LITTLE PIGGY’S

When I get a craving for Korean BBQ, it comes in two varieties that can lead me in two distinct and opposite directions. With one, I’ll be heading to the closest AYCE place to eat my fill of salty BBQ’ed ribs and beef for a low price. While the other craving will only be satisfied by delectable pork belly and sends me north to my favourite Korean BBQ restaurant, Piggy’s. Piggy’s specialize in a la carte Korean BBQ that includes high quality beef, and beautiful thick cut pieces of pork belly. They’ve recently opened a second mini branch downtown and invited me to stop by for a meal.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Little Piggy’s was located in Koreatown on Bloor near Spadina. Even though they had just opened the day before, there was a steady stream of curious customers walking in. The Hubby and I were seated at a table for four and the first thing we noticed was the lack of a built-in grill, but something was there. After a quick investigation (and seeing it turned on), we figured out the table had a built-in induction stove element. Pretty nifty.

To drink, I tried one of their Grapefruit Ade’s and The Hubby ordered the Blue Lemonade. Both drinks arrived in adorable smiley face glasses. I liked the strong citrus taste of mine and the mild sweetness paired well with the BBQ. Our main was the Mix BBQ Combo that came with pork belly, garlic pork and Korean style beef. As the meat sizzled in front of us, we snacked on bacchan and salad with a creamy poppyseed dressing. My favourite Korean side dish has always been mashed potatoes, which was one of the dishes that day.

When it came to the BBQ, I found that the induction stove didn’t heat up the grill pan as hot as their other location or as quickly. Our server helped us set each BBQ course on the grill and checked on their progress regularly. Once ready, our server cut the meat into bite size pieces for us. Out of the three different proteins, my favourite was of course the pork belly. The order of BBQ came with a hot stone bowl of soy bean soup and a basket of fresh, crisp lettuce leaves for wraps. We also each had a sectioned plate that came with fresh garlic, two dipping sauces and sliced onions to add to our wraps. I like throwing the fresh garlic on the edge of the grill to toast them a bit before eating. Similar to their uptown location, I enjoyed the quality of the cuts included and the light marinade on the beef. I find at most AYCE restaurants, the sauce overpowers the natural taste of the beef or pork.

Apart from BBQ, I also tried out Little Piggy’s spicy rice cakes and UFO fried rice. Both the texture of the rice cakes and the taste of the spicy red sauce were bang on. I also liked how the menu allowed customers to customize the rice cakes with an assortment of add-ons like seafood and ramen. A base dish started at $7.95 and toppings were an additional $2.95 each. The UFO fried rice was playful and again highly customizable. A mound of fried rice, with your pick of protein, was served surrounded by fluffy steamed egg on a round sizzling plate.

On top of their in-store menu, Little Piggy’s offered Cupbob, customizable bowls of bibimbap to go. For $6.99, each cup is filled with rice, a chosen protein, customizable toppings and drizzled with sauce. My Cupbob had japchae and bulgogi, topped with nori and a spicy mayo sauce. This would’ve made for a very filling and satisfying meal all on it’s own.

After a very satisfying, and filling, meal, dessert was needed. Piggy’s served creamy, delicious soft serve, topped with a square of honeycomb that was the perfect way to cap off the night.