Ever since I had brunch at Cucina in Calgary I needed to go back for more. And while I haven't had the chance to return, something different has come on my radar. Recently two of the chefs who worked at Cucina, John Michael MacNeil and Alison Bieber, co-opened a brand new restaurant (and got married!). For me that meant saying "bye bye" to Cucina and heading to Black Pig Bistro on my next trip to Calgary.

Black Pig Bistro - 825 1st Avenue NE - Calgary AB

Black Pig Bistro gets its name from the Black Iberian Pig, native to Spain and Portugal. The restaurant opened earlier this year in the Bridgeland area of Calgary and has even been nominated to win the title of Enroute Magazine's 2014 People's Choice Award for Best New Restaurant. With the opportunity to drop by on the way to Banff, you bet I convinced my boyfriend to stop for lunch!

We arrived late on a Saturday afternoon to a quiet restaurant and were seated right away. As we walked to our table I eyed the Jamon Iberico behind the bar and immediately fell in love with the decor. The light teal, white, and black contrasted against one another is one of my favourite colour combinations, and happens to be the colour scheme in my room. Bonus points!

With so many great options on the menu, my boyfriend eventually decided on the Serrano Ham & Cheese Sandwich ($15): smoked pepper aioli, manchego and fresh tomato on a baguette. The sandwich came out to the table with a side of housemade pickles that were a mix of sweet and sour, a little spicy, and deliciously crunchy. Black Pig Bistro has taken the classic ham and cheese sandwich and elevated it with the use of quality ingredients. The serrano ham combined with the manchego are delicate but give the sandwich an almost creamy consistency. Add in the tomato for texture, slap it inside a soft baguette with a crunchy crust, and you've got a pretty stellar sandwich. The sandwich was so easy to eat and was a great portion size for lunch.

As the self-proclaimed glutton in our relationship, I chose to go with the three course lunch for $25. First up was a Tomato Tartar with a sherry vinaigrette over garlic croutons. I loved the presentation on this one since the top of the tomato acted as a lid to lift and reveal the tartar below. Inside the tomato was a bruschetta salad of sorts, well flavoured with salt and basil. The crunchy croutons were a great accompaniment as they were extra garlicky, and the vinaigrette added a tangy punch.

My main course was a Sous Vide Alberta Beef Sirloin with roasted shallots, pine nuts, kale and piquillo pepper sauce. When the dish was presented before me, all I could think was "wow!" Look at the colours on that plate and how beautiful our Alberta beef is. The sirloin was a perfect medium rare and lightly seasoned to allow the true flavour of the meat come through. I loved the mild kick of heat from the pepper sauce, and the lightly sauteed kale was tasty on its own or combined with the dish. The flavours were incredibly well balanced, and it wasn't long before a fork from the opposite end of the table came to help me out.

The last course to my lunch was a Honey Yogurt Mousse with raspberries and pomegranate pearls. The mousse had the consistency of a thickened panna cotta, and it was nice and tart on its own. In combination with the honey and other accompaniments it was a perfect light finish to the meal.

Black Pig Bistro surely didn't disappoint, and I was already thinking I needed to return for dinner on a subsequent trip. Lunch service was quick and our server was very attentive to our needs. If you're in Calgary for lunch you should definitely consider stopping by for the $25 three course meal! You get delicious food and great bang for your buck!