meat and bread

Once again I was out wandering in the more unsavory areas of downtown, lured by the promise of excellent food. Okay, it was actually a few months back that I went to Meat and Bread. You know I realized? I hear of all these great eateries by reading the food section in Vancouver Sun... quite good for discovering new hip places to eat.  So anyway, Meat and Bread is located right next to Victory Square and it's a really hip young place. Ever since the new Woodwards building finished, a lot of new hipster, off-the-beaten-track places have opened up. There are a lot of little boutiques, tattoo places, bistros and such. 

(Je regrette, I took these quick photos before the notion of a food blog entered my awareness...please try to see past the blurriness.)

The decor is very simple and has a feeling like you're in a butcher shop with the clean white tiles and the long wooden tables, and all the knives stuck to magnetic bars on the wall.  The people behind the counter are anything but butchers. They are young, hipster types with the ugly-chic frameless glasses, tight jeans and vests over tees. I felt so formal in my work duds.

Their signature sandwich is the porchetta sandwich which is pork tenderloin rolled up with some herbs in the center, and covered with a perfectly fat to meat balance of crispy skin. If you've ever had Chinese roast pork then you'll get the idea...but this is more like deluxe roast pork with top quality meat and skin. They cut up the pork right in front of you and make a bunch of sandwiches at the same time. The line was out the door at about 1pm but it moved fairly quickly and we only waited about 10-15 minutes before getting our sandwiches and a seat.

The porchetta is served on these funny little rectangles of bread. It's nothing really to take notice of, the porchetta is the obvious star. 

Served open, with a little round of mustard to cut the blandness, the porchetta teeters on a light spread of verde sauce which is a blend of different herbs. The sandwich is a little bit of a messy eat, with bits of pork falling out at random moments. However, it's nothing a few napkins can't handle. It's definitely not a eat-often sandwich with all that fat but it's definitely a must-try. Oh, and the sandwich is served on a little wooden platter reminiscent of a mini cutting board. Adds to the experience for sure! The sandwich itself was good but it wasn't amazing. I'd go back and give the other menu items a chance though. 

I had taken some other pictures but alas, I deleted them before uploading by mistake. I guess I'll just have to go back and try the other selections which included a BBQ chicken sandwich (which is one of the daily features -- I am told), grilled cheese (am I imagining things now?)... okay it's been 2-3 months. I cannot remember. I will revisit and update this post! 

If you should like to visit yourself:

Meat and Bread

370 Cambie Street (near W. Hastings St)

Mon-Sat 11am-5pm

http://www.meatandbread.ca/

P.S.

Today I saw a review in the Sun about my new favorite boulangerie, Faubourg. Post to come. I'm just waiting to go back and take some decent pictures that will do justice to the place <3