Farmers Market Specials -- 6/21 - 24 + Vote for us at Hale Aina Awards

Honolulu Magazine’s Hale Aina Awards ballot is now online and The Pig & the Lady is up for 5 awards -- Best Oahu Restaurant, Best Cocktail, Best Vietnamese, Best Business Lunch, and Best Dessert -- Plus, Piggy Smalls is up for 1 award for Best New Restaurant! We were ecstatic and humbled by the wins we won last year and it just represented a manifestation of accolades that our dedicated and hardworking team could be very proud of. If you are a fan of ours and believe in what we are doing, please consider voting for us again this year.

Meanwhile here is our farmers market specials for the week: 

#MamaNoodle
BUN THANG — vermicelli noodle soup w/ pork, chicken and egg

#MamaBanhMi
NEM NUONG - vietnamese grilled pork sausages & meatballs

#MamaRice
PORK & SHRIMP — caramelized pork belly and shrimp slow cooked in claypot

PORK JOWL WATERMELON SALAD BUN BOWL W/ JAEW — grilled pork jowl marinated in palm sugar & spices, thai jaew sauce

We are also on our regular schedule as well. To see the schedule and full menu, head over to the Farmers Market page. 

Farmers Market Specials -- 6/14 - 17

Pork Jowl Pho is one of our specials this week at The Pig & the Lady Farmers Market. 

It’s a pork fest at the farmers markets this week! We have more than usual amount of Mama Le specials and they’re all going to be quite mouth watering, especially if you like grilled pork! 

We are using a particular part of the pig and many people don’t usually eat, the pork jowl. We are in love with this type of meat, because it is so damn ddlicious. A staple of soul food, pork jowl or cheeks are usually prepared for cured meats or sausages, but we’re grilling it with Mama Le’s famous marinade. 

Here’s the schedule for the week: 

Wednesday, June 14
Blaisdell - 4pm - 7pm

Thursday, June 15
Kailua - 5pm - 7:30pm

Saturday, June 17
KCC - 7:30am - 11am

Below are Mama Le’s specials for the week: 

#Mamanoodle
PHO GA TRON — “dry pho” — poached chicken, fresh noodles, herbs, veggies, mixed with mama le’s special dark sauce

PORK JOWL PHO — grilled pork jowl marinated in palm sugar & spices is the main protein served in our famous pho

#MamaRice
GRILLED LAMB CHOPS — marinated with Mama Le’s spices

PORK JOWL WATERMELON SALAD BUN BOWL W/ JAEW — grilled pork jowl marinated in palm sugar & spices, thai jaew sauce

#MamaBanhMi
SARDINES — mackerel sautéed with a tomato sauce, grilled onions

It’s a jam packed menu this week! To check out the full schedule and menu, head over to the Farmers Market page. 
 

Farmers Market Specials -- 6/7 - 10 + New Wave Friday + Hip Hop BBQ Feast

Happy June! Can you believe it is summer already? Aside from our farmers market offerings, we want to highlight two events that are happening soon. 

First up, we’re going to be at New Wave Friday at South Shore Market at Ward Village this Friday, June 9! New Wave Friday is a fun family-friendly event featuring activations, shopping exclusives, food, libations, live entertainment & more. For more info, head over to New Wave Friday!

Secondly, we will be co-hosting a special dinner along with Sky Cameron of Chambers & Chambers Wine Merchants next Wednesday, June 14 at 6:30pm. It will be a special evening of summer BBQ cuisine inspired by some of our favorite southern hip hop and r&b artists paired with wines, cocktails and music! 

Here’s the menu: 

"So Fresh & So Clean" Inspired by Outkast

Kumamoto Oysters w/ Peach Granita & Dill
Paired with Bele Casel Prosecco Superiore Brut Extra Dry Non-Vintage (Veneto, Italy) "Hot in Herre" Inspired by Nelly

Spicy Kauai Shrimp w/ Grits & Kuhuku Corn
Paired with Botani Moscatel Old Vines 2015 (Malaga, Spain) "My
Chick(en) Bad" Inspired by Ludacris

Smoked BBQ Chicken w/ Apple & Celery Root Slaw
Paired with Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare 2016 (Central Coast, California) 

"Diced Pineapples" Inspired by Rick Ross 

"Thit Kho Thom" Vietnamese style Braised Pork Belly w/ Diced Pineapples Paired with Torbeck "Cuvee Juveniles" Grenache/Shiraz/Mataro 2014 (Barossa Valley, Australia) 

"My Goodies" Inspired by Ciara

A Dessert Trio of "Goodies" from our Pastry Chefs
Paired with Dessert Cocktail by Matt Kua

The dinner has very limited seating and is $75/person. To make reservations, call (808) 585-8255. 

In the meantime, back to farmers market business — We will be on our regular schedule for the week: 

Wednesday, June 7
Blaisdell — 4pm - 7pm

Thursday, June 8
Kailua - 5pm - 7:30pm

Saturday, June 10
KCC — 7:30am - 11am

As always, we are featuring some of Mama Le’s specials, which are the following: 

#MamaNoodle
BUN BO HUE —  stewed pork & beef, chili satay, banana blossom, aromatic herbs, fresh noodles

#MamaRice
MAPLE PORK CHOPS — caramelized pork chops, sliced onions served over a bed of rice

#MamaBanhMi
SPICY PORK MEATBALL — ground pork meatballs in a slightly spicy tomato sauce

To check out the entire menu, head over to the Farmers Market page.

Farmers Market Specials -- 5/31 - 6/3

Have you seen our weekly '80s music video homage hyping up our weekly softserve flavors? This week's video is "Whip It!" by Devo. They're zany and we have a lot of fun making these videos. Check them out on our Instagram every Monday!

We can’t believe we are the midpoint of 2017 already. Man, time flies! This past May was quite busy for us — Mothers Day brunches, various catered events, Memorial Day weekend, etc. 

Since we are on the topic of Memorial Day, we want to thank all the brave men and women who serve our country and keep us safe. Their sacrifices, determination and hard work are truly appreciated! 

We are on our regular farmers market schedule this week:

Wednesday, May 31
Blaisdell - 4pm - 7pm

Thursday, June 1
Kailua - 5pm - 7:30pm

Saturday, June 3
KCC - 7:30am - 11am

This week’s Mama Le specials are the following:

#Mamanoodle
PHO GA TRON — “dry pho” — poached chicken, fresh noodles, herbs, veggies, mixed with mama le’s special dark sauce

#MamaBanhMi
BO LUC LAC — “shaken” rib eye steak cubes, red onions, waipio butter lettuce, pickled veggies

#MamaRice
COM TAM — vietnamese broken rice w/ grilled pork chop, egg loaf, pickled veggies, fish sauce vinaigrette

As always, you can check the full schedule and menu over at the Farmers Market page. 
 

Farmers Market Specials -- 5/24 - 27

Pho Sot Vang -- Our famous pho cooked with red wine braised beef brisket. 

We are sticking to our regular farmers market schedule, as always. Here's the following dates for the week: 

May 24 -- Blaisdell -- 4pm - 7pm

May 25 -- Kailua -- 5pm - 7:30pm

May 27 -- KCC -- 7:30qm - 11am

Below are Mama Le's specials for the week:

#Mamanoodle
PHO SOT VANG — our famous pho cooked with red wine braised beef brisket , poached egg, aromatic herbs

#MamaBanhMi
SMOKED DUCK SALAD BANH MI — free range in house smoked duck, cabbage salad, mint, Ong Choy, banana blossom, mint, ginger, fish sauce vinaigrette

#MamaRice
CLAYPOT PORK AND SHRIMP — slow cooked caramelized pork belly and shrimp

CLAYPOT CATFISH - slow cooked caramelized catfish
 

As the month of May sunsets and we head into the summer season, we want to thank you all for continued patronage. We had an eventful month, which included a successful Mothers Day weekend. It was so great to see so many moms and their families celebrate with us. 

We've got more in store this summer with some upcoming updates, so as always, read this blog or follow us on social media!

As always, you can also check out the full schedule and menu over at the Farmers Market page. 

Farmers Market Specials -- 5/10 - 13 + Mothers Day this Weekend

Have you seen our latest music video parody this week? We harken back to the '90s where MTV actually played music videos!

Remember Mentos?  You just pop one in your mouth and voila, jam undone!! The Foo Fighters took it one step further with 'Footos' in their "Big Me" music video and now we at @pigandthelady are continuing the legacy with magical sweets with this week's #PIA softserve "TOASTED MACADAMIA NUT CUSTARD & PINEAPPLE GINGER SORBET" Just one bite will transport you to a simpler time called the '90s that'll wash all your troubles away, even the wrath of chef and owner Andrew Le! "Oooohooohooo!!!"

To see the full video, head here.  

Here’s this week’s farmers market specials:

#MamaNoodles
HU TIEU NAM VANG

#MamaRice
GRILLED PORK JOWL (Com Tam style)

Per usual, we are on our regular schedule at the farmers market. Also, don’t forget to make your Mothers Day plans, and hopefully, they’re with us! We will be serving a special Mothers Day menu this weekend. To check out the full menu, times and to make reservations, head over to our Mothers Day page. 

In the meantime, in regards to the Farmers market, check out the full schedule and menu over at the Farmers Market page. 

Farmers Market Specials -- 5/3 - 6 + Mother's Day Brunch Announcement

Happy May Day! With May, we also celebrate Mother’s Day with a special brunch menu on Saturday, May 12, and Sunday, May 14. Check out the Mother’s Dat Brunch Menu and you can make reservations online or call us at (808) 585-8255. 

Mother’s Day is always special to us because our very own mother, ‘Mama Le’, is an integral part of THE PIG AND THE LADY, with her being “the lady.” 

In the meantime over at the farmers markets, we are going to slowly unveil some fried chicken items in the coming weeks, leading up to a fried chicken pop-up! There will be variations of fried chicken including our famous LFC (Laotian Fried Chicken) and more. 

For this week’s farmers markets, Mama Le will be making her “Ga Chien Nuoc Mam” or Fish Sauce Fried Chicken, which is perfect with a ice cold beer. Would you want to take a bucket of it home? 

Here are the Mama Le specials for the week: 

#MamaNoodle
BUN BO HUE PORCHETTA — crispy pork belly, brisket, aromatic, herbs, calamansi, vermicelli, pork lemongrass broth

#MamaBanhmi
PORCHETTA BANH MI — crispy pork belly sandwich w/ bun bo hue au jus

#MamaRice
GA CHIEN NUOC MAM — chicken wings “nuoc mam” style w/ pickled mustard cabbage, yellow rice

Sounds good, right? Well, we hope to see you there! For the full menu and schedule, head over to the Farmers Market Page. 

Farmers Market Specials -- 4/19 - 22

The crew on a harvest outing at Ho Farms in Kahuku two weekends ago, getting acquainted with where their ingredients come from. 

For this week, we are on our regular farmers market schedule with the inclusion of the Mililani Craft Fair on Saturday, April 22. We are also going to be at the Taste of Hawaii: Saint Louis School Grape Escape, an annual food and wine fundraiser for the school. It’ll a return of sorts for two alumni from Saint Louis, Chef Andrew and CFO Lawrence!

For this week’s special items on the farmers market menu, we’ve got five in all. Here they are:

#MamaNoodle
BUN RIEU CUA — vietnamese crab noodle soup,  tofu, shrimp, crab & pork mix, ships, ong choy, banana blossom, vermicelli, pork tamarind broth

#MamaBanhMi
BUN BO NAM BO — stirred beef vermicelli served in a baguette

#MamaRice
THIT KHO — ietnamese style caramelized and braised pork belly

LAOTIAN FRIED CHICKEN (Blaisdell only) — our famous LFC chicken, but using chicken thighs and served with pickled veggies and rice

WHOLE FRIED FISH (Saturday only) — fresh catch of the day, whole deep fried, thai style

As always, you can view the entire menu and schedule over at the farmers market page. 

Farmers Market Specials -- 4/12 - 15

We are on the regular farmers market schedule this week! We’re introducing some brand new dishes, so it’s a good time to check them out by visiting us at Blaisdell on Wednesday (4/12), Kailua on Thursday (4/13), and KCC on Saturday (4/15). 

Here are the Mama Le specials for the week:

#MamaNoodle
CANH THUON — ground beef, tomato, local veggies, fresh cut noodles, tamarind broth

#MamaRice
LAOTIAN PORK & AHI DONBURI — pork belly cooked in LFC sauce, fresh ahi, donburi style

#MamaBanhMi
LAOTIAN FRIED CHICKEN BANH MI — The Pig & the Lady’s world famous LFC (boneless chicken) in a banh mi sandwich

As always, you can check out the full menu over at the Farmers Market page. 

Farmers Market Specials -- 4/5 - 8

Mama Le's famous HU TIEU MY THO is a #MamaNoodle special for this week. 

We are on our regular farmers market schedule this week. Here are this week’s Mama Le specials:

#MamaNoodle
HU TIEU MY THO — pork loin, shrimp, and fresh noodles in red crab sauce 

This is a tried-and-true Mama Le favorite and one of her specialties that customers love! Eaten without soup with the noodles, the special crab-based tomato sauce is poured on top of the noodles, herbs, shallots, and pork loin is mixed up and ready to be eaten. 

#MamaRice
GRILLED CHA CA THAI STYLE — deep fried whole fish (catch of the day) with nuoc mam vinaigrette 

A little Thai twist to the traditional Vietnamese dish, this is going to be something truly special for farmers market. 

For the full menu and schedule, head over to the farmers market website. 

Farmers Market Specials -- 3/29 - 4/1 + Japan/HK Trip

By the time of this posting, Chef Andrew and his team will be on his way back from Hong Kong and Tokyo. It was great sightseeing, research and lots of eats, especially in Tokyo, where we explored as much as we could and met some very cool people. We hope to announce some future collaborations soon so stay tuned for that. Below are some of our favorite Instagram posts from our quick Asian jaunt:

Eating and admiring the art of the Japanese Egg Omelette 🍚 wait for the cooks finishing ✌️ sign. #pigsinjapan @pigandthelady

270 Likes, 17 Comments - Alex Le (@jabbalikespho) on Instagram: "Eating and admiring the art of the Japanese Egg Omelette 🍚 wait for the cooks finishing ✌️ sign...."

Dear kappa gods, bless us with a knife shop.... 😇🙏🏻🔪

200 Likes, 2 Comments - The Pig and the Lady (@pigandthelady) on Instagram: "Dear kappa gods, bless us with a knife shop.... 😇🙏🏻🔪"

The cleanest tasting uni I ever had.

11 Likes, 1 Comments - Lawrence Ho (@dimsumcookery) on Instagram: "The cleanest tasting uni I ever had."

S I P H O N C O F F E E

75 Likes, 3 Comments - Andrew Le (@fishsaucebordelaise) on Instagram: "S I P H O N C O F F E E"

For this week’s farmers market, since we were inspired by our Japan trip, we’re going to do a unique fusion dish. Here’s the Mama Le specials for the week:

#MamaNoodle
RAMEN MANG VIT — smoked duck, bamboo, shiitake, poached egg, sun noodles

#MamaRice
CARAMELIZED PORK CHOP & GRILLED ONIONS 

As always, the full schedule and menu is over at the Farmers Market page. 

Farmers Market Specials -- 3/22 - 25

Bo Kho is this week's Mama Le noodle special at farmers market. 

If you follow @pigandthelady on Instagram, then you can see some of the team members, including Chef Andrew, is galavanting through the streets of Hong Kong and are now on their way to Tokyo for a few days. All of this is for research and also some fun, like Art Basel. It’s good to stretch out the legs and venture out to see and taste what’s innovative and as you can see, they’re having a great time too. 

In the meantime, the staff is holding down the fort at both the Chinatown location and Piggy Smalls, and of course, the farmers markets. We are on our regular schedule, and here are the Mama Le specials for the week:

#MamaNoodle

BO KHO — beef brisket stew with carrots, tomatoes, garlic chives, culantro, thai basil, egg noodles

#MamaRice

SUON RAM MAN — honey glazed pork spare ribs with caramelized onions, cabbage salad, house pickles, and rice

To check out the entire menu and schedule, head over to the Farmers Market Page. 

Farmers Market Specials -- 2/22 - 25 + Chinatown Location closed 2/27 - 3/2

After the torrential rains that pretty much destroyed our booth at KCC two weekends ago, we are back in business! 

First things first, The Pig & the Lady Chinatown location will be closed from February 27 through March 2 (for lunch, and will re-open for dinner that night). The chefs need a much needed mini-vacation. It’s short, but necessary for them to rest up and come back rejuvenated. 

Piggy Smalls and the farmers market locations will still be open, however. Regarding the farmers markets, here are the specials of the week: 

#MamaNoodle
BUN RIEU —  hawaiian prawns & broth, tomato, tamarind, crab fat, tofu, banana blossom, mint, vermicelli

#MamaBanhMi
KALBI w/ KIMCHEE — korean style banh mi, grilled korean short ribs, kimchee, pickled vegetables

#MamaRice
CLAYPOT PORK & SHRIMP — caramelized pork belly, shrimp slow cooked in claypot

As always, our full menu and schedule is over at the Farmers Market Menu page. 

Farmers Market Specials -- 2/15 - 18, Pow Wow Hawaii SlushY Special + Da Storm of Da Century

Last week was rough for the farmers market, weather-wise, especially on Saturday during our KCC farmers market service.  Due to weather, we lost all of our tents and it was total carnage for our supplies and equipment. The strong winds hit us when we were breaking down for the day.  

Check out the video below: 

And here's the aftermath via our farmers market manager Alex's Instagram: 

Yesterday at the #kccfarmersmarket we experienced some serious weather. Just 10 minutes of high winds causes this much destruction. After 5 years of doing the markets I've never experienced anything like this. Luckily this happened after the market closed and all of us weren't hurt. For sure a learning experience. We will rebuild our set up and be back at the markets this week. See you guys then! @pigandthelady

See this Instagram post by @jabbalikespho * 204 likes

And as Alex wrote on his IG post, despite this ordeal, we’re going to resume our regular farmers market schedule this week, unless the weather is too dangerous, of course. But, in the meantime, it’s business as usual. 

Here are our specials for the week: 

#MamaNoodle
PHO SOT VANG — red wine braised brisket with poaced egg pho

#MamaRice
CLAYPOT PORK & SHRIMP — caramelized pork belly, shrimp slow cooked in claypot

#MamaBanhMi
CURRY LEMON GRASS CHICKEN — mama le’s special recipe of marinated chicken in a warm baguette, pickled vegetables

As always, the full menu and schedule is over at our Farmers Market Menu page. 

One last final shout out to our friends at Pow Wow Hawaii, which is happening now through February 18! This word-class arts and music event hosts and showcases artists from around the world, as well as mount music academies for Hawaii's youth and puts Honolulu on the map as a premiere destination for the creative industries. 

We're currently running a special deal with them for this week during Pow Wow Hawaii -- You can pick up a Pow Wow Passport at any participating store this week, including our very own Piggy Smalls. Attend Pow Wow and also make a $25 donation at Big Bad Wolf or Lana Lane Studios during the week and get that passport stamped. You can then show the stamped passport at Piggy Smalls when dining with us and get a free slushy on us! This offer is good until February 18. 

Farmers Market Specials 2/8 - 11 + Reservations still open for Valentine's & "Pal"-enstine's Dinners

Valentine's Day is next week and The Pig & the Lady is going to be hosting a special Valentine prix fixe dinner menu for all you lovebirds on Valentine's Day, Tuesday, February 14. 

The set menu is online now and we are also offering a vegetarian menu. From the creative mind of our Chef de Cuisine Keaka Lee, this year’s menu can best be described with one word, “sensual.” Please call the restaurant at (808) 585-8255 to make a reservation. You can view the complete menu (with vegetarian options) over here. 

Meanwhile, Piggy Smalls will be hosting a PAL-enstine’s Day Dinner on the same night! Come with friends, come with family or just come alone... you'll never know who you'll meet. Our menu is designed to be fun and shared, which you can view here -- Reservations only. Call us at (808) 777-3588 or email us at info@piggysmallshawaii.com to save your seat and meet other singles and become friends (or "pals")!

To make reservations for Valentine’s at The Pig and the Lady, click here. 

Or if you want to celebrate PAL-entine’s and rebel against tradition, or want to celebrate with all your single friends, then you can make reservations for this special night at Piggy Smalls by clicking here. 

Meanwhile, here’s this week’s update on Farmers Market. The schedule is the same and we will be at Blaisdell on Wednesday, Kailua on Thursday and KCC on Saturday morning. The Mama Le specials of the week are:

#MamaNoodle
PHO GA TRON — “dry style” pho, fresh cut noodles, chicken, vegetables, peanuts, vietnamese herbs, dark sauce

#MamaRice
LEMONGRASS CHICKEN — mama le’s home recipe marinated grilled chicken in lemongrass marinade and spices

#MamaBanhMi
BO LUC LAC — cubed ribeye steak, grilled with garlic and mama's specialty marinade, waipoli butter lettuce, red onions in vinagrete.

As always, check out the full menu and schedule over at the farmers market page. 

Oh, and if you haven’t checked out the video chronicling our last Outstanding in the Outfield event at Ku’uloa Ranch a few weeks ago, you can check it out below: 

The video is an independent production of Orlando Benedicto. 

Farmers Market Specials -- 2/1 - 4 + Superbowl Takeout Kit + Valentine's/Pal-entine's Dinner

Valentine's Day is right around the corner and as always, and The Pig & the Lady is going to be hosting a special Valentine prix fixe dinner menu for all you lovebirds on Valentine's Day, Tuesday, February 14. 

The set menu is online now and we are also offering a vegetarian menu. From the creative mind of our Chef de Cuisine Keaka Lee, this year’s menu can best be described with one word, “sensual.” Please call the restaurant at (808) 585-8255 to make a reservation. You can view the complete menu (with vegetarian options) over here. 

However, who says Valentine's can only be for couples? Come eat with us at Piggy Smalls for our "Pal"-entine's Dinner! Come with friends, come with family or just come alone... you'll never know who you'll meet. Our menu is designed to be fun and shared, which you can view here -- Reservations only. Call us at (808) 777-3588 or email us at info@piggysmallshawaii.com to save your seat and meet other singles and become friends (or "pals")!

To mark this occasion and celebrate singledom everywhere, check out this promo video starring our very own Chef Brandon Lee. 

Move aside, Gosling, there's a new himbo in town. To paraphrase Kanye, Brandon is all about the 808s and heartbreak. 

Since Valentine's a few weeks away, let’s discuss what’s more pertinent, especially if you’re a sports fan! The Super Bowl is this Sunday, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a Patriots or Falcons fan, the bottom-line is that you get some damn good food for your viewing party! That’s why we are packaging a Super Bowl Take-Out Kit for your party with the following: 

- Laotian Fried Chicken
- Whole Beef Brisket (simmering for 12 hours with Pho spices and broth)
- Porchetta
- Our world famous French Dip Banh Mi sandwiches

Deadline to place your orders is this Friday, February 3, To pre-order your Superbowl takeout kit, head over to the reservation page!

In the meantime, we are on our regular farmers market schedule this week. Check out the specials courtesy of Mama Le: 

#MamaNoodle
MI QUANG — pork belly, chicken, shrimp, quail egg, lobster balls, aromatic herbs, turmeric rice noodles, pork & anato seed broth, topped with shallots , roasted peanuts and a sesame chip. 

#MamaBanhMi
GRILLED PORK BELLY — grilled pork belly marinated with mama le’s special recipe

#MamaRice
SPARE RIBS DAIKON STEW — slow stewed pork spare ribs with daikon

#MamaSoup
SEAFOOD PORRIDGE — mama le’s chao or hook, cooked with fresh seafood

As always, you can check out the schedule and full menu over at the Farmers Market Menu page. 

Farmers Market Specials -- 1/25 - 28

New dinner menus for both The Pig & the Lady and Piggy Smalls debut this week! We highly recommend them, especially the silkie chicken pho. Silkie chicken are a particular breed that is very unique for its black skin and bones. Eaten during New Years for good luck!! The flavor that comes from this chicken is elegant and deep. If you haven’t tried it, then it’s a definite must!

In the meantime, we have our farmers markets and we are on our regular schedule. Here’s the Mama Le specials below:

#MamaNoodle
PRIME RIB PHO — slow roasted Rib eye, sliced to order, slow poached egg, red wine sauce, pho herbs

COM HEN — jasmine rice, baby clams, taro stems, banana blossoms, pork fat, rau ram, star fruit, with a clam broth with jasmine tea

#MamaRice
CLAYPOT PORK & SHRIMP — ground pork caramelized with shoyu caramel, coconut soda, sauted with shrimp, over jasmine rice

#MamaBanhMi
THIT NUONG — grilled Pork Belly Skewers, house pickles, shisho, mint, cabbage, roasted peanuts

As always, the full menu is over at the farmers market page. 

Farmers Market Specials -- 1/18 - 21 + Special Tet Menu

Last week, we had a great time at Outstanding in the Field and our collaboration with Chef Renee Erickson of Sea Creatures and Bateau fame. Her and her team from Seattle are absolutely amazing and they were all lovely people. It was also a great honor to rub shoulders and work alongside a James Beard winner. It was humbling and a truly great experience to collaborate and serve in one of the most picturesque and iconic locations, Ku’uloa Ranch. 

Meanwhile, we are gearing up for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday (January 28) and we are getting a head start at our farmers market this week. We’ll be on our regular schedule — Wednesday at Blaisdell, Thursday at Kailua and Saturday morning at KCC. Since the Lunar New Year or Tet as we call it in Vietnam, we are going to be serving some go-to dishes that Vietnamese serve during the Tet holidays: 

#MamaNoodles
BUN THANG — A Northern Vietnam New Years noodle soup of all jullienned ham, egg, chicken, shiitake, pickled daikon, rau ram and mint, vermecelli noodles, chicken broth. 

#MamaBanhMi
SPICY CHICKEN MEATBALL — Chicken Meatballs mixed with jicama, marinated in a spicy tomato sauce

#MamaRice
THIT KHO — Coconut braised Pork Belly and Eggs, pickle mustard cabbage, steamed rice

XOI GA — A Savory Sticky rice cooked in chicken broth, topped with poached chicken, ginger scallion sauce, shallots

As always, check out the full menu and schedule over at the Farmers Market page. 

Farmers Market Specials + Outstanding in the Field -- 1/11 - 14

We are so honored to be collaborating with James Beard winner Chef Renee Erickson from Seattle and Taylor Thornhill this Tuesday at the Outstanding in the Field dinner located at Kualoa Ranch. We are longtime admirers of them, with their amazing establishments Sea Creatures and Bateau. They are required go-to locations to dine at whenever in Seattle. For more info on this event, head over to the event page and we will also be posting pics from said event on our social media so keep an eye out for that. 

We had such fun with the organizers of Outstanding in the Field last year that we signed up for another one this year! Check out the video below to see how amazing it was last year:

Meanwhile, back to regular business at hand: We will be on our regular schedule for farmers market this week and it’ll be leaning heavy on pork for our weekly specials:

#MamaNoodle
BUN BO HUE — pork belly, brisket, aromatic, herbs, calamansi, vermicelli, pork lemongrass broth

#MamaBanhMi
PORCHETTA DIP — crispy pork belly, house sambal, shoyu pickled cucumbers, smoked onion, hue-style beef au jus

#MamaRice
SPARERIBS RAGU — smoked spare ribs in Mama Le's famous tomato based ragout (ragu)

#MamaJook
PORK MEATBALL CHAO — mama le’s comfort rice porridge with pork meatballs

As always, the full menu and schedule is over at the Farmers Market Page. Have a great week!

2016 Year in Review

Although we are already in the first few days of 2017, we’d like to take the time to take a look back at 2016, which was truly a banner year for The Pig & the Lady. Aside from the opening of our newest location, Piggy Smalls, we also had the great honor and privilege to win 5 accolades at the Honolulu Magazine Hale Aina Awards. There were also a couple of national television appearances and special staff outings that strengthened the bond of the Pig crew and ohana. 

2016 also was deeply personal for the Le family as Mama Le and Chef Andrew (along with siblings Alex and Allison) made the trek to Hanoi, Vietnam for a family trip and culinary research, tapping back into the roots and flavors of the ever evolving motherland. So, let’s take a quick look back on memory lane on a truly memorable year: 

JANUARY:
Staff outing to KU’UOLA RANCH OYSTER FARM — For one day, we got to all go to the beach, learn about our Ku’uloa Oysters and where they come from (Mōli‘i Pond)  and had a great time hanging out with Chef and TV host Jessica Sanchez Montoya, who was in town to shoot the season finale of her Zagat web series Foodways. You can watch the episode below:

OUTSTANDING IN THE FIELD — A high profile event from this worldwide outdoor dinner tour. These people do dinners on Mt Fuji, in Chile, all over the world and the concept to to feature what that land has to offer which in turns to a very special dinner. We had to honor to cook for 150 guest in Ku’uloa. Watch the highlights here! The Ko’olau mountains are so powerful and breathtaking. So happy we were able to do this.

THIS IS WHAT COOKING IS ALL ABOUT FOLKS!! Good day to be a pig.🐷

See this Instagram photo by @pigandthelady * 605 likes

FEBRUARY:
VALENTINES DAY — Just wanted to highlight this auspicious day, because of the funny viral video promos we did like this one with Chef Brandon ala LADY AND THE TRAMP.

PASTRY CHEF GINO! — With Rachel Murai reinventing the Pig & the Lady dessert program and making soft serve our signature with our crazy flavors, we were sad to see her leave. After much consideration, and Rachel's blessing, we decided to promote within and give Gino Ojano the task of taking over our dessert program. 

It's hot today, come by for some soft serve to cool off and to visit our pastry chef @goginogo808! (#piggyfan 📷: @goodbyeelliot) #pigandthelady #PiggySMALLS #vietnamesesensibilities

See this Instagram photo by @pigandthelady * 323 likes

Now many of you see Gino and a very shy, lovable, sweet guy. What we saw in him was a fighter... Determined to succeed, humble, thoughtful, and precise in his vision of what he wanted to do with the dessert program. Promoting Gino was a no brainer and we think his thoughtful approach to his desserts is very similar to Andrew's approach is to his food. Gino has since assembled a great loyal team, creating new signature desserts that really capture his love for food and his playful yet serious personality. 

MARCH:
NORDSTROM GRAND OPENING — To date this was out biggest catering job ever. We had to do 21,000 portions of food and about 20 different dishes. It was a huge challenge for us and Chef Brandon took the lead on this project, which took him two weeks to coordinate. Sequestering him away from his day-to-day duties at the restaurant, he was indefatigable and pulled off a successful event for such a major client. 

APRIL:
SEATTLE! — We were able to close for a week and take a long awaited break. A few of us flew to Seattle for some quick R&R and to visit peers. We were honored to eat at Renee Ericksson’s restaurants and enjoy her food. It was not planned, and she discovered that we were in town from our social media feeds and now, we are collaborating with Ericksson and her team from the famed restaurant Sea Creatures next week with the next Outstanding in the Field event! More info here. 

Stick with us, you'll be fine!

See this Instagram photo by @pigandthelady * 254 likes

MAY:

It was such an honor to be on stage @risehawaii with my brother @chefandrewle talking about @pigandthelady and our origin and where we are going. Reminiscing about what we started from and where we are now is mind blowing . Best quote of the night from Mama Le who was in the crowd "what am I doing here and me and Andrew are so boring." God I love this woman.

See this Instagram photo by @jabbalikespho * 115 likes

RISE HI — Chef Andrew and Alex participated in this event, highlighting entrepreneurs in Hawaii. They both got on stage to present The Pig & the Lady story. The two brothers sort of fumbled their way on stage, not being well versed public speakers, and they were both very nervous, but they pulled through!

PIGGY SMALLS OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT — We also finally made the official announcement of the second location after months of negotiations and finalizing the lease at Ward Village. We were jumping into the fray once again!

JUNE:

PIGS TO NYC! — It was Chef Andrew’s turn in the roster of chefs highlighted in Hawaiian Airlines’s first class meal service and his turn was officially kickstarted with a major event in New York City to welcome the docking of the Hokulea arriving in the city midway through their journey across the globe. Chef and select crew flew to NYC to participate in the celebration and serve food, including participating in a food demo. 

@fishsauceborderlaise serving our KIMCHI PUTTANESCA with charred asparagus, maitake mushroom and mozzarella cheese at the @libertychallenge hosted by @hawaiianairlines. #whenpigsfly

See this Instagram photo by @pigandthelady * 354 likes

They also had a sliver of free time to hit up some major hotspots including Katz Deli, Prune, Ramen Lab, Marea, Momofuku, Uncle Boons and many more. 

HALE AINA NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED! — To our surprise, we were nominated for 5 awards. Pinch us. 
 
JULY:

WE GET SPIRITED AWAY! — In collaboration with Hawaii Theatre Center’s Hayao Miyazaki Film Festival, we hosted a SPIRITED AWAY dinner and encouraged diners to come in cosplay, dressed as their favorite Miyazaki created character. It was a sold out event and truly one of the highlights of the year. We were all transported to the wonderful world of Miyazaki. 

“IT’S ALL IN THE REFLEXES.” — This was probably the biggest highlight for us, when Kurt Russell (Jack Burton himself) dined in our restaurant with his partner Goldie Hawn! For diners who have been to our Chinatown restaurant, you may know we have a restroom in honor of Chef Andrew’s most favorite film of all time, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA starring Russell as the one and only Jack Burton! 

Our obsession with the '80s cult classic BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA has come full circle when Jack Burton himself, #KurtRussell, came to dine with us tonight. He was accompanied by his partner, the legendary @officialGoldieHawn, and it was a pleasure and honor serving them dinner. And of course, we wouldn't let ol' Jack leave until we had him pose in our BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA homage restroom! To quote Mr. Burton himself, "Ol' Jack always says... what the hell?"

See this Instagram photo by @pigandthelady * 881 likes

AUGUST:
PIGGY SMALLS CONSTRUCTION BEGINS — We finally got the green light to start the build out of our second location. We also had the unrealistic goal to open at the end of September. We were off by a month, so not bad! 

FREE MILITARY LUNCH — Thanks to an anonymous donor (a regular diner at The Pig & the Lady), who had the requirement for us to provide free lunch to the U.S. military with this donation. Therefore, we worked with Kaneohe Marine Corps and provided 600 lunches for young privates or have no family on island. We filled a lot of tummies that day. 

Our hard working crew and marine volunteers after a great lunch service today. Truly an honor to feed these guys a good meal. We really felt the appreciation. Looking forward to doing this again soon. #marines @pigandthelady @orangelement @justinnomoig @sneakyfern

See this Instagram photo by @jabbalikespho * 107 likes

SEPTEMBER:

We're excited to announce Keaka Lee @keakah3 as our new Chef de Cuisine at our flagship Chinatown location. Executive chef Andrew Le chose Lee for his sensitivity to the quality of ingredients and dedication to good technique in the kitchen. "It's such a privilege to be working with a chef of his caliber. Chef Lee brings a quiet confidence and a supreme work ethic to the team. The Pig & the Lady family is very happy to welcome him on board," said Le.

See this Instagram photo by @pigandthelady * 349 likes

NEW CHEF IN TOWN — We were very fortunate and honored to bring onboard Keaka Lee as Chef de Cuisine, who had just moved back from NYC after working in such revered kitchens like Gramercy Tavern.  Keaka and Andrew make a great team, and the younger cooks are lucky to work under him. 

FUCK! THAT’S DELICIOUS — Chef Andrew and the restaurant was featured in the Hawaii episode of Action Bronson’s food and travel show FUCK! THAT’S DELICIOUS on Vice channel. It was definitely a crazy episode. 

Here is Chef Andrew, Mama Le and his brother Alex at last night's Hale Aina Awards presented by @honolulumag. It was an amazing accomplishment and we can't believe we have come so far. Chef shares this award with his dedicated staff, who he lovingly still calls the kids from the SANDLOT. #sandlotkids #pigandthelady #vietnamesesensibilities

See this Instagram photo by @pigandthelady * 376 likes

HALE AINA AWARDS ARE FINALLY HERE — Never would we think that we would win 5 awards at the Hale Aina Awards including Best Oahu Restaurant and Restauranteur of the Year. It was all a dream that night at the Royal Hawaiian, where the awards were held. It just fuels us to continue what we do and make great food! It definitely ups our game and we are determined to exceed that threshold in 2017. 

OCTOBER:

~ITS ALL GOOD~ Thank you for everyone's support on this crazy journey. It's DAY 6 here and we are pumped for lunch service starting at 11am! (#piggyfan 📷: @goodbyeelliot) #piggysmalls #itsallgood

See this Instagram photo by @piggysmallshawaii * 222 likes

PIGGY SMALLS OPENS! — We held a preview of Piggy Smalls at the farmers market. It allowed Chef Brandon to provide a sneak peek of his new menu and it did not disappoint. A week later, we had our soft opening at the Piggy Smalls at Ward Village. It was one of the most hectic months ever and we were completely fueled by ramen and lack of sleep, but we persevered and it was a great success!

HOSTING MORE CELEBS! — Hi, Jack Black!

Also dinner with @fishsauceborderlaise idol the one and only Mr. Jack Black! @pigandthelady

See this Instagram photo by @jabbalikespho * 213 likes

NOVEMBER: 
HANOI TRIP — Chef Andrew and Mama Le traveled to Hanoi for a quick research trip. This being Mama’s hometown, she had not been back in over 60 years and there was some soul searching, as the family visited her old family home, which was seized by the government and turned into a tenement. It was emotional but apropos to go full circle. They also had some amazing street food, including visiting the now famous bun cha restaurant where President Obama and Anthony Bourdain visited. 

If President Obama and Anthony Bourdain ate here, this is where @fishsauceborderlaise & @jabbalikespho must eat! The original #ObamaBuncha as the locals affectionally call it. Aside from the attention of the celebrity, the bun cha here is legit. #pigsinhanoi #pigandthelady #vietnamesesensibilities

See this Instagram photo by @pigandthelady * 677 likes

DECEMBER:
BLUUURRR — We are still recuperating from a crazy holiday season filled with a plethora of events, private parties, buy outs and record amount of customers who came to dine with us at our two locations. We saw the light at the end of the tunnel on Christmas Eve, when were able to come together as a team and break bread and enjoy each other’s company and also rate each other's ugly Christmas sweaters. It was a perfect capper to a crazy year. 

Staff #Uglysweater Luau today. Despite our staff Xmas lunch being so limited in time, we had tons of fun & laughs and were very proud of the disgustingness that we were able to accomplish. #xmas #familymeal

See this Instagram photo by @jabbalikespho * 178 likes

We all look forward to another amazing year and will work extra hard to really be a vital component in Hawaii's amazing culinary scene. Just as long as you keep coming, we will be there cooking away. Mahalo and Chúc Mừng Năm Mới (Happy New Year)!