Dining at Pig and Khao is like taking your taste buds to an amusement park.
The menu boasts a unique blend of Thai-Filipino fusion cuisine that has been crafted by head chef and owner Leah Cohen. Each dish is a new ride with twists, turns, loops, and delicious moments of suspense. And the theme park itself is pretty rad. Dark. Vibey. Sweet 90s/2000s hip hop beats playing just loud enough to dull out surrounding conversations into low hums.
If you’ve been to an amusement park lately, you know admission ain’t cheap. But is it worth it? Luckily you have yours truly as a travel guide to help you decide!
Let’s dive into a review of Pig and Khao!
The Drinks
There are only a few cocktails on offer, and each features at least one unique Asian ingredient. I sprung for the Bangkok Fire ($15) which has bourbon, thai chili infused honey, and lemon. Jeremy got the Pigroni ($15), which had gin, campari, vermouth, and grapefruit bitters. Both were superb. But being a heat lover, I think the Bangkok Fire was better.
The Small Plates
First up is the green papaya salad.
I fell in love with papaya salad in Thailand, and the offering from Pig and Khao doesn’t disappoint. The papaya is fresh and crunchy, and a generous sprinkle of roasted peanuts adds a moorish meatiness and second type of crunch. Everything is tossed in a mixture of fish sauce, lime juice, and pop of chili.
There are a couple unusual additions that you won’t find on the streets of Thailand: crispy taro and mint. The crispy taro adds yet one more type of crunch, and the mint brings a light freshness to the table.
This small plate might be $15, but it’s a huge portion and a must try Pig and Khao.
Next is the pork belly adobo.
The pork belly isn’t too fatty, which I appreciate. The sauce is comprised of soy sauce, vinegar, Szechuan peppercorns, and crispy garlic. A slow poached egg ties everything together to create a rich, warming dish. It’s tasty, but for $17 I’d say get the green papaya salad instead.
The final small plate we tried was the green mango salad.
This dish ($18) consists of green mango, shrimp, cashews, grapefruit, coconut, and lime juice. The bright notes of acidity combined with a low heat from what I’m guessing is chili oil is excitingly unique. I’m not sure I needed the shrimp in the mix. But then again, I’ll never say no to eating shrimp.
The Mains
Khao soi is the reason Pig and Khao caught my eye. It is a coconut curry noodle soup that has egg noodles, a protein, as well as crunchy noodles. Lime, pickled cabbage, fresh shallots, cilantro, and chili pepper oil are all garnished on top. It’s a unique dish that has a bit of heat, a bit of sweet, along with bitter, salty, and sour flavors. Khao soi is from northern Thailand, but you don’t usually see it outside of Thailand.
The bowl from Pig and Khao ($20) brought me right back to the street of Chiang Mai, and getting it is a non-negotiable. (You can thank me later!)
We also sprung for the Isaan steak ($38). The 12 oz sirloin was perfectly cooked and well seasoned. It comes with lettuce, rice noodles, peanuts, herbs, and spicy jaew sauce for a DIY lettuce wrap scenario.
If you’ve read this far I suppose it’s time to reveal that we were invited to dine at Pig and Khao in exchange for creating Instagram content. I never order steak because #frugal. But this one was on the house, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Dessert
After a long day at the amusement park, you’ll find yourself utterly tired. Yet, somehow you find the energy for one last ride. We found stomach space for an order of ricotta doughnuts. 5 freshly fried, warm balls of happiness with a tart kalmansi custard dipping sauce. Pure perfection.
So is Pig and Khao worth the price points?
Yes!
The dishes are expertly crafted with unique ingredients and flavor combinations.
