Don’t worry, The Flying Pig food truck will still be rolling out every once in a while, but Joe Kim wanted to open a restaurant where he could expand his menu. These items at the Flying Pig Café just can’t be made on a food truck. Joe’s imagination just runs wild and it’s amazing what shows up on the menu. At the Flying Pig Café, Joe offers upscale food at reasonable prices. The décor reminds me of a lounge in Tokyo – glowing pastel lighting, cloud-shaped lamps that look like large paper lanterns, and a chalkboard wall that’s all about the pig.
Pork Belly Taco is braised pork belly with red onion escabeche, pickled sesame cucumber, and death sauce on a steamed bao bun. This is just insane! The pork belly is like butter and just melts in your mouth. The toppings round out the flavors and give it a nice crunch. The bao bun is just right; light on the inside and chewy on the outside. This will definitely give you a foodgasm. It is served exactly like on the truck, just plated, not in a paper basket. Thumbs up, way up!
BBQ pork ribs are covered with housemade BBQ sauce and served with brown rice and pickled red cabbage. These ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender and juicy. The pork has a rich flavor and is strong enough to show through the sauce. The sauce itself is amazing! It has a southern BBQ flavor with a hint of Asian flare. It’s slightly sweet with a bold flavor that compliments the pork well. You’ll definitely have an OMG moment or two! The pickled red cabbage reminds me of a cross between kimchee and sunomono. Thumbs up, way up!
Peanut Butter Carnitas Tacos? Sounds weird, right? It’s more like a Thai peanut sauce as a base. The carnitas are tender and juicy, more like pulled pork. The red onion escabeche is awesome and ties everything together. Thumbs up!
Escargot is served in a garlic and chive butter cream sauce accompanied by fresh slices of baguette. This is so good! You’ll definitely have an OMG moment or two! This would also be great on pasta with its buttery, garlic goodness. This would rival any French restaurant in town and you don’t even have to fish them out of the shell. Make sure you sop up all of the sauce with the baguette slices. You don’t want to waste a drop of buttery perfection. Thumbs up, way up!
The Flying Pig Café’s version of Loco Moco is brown rice topped with pork and beef patties, grilled spam, barbequed beans, and a sunny side egg. They had to change from the typical brown gravy that they would normally serve in Hawaii to barbequed beans for the LA palate. Unfortunately, you won’t find barbequed beans on your Loco Moco in Hawaii. The patties are homemade with a hint of Worcestershire sauce, but the beans just don’t match. I had to change my thinking and image the barbequed beans with the rice to be like red beans and rice that you would find in Louisiana. It seemed okay once I changed my flavor palate in my mind.
Now, you don’t have to check to schedule to find them. Check out their permanent home in Little Tokyo and wander around before or after your meal to round out your day.
Atmosphere: 5 out of 5 stars
Service: 5 out of 5 stars
Décor: 5 out of 5 stars
Food: 5 out of 5 stars
For more information:
The Flying Pig Café
141 S Central Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012-3912
213.621.0300
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