The Golden Pig Restaurant and Cooking School — Restaurant in Brisbane City

First of all, I'd like to say, food here is AMAZING. I have also been to the cooking school, and have enjoyed it immensely.

The reason why I gave a 1 star review and most likely won't ever come back here again was purely based on the absolutely shocking service.

I have made a booking here for dinner on a Saturday night and had sing praises to my partner about this restaurant, so he was anticipating an excellent meal and experience. But as soon as we got to the restaurant, the lady asked for our booking, and without even asking for my name, she sat us at a dining table that wasn't set. We then waited about 15mins to get served. The food came, but there still wasn't any plates or cutlery. We asked for plates and cutlery, the waitress didn't even set it, instead literally "dumped" it into the cutlery basket. The waiter who placed our food on the table literaly "slide" the plate in from the corner of the table and left it there. Our table was so poorly placed that the waiters/waitresses always walk behind our chairs and they always bumped it, resulting in my partner and I having to slide our chairs back to prevent that from happening every 30 seconds. We ordered mocktails, two different flavours, but both tasted very similar as it was so watered down.

We nearly walked out after the first 5 minutes of sitting down, but I convinced my partner to stay and at least taste the food. And we LOVE the food but HATED the service.

To make matters worse, we finally walked up to the front desk to pay, and the lady LOST our order in the computer. We did tell her of our grievances and she did gave us a free meal with a promise that the GM will give us a call and explain. The call never came. So I will never go back, to the restaurant or to the cooking class, I won't recommend this restaurant to anyone nor will I take anyone here ever again.

Shame but, Thanks...

We waited for 1.5hours for our meals and we decided to leave because we were very hungry. There were also other patrons that left without receiving their meals.

There was no communication or updates until we asked the server who apologized for the delay but there was no explanation or action.

We only received our small plates/appetizers after 45mins which also did not come at the same time. It was a really awkward dining experience. The drinks also arrived 15-20 mins after we ordered (we ordered non-alcoholic spritz and a gin).

The appetizers that we received were really small, expensive, and did not taste fantastic ($27 for 2 pcs tiger prawns that were not fresh, $22 for "4pcs sri lankan lamb pan rolls" that were mediocre and basically 2 pcs that were halved, $17 for 4 small blocks of bland szichuan tofu).

One of the medium plates, duck leg curry $30, arrived just when we were about to leave and it looked really sad with just 2 skinny duck drumsticks (not a maryland or LEG) and a small amount of sauce. No comment on the duck curry because we were literally leaving when it arrived.

No comment on the main meals (2 barramundi, 1 pork belly, 1 beef cheek) and sides (roti) as we didn't even get to see them after 1.5 hours.

The non-alcoholic spritz drinks cost $12 which consist of sparkling water and some syrup/fruit juice. Lack of effort.

What a disappointment.

Our reservation was on 27 May 2022 at 6pm...

Had to double check we got the right address, as in an old industrial area of Newstead, but once you see the sign, and look inside the brick warehouse you see it is full of diners.

There’s a small bar area as you enter and the long space has been converted from a motorcycle workshop into a restaurant and cooking school, with an open kitchen in the middle, lots of climbing plants, and spaced out tables, giving privacy while feeling part of the experience.

And that experience is to try pan-Asian food, quite innovative, all very tasty and full of flavour. Staff were attentive, and gave individual advice on what off the large menu of dishes and plates to share that are recommended. The succession of plates arrived in good time, and each was distinct, nicely presented, and packed with flavour.

My advice is find some things you want to try, and work out with your dining companions to get the shortlist. The plates are designed for sharing and also slow eating. There’s a good drink list, including their own cocktails, and the meal can be nicely rounded off with one of the desserts such as the donuts with mandarin curd and mandarin ice cream, or the pear with chocolate ice cream.

I liked the vibe and the service, and the food was memorable, meaning it is on my list to return to. The location means that rather than stumble upon this place, you are more likely to hear about it through...