The Salted Pig
2/F, The L Place, 139
Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong
Date of visit : 10 Mar
2013 (Sun) 7pm
No. of diners : 2
Average cost per head
: $305
Food quality : 7.8/10
Environment : 7.5/10
Service : 7.5/10
Value-for-money : 7/10
Overall rating : 7.58/10
Though with the name,
The Salted Pig doesn’t offer a full range of pig’s body like the Chinese do.
From its menu printed on their dining mat, excluding the section of “Mains
without Pork”, one can find a few dishes made with cured meat such as sausage,
ham or bacon, and pig’s knuckle, pork belly, loin steak or roasted pig. Does
the pig specialist focus on the right dish to wow the diners?
On a Sunday night,
there were just around 10 guests including us, while the restaurant can
accommodate at least 80 people. Was it the location or food that explained why?
At a price of $300 per head without wine, there are handful of choices in town.
a) Spinach & Roasted Beets Salad ($98) – 7.8/10
The green and tomatoes
were fresh, with a hint of coriander in the dressing. However, I didn’t taste
the chervil as mentioned on the menu. The yoghurt cheese on top was not my
favourite cheese though.
b) Char-grilled Pork Belly with Mango Crab Salsa ($128) – 8.1/10
Three pieces of nicely trimmed
pork belly, each with well mixed diced mango and shredded crab meat in the
salsa sauce. The belly was tender and rich in smoky flavour.
c) Crispy Skinned Pork Knuckle ($268) - 7.5/10
The waiter first presented
the whole knuckle in a ceramic pot with a pig’s head on its lid to us before deboning
it on a wooden board with side dishes. The presentation was nice, however, I
valued the food quality more. The meat was less salty than I’d expected. It was
tender and moist, just that the skin was not crispy enough. The homemade
mustard sauce was not very strong and I didn’t touch it after the first try.
The new potato and the slice of grilled sweet potato were quite pleasing.
d) Banana Fudge “Eton Mess” ($58) – 8.2/10
Instead of the
traditional Eton Mess in which strawberries are used, this banana version was
still on the right track. The banana slices, meringue and cream, topped with
chocolate syrup gave a good blend.
Q : When will I go
again?
A : Hmm… Maybe with a
large group to share the food and joy.
Q: What will I next
order?
A : Risotto.
03.2013
