A friend and I tried this place on a Sunday night. We were looking for a place with hearty food, casual surroundings, and off the grid from the usual hustle n' bustle of LKF/Central. We were near Sheung Wan when we came across the L. Place, a new commercial building filled with restaurants in an otherwise quiet area. With some help from Openrice, we chose The Salted Pig as it seemed to satisfy what we were looking for.
The Good:
Taking the elevator up to the 2nd floor, we were greeted politely and immediately seated at a table in the bar area, which was actually the quieter section of the restaurant. Initial impressions were good. Our server was enthusiastic and helpful. The decor was dim, rustic, with stained wood furnishings and charming touches. Casual, but stylish and comfortable. Little touches include table water served in a tall untinted wine bottle, and presenting the bill in a glass jar.
The Average:
Settling down, we looked for a menu. Turns out there was none. Or rather it was all on the paper placemats in front of us. The layout was confusing at first as it was like a flow chart, appetizers at the top, mains in the middle, and desserts and sides at the bottom. At first glance, there were no prices. The dim lights didn't help. Neither did the brown text on brown paper. Looking closer, the prices were written in words - "three nine eight".
That was the price of each of two main courses which were highlighted in the middle of the placemat in white. The first was the Pork Rack "a mouth-wateringly tasty and succulently tender slow-cooked pork loin rack. Served alongside roasted carrots, onions and fennel, with a jug of creamy mustard sauce". The second was a Pork Knuckle. Honestly, we were just overwhelmed by the sea of words on the placemat. Nothing other than the white highlights really stood out or looked particularly remarkable (or appetizing). We figured pork was the namesake and those two must be the signature dishes. So we went with the Pork Rack, which the server said would be good for two. It didn't seem to come with any starch so we ordered two sides, mashed potatoes and the baby potatoes ($30 each).
We also ordered an appetizer: a charcuterie platter ($158) consisting of five kinds of cold cuts, potted pork, terrine, scotch egg, pickles and piccalilli. Again none of the appetizers really stood out and we chose the platter because it seemed to have variety and was also highlighted in white (must be a signature).
The Bad:
Strip out the nice decor, the little gimmicks, the service, and what really matters is the food. And the meal went south the moment the bread came out.
The bread: There were two pieces. And they were tiny. Think 1.5inch cubes. And it was cold. Like they just took it out of a bag of Garden bread they bought at the supermarket. It certainly tasted like it. Did I mention they were tiny.
The appetizer: The terrine was good, the others (pickles, cold cuts, scotch egg) unremarkable. It's hard to mess up cold cuts. The most noteworthy aspect, though, was that the platter came on a wooden chopping board. Another nice touch, except it was damp and grimy to the touch. That was rather disgusting. They could have used an oven to dry the boards. But they didn't. And then I thought about something else. How do they wash the wine bottles which the table water comes in?
The main course: When the Pork Rack came out, it was served in a white ceramic dish. Six sliced pieces of dry, minimally seasoned rectangular extra lean pork. Half a small carrot, grilled. Half an onion, grilled. And half a bulb of fennel. If it sounds simplistic and underwhelming, it really was. The portion was small, certainly not enough for two people. The sauce was light, mayo based with hints of cheese and mustard. Very faint flavor that does not detract nor add to the flavor of the pork. Just added some much needed moisture to the dry texture of the pork. The pork was unremarkable except for the smoked flavor. The half bulbs of onion and fennel had no merits except as garnish. This dish costed $400, when it should have costed $150 max.
The sides: Baby potatoes were boiled, sliced and seasoned with some butter and salt. Mashed potatoes were coarse-mashed and seasoned with minimal butter and salt. Again, underwhelming. Portions small.
We did not order dessert.
Conclusion:
There is a difference between simple and simplistic food. I get rustic, unpretentious, wholesome, healthy cooking. But the food here was absolutely mediocre, simplistic fare.
Our bill came out to well over $700 before tips. That is one appetizer and one entree. No drinks, no dessert. And that is my main problem with The Salted Pig. It is a very very greedy pig indeed.
影片
朋友叫了BEETROOT SALAD，賣相不錯，但沒吃所以不評
GRILLED SAUSAGES. MUSTARD MASH. ONION GRAVY
CRISPY SKIN PORK KNUCKLE SERVED WITH VEGETABLES，SAUERKRAUT AND MUSTARD SAUCE
豬手個皮貨不對板啵！
