Though it began as a humble makeshift kitchen in a family garage in Honolulu, Hawaii, The Pig & The Lady has gone on to win numerous awards since the opening of its first restaurant eight years ago. It was even been featured on Anthony Bourdain’s ‘No Reservations’.
The family-run business, famous for its soulful Vietnamese dishes with a Hawaiian twist, has now expanded beyond Hawaii to open its first venue in Tokyo. The menu features classic Vietnamese fare including staples like pho and banh mi. However, head-chef and owner Andrew Le also adds a personal flair through dishes like ahi toast and lilikoi malasadas (Portuguese donuts with mango and coconut ice cream).
This 84-seater restaurant is ideal for grabbing a casual bite when you’re in the neighbourhood, but with a new wine pairing course (¥12,000 per person), it also makes for a perfect date night. Though New World wine may not be the first thing that comes to mind when matching drinks with fresh and vibrant Vietnamese food, the range of sweetness and acidity in each of the wines compliment the texture and flavour of the dishes surprisingly well. Best of all, with nine dishes included in the course, you won’t have to face the dilemma of picking just two or three dishes to sample from the extensive dinner menu. These include the beet cured fish with green apple and dill, Burmese tea salad with shredded green papaya and a duo of banh mi and pho. The slow-cooked brisket banh mi comes with two bowls of pho broth – one for your noodles and another one to steep your baguette in, so you can eat it as a French dip sandwich.