Hog Shack
I visited Hog Shack in Steveston for the first time last week with Janice. After a quick lunch there, I had a cupcake for dessert at Bell's Bake Shop and also picked up some mini donuts to bring home from Outpost Mini Donut Co. Check out my posts on those 2 stores if you're looking for sweet treats in Steveston.
Janice recommended the lunch special menu with all dishes priced at $9.95. There were only 2 categories: burgers/sandwiches and pasta. I wasn't in the mood for burgers/sandwiches, so I chose the Fantasia which was penne pasta served with tiger prawns and shrimp in tomato sauce. It was a mistake to order pasta at a BBQ restaurant. It didn't taste bad, but it was boring and anticlimactic. Janice ordered the pulled pork sandwich and kindly offered me a bite. I instantly regretted not getting that instead and resolved to order a pulled pork dish on my next visit.
I went back to Hog Shack again last night and decided to try some BBQ meat this time. After all, the place is a BBQ cookhouse. And of course I remembered my resolve to order a pulled pork dish. The pulled pork pancakes ($13) are a must-try! When this scrumptious-looking appetizer arrived at our table, several other customers in the vicinity craned their necks for a better look and asked us what the name of the dish was. It was a stack of 3 corn and scallion pancakes with 2 mounds of moist and tender pulled pork sandwiched between them. A creamy blob of butter and bits of savoury burnt meat decorated the dish along with a delicately sweet bacon-infused maple syrup. It was the perfect combination of sweet and savoury flavours.
We debated between baby back ribs and St. Louis style side ribs, but we ultimately settled on baby back ribs (full rack: $24) because we wanted a leaner cut. The meat was average by normal standards, and slightly below average for a BBQ restaurant. The sauce was tangy and creamy, but the pork itself had a rather dry and stringy texture. One end of the rack, in particular, was somewhat burnt and the overcooked meat was extremely tough. It was nothing like the tender and juicy flesh I had envisioned. But at least the portion size was big and there was enough food for 2 people to share, especially since the dish also came with 2 small sides. We opted for sauteed vegetables (recommended by Kirby) and Spanish rice pilaf. The veggies were quite tasty as they were lightly seasoned, and the rice was fluffy and mildly spiced. We should have gotten a double order of veggies though, because we really needed them to balance out the meat.
I think part of the reason the place is so popular is the large selection of craft beers on tap. A very detailed beer menu lists the types of beers available including information such as the colour gradient and the level of hops. I wasn't particularly impressed with the BBQ ribs, but I'd be interested in trying some of those beers.
Janice recommended the lunch special menu with all dishes priced at $9.95. There were only 2 categories: burgers/sandwiches and pasta. I wasn't in the mood for burgers/sandwiches, so I chose the Fantasia which was penne pasta served with tiger prawns and shrimp in tomato sauce. It was a mistake to order pasta at a BBQ restaurant. It didn't taste bad, but it was boring and anticlimactic. Janice ordered the pulled pork sandwich and kindly offered me a bite. I instantly regretted not getting that instead and resolved to order a pulled pork dish on my next visit.
I went back to Hog Shack again last night and decided to try some BBQ meat this time. After all, the place is a BBQ cookhouse. And of course I remembered my resolve to order a pulled pork dish. The pulled pork pancakes ($13) are a must-try! When this scrumptious-looking appetizer arrived at our table, several other customers in the vicinity craned their necks for a better look and asked us what the name of the dish was. It was a stack of 3 corn and scallion pancakes with 2 mounds of moist and tender pulled pork sandwiched between them. A creamy blob of butter and bits of savoury burnt meat decorated the dish along with a delicately sweet bacon-infused maple syrup. It was the perfect combination of sweet and savoury flavours.
We debated between baby back ribs and St. Louis style side ribs, but we ultimately settled on baby back ribs (full rack: $24) because we wanted a leaner cut. The meat was average by normal standards, and slightly below average for a BBQ restaurant. The sauce was tangy and creamy, but the pork itself had a rather dry and stringy texture. One end of the rack, in particular, was somewhat burnt and the overcooked meat was extremely tough. It was nothing like the tender and juicy flesh I had envisioned. But at least the portion size was big and there was enough food for 2 people to share, especially since the dish also came with 2 small sides. We opted for sauteed vegetables (recommended by Kirby) and Spanish rice pilaf. The veggies were quite tasty as they were lightly seasoned, and the rice was fluffy and mildly spiced. We should have gotten a double order of veggies though, because we really needed them to balance out the meat.
I think part of the reason the place is so popular is the large selection of craft beers on tap. A very detailed beer menu lists the types of beers available including information such as the colour gradient and the level of hops. I wasn't particularly impressed with the BBQ ribs, but I'd be interested in trying some of those beers.
Your pulled pork pancakes look a-mazing... O.O And haha you didn't end up getting the two portions of vegetables even though you said you would last time! :P
ReplyDelete@Kirby: Well I expected the sides to be a bit bigger for some reason... And I thought it would be better to have some rice to go with the meat. But the rice was quite salty and just added onto the heaviness.
ReplyDeleteYou have to try the pulled pork pancakes if you go there again. I think you'll love it since you're a fan of the whole sweet/savoury thing.