Seattle / Tankard & Tun: excellent seafood hops pairing

I’m really happy to write about Tankard & Tun because I found it one of the most interesting places I visited in 2017 and definitively one of the best new openings in Seattle.

The restaurant opened in July 2017 as sibling restaurant of the subterranean Pike Brewing's pub and combines the home-made beers with fresh seafood and small plates in a bright and lively space supported by a retro oyster bar, beautiful with its white marble counter and wooden stools, and a perfect service.

Despite a noisy ground floor – due to the brewery’s pub – the place keeps its charm and vibes.

The selection of oysters is very good, full in body, meaty, strong texture, and perfect with the beer pairing: Pike XXXXX is a perfect compromise to balance the mineral taste of the shellfish with a light bitter note and not overwhelming hops taste.

Excellent the main, a great way to interpret Surf and Turf, with a braised octopus served with pork belly, fried burdock, edamame hummus and fresh wasabi: the octopus is super tender, the burdock – with its taste close to artichoke – adds a delicate bitter taste, wasabi is not too punchy but the only minus is the reheated pork belly that makes the crust on top a bit spongy. Despite that, great idea with pork adding the needed fat and flavor to the dish.