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FUUD: Pig and the Lady in Chinatown

By Catherine Toth Fox • January 23, 2014 • Food

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Yes, it took me awhile.

But I finally made it to The Pig and the Lady‘s brick-and-mortar restaurant in Chinatown last week.

And it was even better than I had anticipated.

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This is outside the new location on North King Street, in the space once occupied by Lemongrass Cafe, the restaurant for the Pacific Gateway Center, a nonprofit group that provides assistance to immigrants, refugees and low-income residents. Though The Pig and the Lady has taken over the space, they’re still partnering with the Pacific Gateway Center and employing participants in their work training program.

The restaurant opened in November, luring its legion of loyal fans from the local farmers’ markets and pop-up shops for its popular banh mi and Vietnamese noodle soups.

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Inside the popular new restaurant, a nice addition to the vibrant dining scene in Chinatown. Love the decor, the communal tables, the red brick walls. Everything worked.

I’m thrilled owners Andrew Le and his mom, Loan Le, now have a permanent kitchen — and I don’t have to fight the Saturday crowds at Kapiolani Community College anymore for their farmer’s pho. (Insert Happy Dance here.)

The new restaurant, though, doesn’t just serve its farmers’ market staples. The menu — the Pig serves brunch, lunch and dinner — boasts new dishes and weekly specials. To me, that’s exciting.

So here’s what we ate on a recent visit to the Chinatown hot spot:

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Lunch is served from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday with a menu that comes with snacks like this bacon and ham hock rillette ($5), with kaya rusk, Parmesan cheese, citrus zest and watercress. I loved that the bread was crispy with a hint of cinnamon.

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One of my favorite items on the lunch menu was this hoi an chicken salad ($5 for a small portion, $10 for the larger size). Everything about this worked — the poached chicken, cabbage, Vietnamese cilantro, fried shallots, the hint of fish sauce, the toasted quinoa on top. I could eat this everyday.

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Here’s something new: the Pho French Dip Banh Mi ($11) with a brisket that’s roasted for 12 hours, Thai basil chimichurri, bean sprouts with a pho au jus.

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Here’s the pho ga ($12), a pho with poached chicken, a marinated soft egg, chicken crackling and a chicken fat vinaigrette, oh yeah. All of its pho dishes come with fresh noodles that are hand-cut daily. That hasn’t changed.

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This was one of the specials that day: Called “Mana Ai Moco,” this dish came with crispy kalo (taro), burnt brisket ends gravy, fried eggs from Petersons’ Upland Farms, pickled chili and garlic, and green onions. Talk about inventive.

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I’m a sucker for tsukemen (dipping noodle) dishes, so when I saw this on the menu, I didn’t hesitate to order it. Now I will say this, it can be a bit confusing if you don’t know how to eat tsukemen, which is most often seen with ramen. So I did this: I dumped the pho broth right into this bowl ($12), which came with that same 12-hour brisket, salt-cured egg yolk, fried shallots, roasted peanuts and garlic chives. Awesome. Might be my favorite pho yet.

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And you can’t forget about dessert. The restaurant serves a pie of the day ($5 per slice) — and we had two! One was a Vietnamese coffee cheesecake that had a nice balance of bitter and sweet; the other was a banana cream cheesecake that has actual slices of banana in it. Great day to end an awesome meal.

The Pig and the Lady, 83 N. King St. in Chinatown. Hours: Lunch, 10:30 to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; brunch, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday; dinner, 5:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 5:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with late night from 10 p.m. to midnight. Phone: (808) 585-8255. Web: thepigandthelady.com

Andrew Lebanh miChinatownFoodfundHawaiiLemongrass Cafephorestaurant reviewThe Pig and the LadyVietnamese
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About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

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11 Comments

  • Reply Annoddah Dave January 23, 2014 at 2:17 pm

    CAT: Tried to go last weekend….way too much peeps! Will have to try it for a late, late, lunch or early dinner. The place is jumping…

  • Reply Annoddah Dave January 23, 2014 at 2:18 pm

    CAT: Oops! Aaaiiiyyyaaahhh! Fuud Pix! Tenks!

    • Reply Catherine Toth January 24, 2014 at 10:34 am

      Yep, I heard sometimes there are lines. We went to lunch at around 12:30 and just walked in, so maybe you gotta go after the lunch rush.

      • Reply Annoddah Dave January 25, 2014 at 3:07 pm

        CAT: Went for early dinner on Friday. Stood in line only to get bar seating. If you want to sit for dinner at tables make reservation! Fuud guud. As advertised, much better than at farmer’s market with styro bowls and plate. They are busy for dinner as well…well trained staff, guud service.

  • Reply M January 23, 2014 at 8:46 pm

    Hello Cat!

    I never been to the restaurant but had the fuud at the Farmers Market. Sooo guuud.

    • Reply Catherine Toth January 24, 2014 at 10:34 am

      Oh, then you should check out the restaurant. Got more stuff on the menu. You’ll love it!

  • Reply Glenn D January 24, 2014 at 5:33 am

    Mahalos for the pics. That Mana Ai Moco looked pretty tempting. Knowing Chinatown, parking sucks?

    • Reply Catherine Toth January 24, 2014 at 10:34 am

      I parked at Marin Tower. No problem — and cheap!

  • Reply Dennis January 24, 2014 at 5:38 am

    OMG! I love Ham Hocks and French dip! Will try them next week for lunch. Thanks for the blog. I would never have found them. Have a great weekend!

    • Reply Catherine Toth January 24, 2014 at 10:33 am

      I’m glad you’re going! You won’t be disappointed!

  • Reply dbjack January 24, 2014 at 11:55 am

    No question going to check this out when I am in town. No question at all. If looks are any indication might be the first place I have lunch.

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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