Save-On Meats - Vancouver, BC

The famous neon-pink pig of this Vancouver landmark.

It's been featured on Anthony Bourdain's No Resevations, Diner's Drive Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri, Gastown Gamble on the Oprah Network, The Georgia Straight Newspaper and many more newspapers and websites. It is the diner to end all diners in the Vancouver area for the great story that's behind this Vancouver institution. Save-On was closed for nearly two years as the former owners could not find anyone to carry on their butchershop/sandwich counter but was resurrected in the summer of 2011 by restaurateur Mark Brand. Save-On Version 2.0 features a complete face lift, self-powered rooftop greenhouse, basement herb garden and community employment programs. What has this resulted in?




Old-school style retro diner frequented by a myriad of patrons - hipsters, rough-edged locals, old timers, police officers and more.

And how is the food? Well...


Cup of Tomato Soup and Biscuit - $3
Yeah, you read that right, it's $3 AND its delicious. None of that processed Campbell's crap here. Rich and tomato-y, I slurped this one up before I even got to the biscuit. Once in a while, your teeth will even catch a bit of that tomato seed and its a nice reminder that this is pure unadulterated tomato soup. The biscuit is equally as good - warm and a bit more dense than other biscuits I've had, its nice flavor comes from some fresh tasting rosemary and flecks of cheese. Forget the crackas and go for the biscuit!



The Save-On-Meats Burger - $6
The meat is a mix of chuck and flank steak and ground next door. The result? A perfectly slightly-pink-in-the-middle burger that tastes like what a burger should and at $6, it's a steal! Most of the patrons were noshing on the burger and I can see why. However, most plates were filled with salad as the fries, although fresh chipped, tasted like the McCain frozen variety. The piglets' tip? Skip the fries, go for the salad, mash or slaw and save yourself the heartache of eating a soggy starchy limp disappointment.


The fried chicken? The complete opposite of the soggy fry! It was crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside and with that gravy.... *drool*. The mash was a little runnier than I've had before but it was a good compliment to the chicken. Peas and carrots were surprisingly good as I expected just a mush of something reminiscent of a vegetable but they were still crunchy and tasted like what peas and carrots are supposed to. At $11, it was completely worth it but disappointing when Mr. Piglet wanted to trade and ended up finishing my dish before I could stop him! Someone owes me some fried chicken...


Good ole root beer float with vanilla ice cream. Haven't had one of these in years...


I liked the tomato soup and biscuit so much, I took one to go for lunch the next day. It's only $3!!! And it tasted pretty much the same despite having to be reheated! Y-U-M.

I know it's in a shifty neighborhood and it looks dubious from the outside but don't knock it till you try it. For less than $20, a couple can eat and eat well! Try it and let me know what you think! Oink oink!!

Save On Meats:

43 Hastings St W, Vancouver, BC - 604-569-3568

Www.saveonmeats.ca

Side note: to make a GOOD fresh french fry, the potatoes have to be the starchy kind so go for the good ol' Russett variety. The potatoes have to be cut the night before, soaked overnight in water (to leach out the excess starch) and then drained earlier in the day. They are then fried once to cook the inside but without adding much color to the fry. Right before serving, fry them again at a high temperature to give it that nice golden brown color.