3AW: The place Emilia reviewed which rivals Melbourne’s top Italian restaurants!
Press PLAY to hear Emilia’s full review on 3AW Breakfast.
Move aside a linen, privacy curtain as you enter the moody, textured walls of Little Black Pig & Sons in Heidelberg.
3AW - Emilia Reviews
Suburban strip shops meet Italian fine dining. When you’re in the newly re-done, perfectly laid back but sophisticated walls at Little Black Pig & Sons you can hardly imagine you’re actually below Warrigal Shopping Centre and diagonal from a 7-Eleven.
The charming Italian ristorante has undergone a transformation from its humble beginnings as a lawnmower repair shop and Italian deli.
The restaurant’s philosophy is rooted in cucina povera meaning ‘the kitchen of the poor’, showcasing locally sourced, seasonal ingredients in their ever-changing fortnightly menus.
Our attentive waiter also explained that they have a focus on making as much as they can in house.
They use formal European dining etiquette where they wait until you’ve finished each course before bringing the next, that is to say – you’ve been warned, if you have slow eaters at your table or want the service a little quicker make sure to tell them.
There’s two dining options: an à la carte menu and their five-course tasting menu priced at $125 per person, or $190 with matching wines.
I found their tasting menu a bit steep until I tasted the food. They did have gluten-free options but said they were only available in the set menu which I found odd.
Curating an extensive wine selection, there are many a Nebbiolo featured amongst distinguished vintages from Australia, Italy, France, and Argentina.
Anticipate a culinary experience rivaling Melbourne’s finest Italian institutions along Lygon Street or strewn in the laneways throughout the CBD.
Starting with tortino con capesante; which were mini tartlets filled with a combination of green peas, scallops, and celeriac, topped with a black garlic gel. The tartlet itself was actually the highlight of this dish for me, wafer-thin but so tasty.
We also had the mozzarella di bufala which for $28 I didn’t feel won me over enough.
A bit adventurous but the winner of entree for me was clearly the Australian-Italian fusion antipasto; finely chopped Paroo Darling kangaroo tartare with shallots, chives, truffle butter, parmigiano, and crisp carta di musica flatbread.
Even my friend who struggled with the thought of eating kangaroo liked it.
The homemade pastas shone through in the mains, pappardelle con ragù di agnello was a favourite around the restaurant, wide ribbon pasta with Mt. Leura lamb ragù.
It’s a luxurious take on the classic spaghetti bolognese, the pappardelle was three times the size of any average pasta.
On the opposite end of pasta, the casoncelli fatti a mano was a perfect balance against the richness of the ragù. Handmade pasta parcels, filled with squacquerone (a soft Italian cheese), silverbeet, zucchini, mint, and nutmeg, served with a burnt butter and sage sauce.
Luckily, the pastas weren’t heaped onto the plate because it left room for steak.
A substantial chargrilled 350g rib eye steak from pasture-fed Black Angus, cut off the bone but served with it still on the plate. On a bed of Swiss mushrooms, silverbeet, and a decadent burnt truffle butter.
The steak itself was also crusted in a thin layer of the same ingredients. Decadent.
Don’t plan to skip dessert here, you will live to regret it when they put the dolci menu in front of you. Get both the torta al cioccolato, which is in no simpler terms chocolate fudge in cake shape.
Also, I don’t know if the magic of tiramisu is that you think every time you have it it’s the best tiramisu you’ve had but I genuinely felt that way about this tiramisu, ‘Tiramisu della Nonna’.
Translating to ‘Grandmother’s Tiramisu’, layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone cream, with a unique family recipe twist.
Overall, I thought they should let the food speak for itself, I didn’t think they needed to be as fancy in their service as they were at times but it was a part of the whole experience.
Little Black Pig & Sons is more than just a restaurant; it’s a celebration of local partnerships, seasonal ingredients, and culinary creativity. It was my mistake to underestimate it.