Having fully enjoyed our first visit, we were back at Gastronomy tonight for part two. We knew what we liked, so would order more of that, as well as try a few more of their creative pizzas that we were eyeing the first time around, but were not able to get to back then.
The dim lights and casual vibe of the restaurant serves as a great date night hotspot. Especially given the comprehensive cocktail list and a fulsome menu that includes elevated favourites like oysters and beef tartare, alongside more budget, friendly pizzas and pastas. A little bit of everything the covers many for most.
We began with a couple of glasses of wine wine to set the mood, knowing we would pair it with seafood. Their easy drinking house white was the Santa Cristina Pinot Grigio from Toscana.
We had to revisit their Crazy oysters, raw oysters served in the half shell with tomato water aqua pazza, pickled chilli, confit garlic, and lemon aioli. You get the enjoyment of eating raw oysters that are already dressed, like how you would normally have to do for yourself. However, this batch was slightly different than what we remembered. The oysters themselves were creamy and sweet, whereas the seasonings included spice and heat from the jalapeños and tang from Tabasco.
I’ve said it once and will continue to stay here. I love brussels sprouts, so I definitely wanted to give Gastronomy’s take on them a try. Not the trendy deep-fried version, but a warm a Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad with a chilli crunch, sherry and ginger vinaigrette, citrus segments, toasted hempseed, and fresh mint. Given the dressing there are bits and parts that were soggy, whereas majority of the mix was crunchy and crispy. The dressing had layers and levels to it between the sweet balsamic, brightening citrus, and the chilli heat; this was an adventure.
For the name alone, I had to try the “Ball so hard” pizza with wild boar meatballs, mozzarella, pomodoro sauce, and more Chinese chilli crunch. Although in retrospect given the name, I expected a lot more balls. I basically envisioned a polka dot pizza with a variety of different sized balls. Taste-wise it was good, like a meatier and saltier margarita pizza. It had a gentle and sweet marinara sauce over a charred and airy pizza crust, and included the use of mozzarella cheese and basil. If I didn’t know, I would not be able to tell that the meatballs were wild boar. The standout ingredient was the Chinese style, salty and spicy chilli mix, that heightened the flavours of everything else surrounding it.
I liked the idea of a black sauce pizza, so wanted to try the Smoke and Mirrors with a charcoal cream sauce, fior di latte, double smoked bacon, shaved brussels sprouts, and toasted pistachio. Outside of the colour you couldn’t really tell this was charcoal and I almost would’ve preferred squid ink instead, for a bolder hue and a saltier and fishier taste. The extra preparation to smoke, toast, and roast definitely came through and gave the pizza so much depth and richness. And the combination between the fresh Brussel sprout leaves, chewy and salty bacon, plus crunchy toasted nuts offered much textual ingterest. Although I still could’ve done with a tangy element, easily achieved with a pesto or dill-based cream sauce. Its herbaceous brightness would’ve been a nice contrast for the above-mentioned toppings.
However, thanks to their bottle of self serve, house made chilli garlic oil, anything we felt needed a little more umph was easily remedied. We fully appreciated how attentive our server was, warning us that the bottle do not have a poor spout, so it does come out quick.
Overall another great multi-course meal at Gastronomy, and at this point, we expect no less. For delicious and unique thin crust pizzas, from one of the only wood burning oven in the city, I would recommend no other.
Gastronomy Gastown
62 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 4G8, Canada
gastronomygastown.com
