Pigeonhole is Model Milk’s twin sister with an eclectic twist towards small shareable plates. They’ve made quite a name for themselves (ranked #16 on Canada’s 2016 100 Best Restaurants) already despite only being open for a year.
The entrance isn’t where you’d expect it to be but that’s part of the charm.
Love the charcoal coloured exposed brick and vintage sign.
Follow that arrow from the sign pointing you in the right direction.
The patio out front looked like a great place to sit for couples or if you wanted to people watch the night away.
The menu is a one pager and split into vegetables, meat, seafood, seasonal, caviar, cheese and sweets.
The space is absolutely gorgeous. Elegant, cozy, modern and intimate.
Cheese spread is out on full display when you sit at the counter/bar area.
Love the wide open kitchen concept. We were seated right in front of all the action. Gotta love the Model Milk hats (represent wha what!).
Service is excellent and our waitress was able to walk through the full menu with my sis to make sure everything was good for her to eat.
French 75 ($14.50)
This is off the menu but the waitress helped O pick out a cocktail he would like based on his drinking preferences. Made from Cognac/gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice. Smelled heavenly.
BC cherries ($12.00)
Miso, baby turnips and mint. Started things off with cherries (my fav!) – this dish was refreshing and well balanced.
Clams casino ($4.00)
‘Nduja, which is spicy, spreadable Italian cured pork salume. These were $4.00 each. Honestly, I don’t think remember trying them.
Ricotta dumplings ($16.00)
Tomato, basil and parmesan. The ricotta dumplings were soft, pillowy bites with a great mushroom sauce that would go well with any pasta.
Fresh oysters ($20.00 for 1/2 dozen)
Traditional garnishes. The oysters were Beausoleil from New Brunswick and came with a strawberry black pepper mignonette. Sweet, fresh, succulent. I could easily have ate half a dozen myself. Pretty sure my sister did (we got two orders for our table).
Smashed cucumbers ($11.00)
Rhubarb, almond and chevre. I’m not a huge fan of cucumbers but the combination of flavours was definitely unique. Sauce tasted like labneh and the nuts on top added another crunchy element.
Zucchini ($13.00)
Crispy shallots, cilantro and spot prawns. In case you couldn’t tell already, portion sizes are on the small side of things. Just one or two bites if you’re sharing so keep that in mind. That being said, the zucchini was pretty tasty.
Heritage angus steak ($26.00)
Roasted shallot aioli and tomato jam. The steak was expertly cooked to a perfect medium rare. Just beautiful.
Grilled duck leg ($18.00)
Coconut, peanut and Thai basil. The duck had a different twist to it, seemed like they were attempting to give it a bit of Asian flair.
Lamb breast ($15.00)
Mint, cress and apricot. Again, they know how to cook their meats here although I was looking for more gaminess flavour in the lamb.
Stuffed mountain view chicken ($29.00)
Maitake mushroom, grilled kale and mustard jus. The chicken was tender, moist and the mustard jus was additively good. Just wish they added more mushroom and kale to the plate.
Cheese platter ($35.00 for five cheeses)
Served with traditional garnishes and house-made preserves. I can’t remember what each cheese was but one of them had been voted #1 in the world recently. I wasn’t a fan of the cheddar type one but the rest were unique in texture and taste. The house-made preserves were SO good.
Strawberries and cream ($8.00)
Olive oil cake and pink peppercorn. I didn’t get to try a bite (O doesn’t share his sweets) but the milk crumble on top made for interesting presentation. Not so much taste wise according to O but the fresh fruit hidden beneath was good.
Cute old school matchsticks come with your bill. Flavours, presentation, and service – Pigeonhole has it all covered. We had a great meal here but my only complaint here would be the portion sizes. Besides that, it’s a great addition to 17th Ave’s burgeoning restaurant scene.
Pigeonhole
http://pigeonholeyyc.ca/
306 – 17 Ave SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 452-4694
CHERRY BOB-OMBS 