Little Black Pig & Sons — Restaurant in Melbourne

The negative reviews talking of pricing & portion size is to be completely disregarded. I spent my anniversary here with my partner, and booked a table for 2 with a specification of the chef tasting menu. It was nothing short of an amazing experience; from being greeted at the door by the chef himself, to then having the pleasure of making small talk with him we find out the tasting menu is TWO (2) items from each category that can be chosen, anywhere else you go it'd be a choice of ONE solely. My partner and I were very excited and used this as a way to try as much food as we possibly could. Our entree's were Oysters with cucumber, granny smith and avruga caviar & A mini tartlet with prawns, zucchini, pear and avruga caviar.

My partner raved about the oysters on first bite so much so that she ordered another 2 pretty much straight away, the tartlets that I ate upon biting into them were delicious, well presented and packed with flavours. The delicate balance of sweetness from the fresh prawn, and sour from the pear complimented nicely towards the saltiness of the caviar.

The chef steps out of the kitchen to make more rounds to the 3 tables that were sat at this time, asking how we enjoyed the first course. Telling him we loved it he delved into just how much of a staple the oysters are and how they never come off of the seasonal menus (that change every 2 weeks.)

Our next 2 meals are prepared and brought out to us : veal with shallots, chives, aioli (house made) truffle butter and parmigiano reggiano on carta di musica (music sheet) which is a thin cracker. & scallops with cauliflower puree, peach, green chilli, bloody shiraz caviar & dill oil. Both dishes were without fault, the veal was beautifully presented (minus aioli for me due to diet.) upon biting into it instant tastes of clean, fresh veal. The parmigiano reggiano accented the dish beautifully with a nice pungent aroma, and flavour. The chives and shallots heightened the dish and brought a much needed freshness to a very strong flavoured dish.

Meanwhile the scallops were melt in your mouth tender, the cauliflower had such a wonderful smoky texture that I completely forgot that I had cauliflower puree, the peach was hard to taste in the dish but I completely forgot everything past the sheer fresh and tender scallops.

Third set of meals we ordered Pork sausage ragu & handmade agnolotti filled with duck. We were tossing up between the pork ragu and the Hand cut squid ink spaghetti and the chef had ended up just giving us all 3 pastas and refusing to charge us for one of them which was astounding to us.

The pork dish was harmonious, wonderfully blended flavours and the pasta (for all dishes) being hand made every single day was able to be told, with the beautiful spring that is from fresh pasta allowing for a more cohesive sauce made for a dish that lasted a whole of 1 minute on the table.

The duck was delightful, filled with a creamy and hearty filling that just melted away in your mouth and left a savoury taste behind on your palette, accented by the burnt butter which was the lightest and airest burnt butter I've ever tasted.

The seafood spaghetti that had squid ink pasta was by far the best, the clams were juicy, the garlic, chilli and mixture of 3 different kinds of seafood was a perfect end off to the third set of meals,

The fourth course was: Oven baked spring creek barramundi and the Mt. Leura lamb shoulder the lamb was again melt in your mouth delicious with a beautiful gremolata to cut through such a hearty dish & the barramundi was light, crispy, and so, so delicate.

Our dessert was tiramisu & pannacotta, lightest. tiramisu. ever. couldve mistaken it for clouds. Pannacotta was beautiful but a lot more richer than the tiramisu.

The hospitality, price of the menu, the recommendations and sheer friendliness offered to us is something we will never forget, we will make sure to come back.

Thank you David for your hospitality, and your waitress, chef, and dishy for making my partner and I's anniversary the best we...

ORDERED: 🐄 Carne cruda di vitello: finely chopped veal tartare with shallots, chives, aioli, truffle butter and Parmigiano Reggiano on carta di musica ($28.00)

🍝 Ravioli fatti a mano: handmade ravioli filled with spinach, zucchini, leek, buffalo ricotta, mint and nutmeg with burnt butter and sage ($38.00) 🍝 Spaghetti con vongole e granchio: hand-cut squid ink spaghetti with Cloudy Bay clams, Shark bay blue swimmer crab meat, cherry tomato, anchovies, chilli and garlic with bottarga ($43.00) 🥦 Broccolini arrostito: pan-roasted broccolini with chilli, parsley, garlic and anchovies ($16.00)

🎂 Tiramisu della Nonna: traditional, decadent and creamy flavours of chocolate and coffee mixed with a cocktail of sweet liquors, layered with cream and ladyfingers ($18.00)

I spent $75.00 here.

REVIEW: 👨‍🍳 The establishment offers elevated Italian dining on classic starch white tablecloth, while still being very welcoming. I also love their ethos. Support local (e.g. olive oil from Sunbury), hand make where possible (e.g. biscuits for the veal tartare and the pasta) and make sure it's still delicious. 📌

❤ Our top 2 favourites were: Ravioli fatti a mano. An incredible silky burnt butter sauce that infused all the flavours of the vegetables. You could taste the soft pasta texture - yet still al dente - that is the result of it being freshly hand made. This is what my ravioli dreams are made of. ☁ Tiramisu della Nonna. The owner, David, said it would be one of the best tiramisu that we'd ever have. He was right. It was light and borderline crossing sponge-cake territory. My partner isn't a fan of Tiramisu, but he couldn't stop himself from having more! Very sad these dishes may not be available in 2 weeks' time. Rotating menu things. ♻

✨ David's service was amazing. It was a quiet Saturday so we were able to monopolise his attention and hear his thoughts behind the dishes we had. For instance: Taking inspiration from Chinese cooking for the broccolini side and replacing the soy sauce flavour with the umami taste of anchovies. The tiramisu isn't overly dusted with chocolate. This meant the powder doesn't get awkwardly caught in the back of your throat. Much better eating experience 👍.

It's the effort of being incredibly hospitable and the delicious food that makes this so memorable. I would whole heartedly recommend Little...

I don’t usually write reviews, but my recent experience dealing with your restaurant was so disappointing that I feel compelled to share it. I’ve always supported local businesses and dined at your restaurant several times, even recommending it to others. For a special occasion—my husband’s and my best friend’s birthdays—I booked a table over a month in advance for 25th September, as we had guests flying in from overseas.

Here’s what happened:

04/08/2024: I booked online for 7 people. 17/09/2024: I emailed to change the booking to 6 but didn’t get a response, so I called. David confirmed it was fine. 21/09/2024: I drove pass and noticed renovations were still ongoing. 23/09/2024: I called to confirm the booking again. David assured me it was fine. 24/09/2024 (7:55 PM): I received a message cancelling the booking due to unfinished renovations.

I was shocked to be informed less than 24 hours before the booking, especially after confirming it just two days earlier. I understand that delays happen, but notifying customers at the last minute is unacceptable. Canceling a special reservation for 6 people via text, without any follow-up, is incredibly unprofessional.

In the past, you’ve told us that family comes first for you, which is why you reduced your business hours, and I respect that. But try putting yourself in my shoes. You’d be just as disappointed and upset as I am right now, especially because your choice to cancel the reservation at the last minute didn’t just affect me—it disappointed my loved ones on their special day.

The issue isn't just the cancellation—it's how it was handled. I replied to the message that same night, but no one responded. I understand that you make the rules in your restaurant, but remember: the success of your business doesn’t just depend on your food. It depends on how you treat your customers. If you feel I’m being unreasonable or that anything I’ve said is incorrect, feel free to reach out. I’m happy...