My spouse and I dined at Pig and Khao for brunch on a Sunday
afternoon in early May 2017. Pig and Khao is open for weekend brunch and dinner
daily. You can reserve a table using the online Open Table reservation system.
The restaurant holds two stars from the New York Times.
Pig and Khao opened in the fall of 2012 on Clinton Street on
the Lower East Side. The restaurant occupies a former storefront, with two
display windows flanking either side of the recessed doorway. One of the former
display spaces now holds a bench where you can wait for a table, and the other
side holds a tiny service bar. The space is long and narrow, with seating at
tables (many of which share a long banquette on one side), communal regular-height
wooden tables with chairs, or at the counter/chef’s bar. One chartreuse wall
accents an opposite white-painted brick wall, accented by a pressed-tin looking
ceiling and patterned tile floor. Asian trinkets decorate the top of the chef’s
counter, with other design elements placed strategically. A partially covered
outdoor garden patio offers additional seating.
Chef/owner Leah Cohen is half Filipino, and she has traveled
and worked extensively in Southeast Asia. Prior to opening her own restaurant,
Chef Cohen worked for Anne Burrell at Centro Vinoteca (now closed).
Pig and Khao offers Southeast Asian cuisine with Thai,
Vietnamese, and Filipino influences. We ordered the sizzling sisig (chopped pig’s
head served on a flat rectangular piping-hot iron skillet with a raw egg on
top, so that when you mix all the ingredients together, the heat from the
platter cooks the egg), grilled pork jowl (with Brussel sprouts, toasted rice,
chili-lime fish sauce, and topped with fresh herbs), and a side of garlic fried
rice. It was difficult to decide what to order because everything sounded
delicious; although we loved what we ordered (particularly the sizzling sisig),
the bahn xeo crepe, the shan noodles (a sort of ramen-like soup), and the khao
soi (curry, coconut, chicken, and noodles) looked amazing! The restaurant
offers beer (sold in cans, bottles, or pour-your-own-draft-from-the-keg), wine,
and limited cocktails.
We loved our brunch at Pig and Khao, and we would love to
return to try some of the other menu options.
