheddar mash for $21. I ordered the mussel and clam special with the match stick fries and if my aging memory serves me correct, it was about $16. Because I have a lover affair with brussels sprouts, we also ordered a side of crispy brussels sprouts for $6.

The entrees were delicious. Out of the three dishes, I would say the beef short rib was the stand out. I LOVE bone marrow, so my husband pretty much just gave the entire thing . It was gone in no time. I also stole quite a bit of short rib from my very understanding husband. The short rib itself was flavourful, tender and fell apart easily. I didn’t have any of the mash potatoes, but it looked like it was filled with cheesy goodness (when you steal half of a man’s beef short rib, you just don’t mess with his mash potatoes).

I was also lucky enough to try some of my brother-in-law’s sablefish. The trouble with sablefish is that it can be easily over cooked because of its delicate texture. The sablefish here was expertly prepared; it was buttery and just dissolved into a pool of awesome once it hit my mouth. Well done, Flying Pig!

My mussels and clams were fantastic as well. The mussels were plump and juicy and the broth was flavourful. But hands down, I wish I ordered the beef short rib!

The three of us also shared the crispy brussels sprouts. They were lemony and cheesy and I could have easily inhaled an order all to myself. While we didn’t try it this time around, I am also told their bone marrow cheezy bread is quite delicious and a must try if you are looking for extra side dishes. Having said that, most of the entrees at The Flying Pig are large enough not to need extra sides.