Flying Pig and Matsu lead the list of new restaurant openings this month
Two Oceanside restaurant owners who did a locations swap last spring opened their new restaurants within days of each other last week.
Roger “Roddy” Browning and his wife, Aaron Browning have reopened their popular Flying Pig Pub & Kitchen at 509 Mission Ave. in the heart of downtown Oceanside. The Brownings decided not to renew the lease on their former location of 10 years at 626 S. Tremont St. in Oceanside, because an opportunity came up for them to buy a restaurant property in the bustling downtown area.
Also last spring, fellow Oceanside restaurateur and chef William Eick was looking for a place to open his modern Japanese concept, Matsu, after leaving Mission Ave. Bar & Grill, which is just a few doors east of the new Flying Pig location. Eick leased and remodeled the S. Tremont Street space and Matsu opened on Sept. 30.
The new Flying Pig space has 50 seats indoors and 40 seats on a fenced front patio. Designed by John Wright, it incorporates all of the rustic Americana elements from the Pig’s past, like eclectic wall art that includes a winged pig, mirrors, animal heads, vintage signs and handmade bar.
New chef Harrison Hackett has both classical French training and an expertise in Southern cuisine. His updated menu incorporates classic Pig dishes like grilled Duroc pork chop and shrimp-and-grits, but he has also expanded the appetizer menu with new dishes. His style is to make everything in-house from scratch, buy organic produce and proteins whenever possible and strive for a zero-waste ethos.
The 1,300-square-foot restaurant’s full bar has nine local beers on tap, as well as a craft cocktail menu and a large selection of whiskeys and other spirits.
Flying Pig hours are 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays. For details, visit flyingpig.pub.
Matsu founder Eick brings nearly 12 years of Japanese cooking experience to his new 48-seat restaurant. He introduced the concept several years ago with pop-up dinners, primarily at Mission Ave. Bar & Grill. The restaurant offers a la carte items and an eight-course, $140 tasting menu. His long-term goal is to achieve a Michelin star for Matsu, which is the name of a Japanese pine tree.
Eick also owns Hokkaido Bread Co., which makes and sells Japanese milk buns to other restaurants, and Naegi, a Japanese karaage fried-chicken sandwich company, which will launch later this month as a food truck business. Matsu hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Visit eatatmatsu.com.
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