As an American-born food aficionado with strong ties to his mother’s Vietnamese heritage, chef Andrew Le desired to share his love for Southeast Asian cuisine with the general public. Soon after graduating from the famed Culinary Institute of America in New York, and working as Chef Mavro’s sous chef for several years, Le eagerly opened his family’s namesake business The Pig & the Lady in 2011.
Founded upon Vietnamese principles of cooking, The Pig & the Lady’s menu takes diners on a culinary trip around the world.
“Much like Hawaii, our dishes reflect our love for all cultures, including Korean, Japanese, Spanish and French,” says Le. “It’s all about balancing complementary flavors and letting simple ingredients speak for themselves in a bold way.”
Not to be missed is the restaurant’s signature P&L Pho ($14), made in the Southern Vietnamese style with abundant spices. “To give it a well-rounded flavor profile, we use smoked bacon, green onions, hand-cut noodles, brisket that has been braised for 12 hours, chicken fat vinaigrette and a slow-poached egg,” explains Le.
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- Shinsato Farm Pork Ala Basquaise ($29)
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- Kabocha Parfait ($9)
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- P&L Pho ($14)
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- The Pig & The Lady features a spacious dining area within its locale on North King Street.
Meat eaters will love Shinsato Farm Pork Ala Basquaise ($29), an enticing spread of Shinsato pork with chorizo piperrada sauce, leeks braised in apple cider, hazelnuts and mustard greens topped with tomato seed vinaigrette.
To complete the meal, dessert made by the restaurant’s famed pastry chef Rachel Murai, who previously worked at Nobu and Vintage Cave, is a must. Her signature Kabocha Parfait ($9) made from homemade meringue and kabocha roasted in orange zest, brown sugar, candied hazelnuts and coffee has already become a crowd favorite.
For the ultimate feast of feasts, The Pig and the Lady welcomes all to enjoy a Primal Offerings dinner (starting at $160). Enough to feed six to eight people, the meal comes with the party’s choice of protein from Brisket to Lechon Pork Shank or Pig’s Head alongside raw oysters, house pickles, fried shallots, turmeric rice, fresh tortillas and more. “This kind of meal is very reminiscent of the family meals I enjoyed as a kid with all of our relatives squeezed into the garage with lots of meat, side dishes and condiments spread across the table for all to enjoy,” says Le.
From humble beginnings as a popup restaurant, The Pig & the Lady remains living proof that with hard work and passion, anything can happen. “It really is, and always has been, a family-run operation,” says Le, whose three siblings Alex, Andy and Allison also work at the restaurant. “Everything we do comes from our love for food and people.”
The Pig & The Lady
83 N. King St., Honolulu
585-8255
Open for lunch Monday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Dinner Tuesday-Thursday, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 5:30-11 p.m.
Honolulu, HI 96817
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