Gypsy & Pig

Shop 3, 391 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne 3000
Date visited: 8th December 2012

Kurabuta Pork is the most highly prized pork in Japan and comes from one of the oldest breeds of pig, the Black Bershire.  It is well known for its rich flavour, texture and juiciness. 

I recently heard about a restaurant that specialises in Kurabuta pork, called (surprise, surprise!) Gypsy & Pig, so on the rare occasion that MerlinFan suggested paying one of the places on my wish list a visit, I readily agreed.

The interior of Gypsy & Pig is much smaller than it appears on the outside.  There are only two tables and approximately 12 seats at the central counter looking in at the kitchen whilst the chef prepares your meal.  MerlinFan and I thought we were smart coming at 5.30pm on Saturday night to avoid the crowds, but were surprised to see half the restaurant already filled with people eating.  That says a lot about the popularity of the place.  Since we didn't have a booking, our dinner was limited to 1.5 hours.

The decor of Gypsy & Pig is moody and beautiful, from dark tables and chairs to the delicate little pig figurines adorning every corner.

We were given their food and drink menu, and also a board of their specials.

Cute pig board

Everything sounded so tempting - MerlinFan and I had trouble deciding what to have.

Table setting
Gorgeous wine glass

Condiments

MerlinFan had the Slow Cooked Kurobuta Belly & Egg in Sweet Soy.

Slow Cooked Kurobuta Belly $18

The dish was beautifully presented, with three slices of soft Kurobuta belly glistening in sweet soy gravy that MerlinFan said was too delicious to waste and ended up mopping it all up with rice.  She loved the gooey soy marinated egg.

I had the Deepfried Crumbed Kurobuta Loin and upgraded it to a Teishoku (set), which came with miso soup, steamed rice, a small dish and pickled vegetables.

Crumbed Kurobuta Loin $20
Teishoku $7

The first thing I noticed when I first took a bite of the Kurobuta was the flavour.  It was unlike other pork I've had - the taste was only what I can describe as rich, almost buttery beneath that light crumb.  The miso soup also had lots of character and flavour - it had a stronger hint of fish that reminded me of being at sea.  

At Gypsy & Pig, the dishes are admittedly expensive for the portion sizes, but I feel you pay for quality rather than quantity.  Staff are polite and attentive, and seating is very limited so bookings are definitely recommended.



<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/1684336/restaurant/CBD/Gypsy-Pig-Melbourne"><img alt="Gypsy &amp; Pig on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1684336/biglink.gif" style="border:none;padding:0px;width:200px;height:146px" /></a>