Dinner c/o Cochon

Last Friday Mr. Ass invited me to join him and two of his friends (A. and J.) for dinner at Cochon, I happily accepted. I made my way using the bus system (look at me!), which worked fine until I had to transfer. According to the online trip planner I should have had to wait five minutes for my second bus...this actually was 15 minutes...before I gave up waiting in the cold and running late and hailed a cab, so long 75 cent transfer. That aside, we were seated in a pretty dark corner of the small byob restaurant...which resulted in over-flashed photographs. I wish the pictures could be a little more subtle because, and here's the thing, the food was really, really good. I started with the fried oysters with shaved fennel salad and a sherry-wine aioli. Now, traditionally, I detest the taste of fennel. In fact, when I ordered the dish I really didn't pay attention to the accoutrements of the dish, focusing only on the oysters. The salad was delicious and I kept trying to figure out what it was...in fact I didn't know until just now when I looked on the menu. I kind of wonder if it was fennel. It tasted nothing like licorice, just like yummmmmy.
As my main course I chose to go with the slow roasted pork shoulder. This was quite tasty....honestly I've made a tenderer shoulder but they did this thing so that the fat got crispy on the outside that was pretty cool, and lentils, well, I could take or leave them....on the other hand, I love Brussels sprouts and poached eggs...so, it worked out. Mr. Ass had their prix fixe/tasting menu that included chicken liver mousse (tasty),else and shoot, something else...and then a trio of truffles. A. started with a salad (I'm not sure if the website's salad is what she had) and had gnocchi for her main course. I didn't try her salad and found the gnocchi okay (I don't think I'm a gnocchi kind of girl, really). J. had the crispy chicken livers as his starter, I tried it...but actually took a walnut not a liver and didn't want to seem greedy (the others seemed to like it) and a duck dish for his main course (which was delicious if a little over-salted).
A place to which I will definitely return.