Best pork restaurants in KL

One of KL’s most popular pork restaurants revamped its menu in October 2017 to showcase a bolder approach to flavours and cooking techniques. Pork steaks are still very much a big part of the menu, but in place of familiar favourites like pork strip loin Diane-style, you get Eastern-inspired dishes like chermoula-spiced pork shoulder made with Tunisian and Moroccan spices. There’s also a large selection of new sharing dishes like green curry seared duck, crispy skin miso pork belly, and herbed ibérico baby ribs glazed with white shoyu honey. Even the side dishes shouldn’t be ignored: try the creamy polenta and you’ll find out why.

Boon Signature Roast Pork is often packed during lunch time with crowds hankering for their siew yuk rice – steamed Japanese pearl rice topped with tender siew yuk that’s marinated with five-spice powder and other ingredients, and roasted in a charcoal-fed Apollo oven. Co-owner Boon Cheam is the mastermind behind the star dish – think flavourful slabs of melt-in-your-mouth pork that’s only made better with a crackly skin; it’s a recipe that Boon has perfected over many attempts. On weekends, bring extra cash to splurge out on their ibérico pork version of the siew yuk.

Even though it’s the newest entry in our local tonkatsu (deep-fried pork fillet) scene, Anzu has quickly risen to the top. The main reason for their success is the premium quality, locally sourced sangen pork. And you can easily tell by its fresh and clean taste that’s devoid of the gaminess usually present in other tonkatsu offerings in KL. The meat is tenderised through seven days of ageing, then breaded and deep fried at an extreme 160C to keep the outside crisp without losing the meat’s juices. As a result, you get a perfectly cooked piece of pork that has crunch on the outside and is moist on the inside.

Besides the pork fillet katsu set (which comes with rice, miso soup, pickled radish and a bottomless serving of finely shredded cabbage salad), you can also order the cheese pork loin katsu, pork fillet katsu curry, hot pot pork loin with egg, or the non-deep-fried pork loin steak with ginger sauce.

Pork in Indian cooking is extremely rare outside of Goan cuisine, and to some, a porky indian restaurant is almost unthinkable. But therein lies the appeal of Meat the Porkers: Instead of trying to find new ways to marry pork with the bold Indian flavours, what they have so successfully done is simply incorporated pork into the classic Indian dishes we already love, with minor twists of course.

Two dishes stand out in the menu. The tandoori pork ribs is a clever pairing of the fattier and meatier pork (compared to chicken) with the punchy flavours of turmeric and paprika. The siu yuk biryani is equally as good – while the use of spices overwhelms the pork, it’s the gelatinous fat and oiliness of the belly that really elevate the rice. Pork crackling is served on the side; sprinkle on just before serving.

The extensive menu spans from rogan josh, Goan vindaloo and varuval to seekh kebab and masala quesadilla – all with pork of course. Do also try the bacon and cheese naan (made with two different types of cheese: mozzarella for stretch and cheddar for flavour); pork pakora (perfect with beer); and pork 65 masala (the sautéed garlic in the yoghurt masala gravy is a brilliant touch).

Vintry is known for two things: pork and wine. While they do have the standard honey-glazed baked ibérico baby back ribs and barbecue pork ribs, you can tell their strength lies in dishing out pork-centric pub-grub kind of food. Roast pork is their signature, and you shouldn’t miss the caramelised roast pork that’s wok fried and charred with soy sauce, caramelised with sugar and tossed in chilli. You can even have it in fried Korean noodles or on a pizza. Other notable dishes on the menu include Hokkien mee with pork belly, angel hair pasta with caramelised roast pork, luncheon meat fries, and more.