The Pig & Tinder Box — Restaurant in New South Wales

There often seems to be an inverse relationship between how beautiful the architecture is, and how good the food is, at restaurants housed in fancy digs; but that’s not the case at The Pig and Tinder Box. Despite being located in Tamworth’s rather grand old bank building, erected in 1892 as the Bank of NSW but more recently occupied by the ANZ Bank, The Pig and Tinder Box don’t rest upon their fine architectural bones.

Sitting somewhere between a pub, a boutique bar and an all-day eatery, The Pig is a Harvest Hotels property. Headed up by Chris Cornforth and Fraser Haughton, this hotelier group focuses upon regional pubs, currently controlling a range of properties across Tamworth and Yass.

We’re lured in for brunch on the wide, airy front balcony with a short list of breakfast cocktails. Garnished with a pickled onion, pickled chilli and rosemary, their well-priced Bloody Mary ($13) is the perfect way to kickstart your Sunday. It’s well-balanced and easy to enjoy. I’m not quite as enamoured with the Breakfast Martini ($16). It’s a particularly sharp start to your day with Gordons Dry Gin, Lillet Rosé, house-made sour mix and not quite enough marmalade to gentle it down to suit the morning vibe.

Perhaps as a nod to their time in Orange NSW with Percy’s Bar & Kitchen, Cornforth and Haughton have chosen to serve Academy Coffee. I find it a bit one-dimensional across a latte and a strong flat white, both served in large orange cups.

With the short menu containing many nods to local producers, like sourdough from Sonny’s Bakery next door and smoked trout from Arc-en-Ciel, it’s surprisingly hard to choose what to eat. The idea of eating roast duck for breakfast pushes us into an English Muffin ($10) that leaves Maccas for dead with a fresh fried egg and house chutney joining the tasty bird.

Unlike most of the Tamworth venues I explored during my recent trip, portions at The Pig are on the small side. It’s hard to complain though when they’re priced to match, with add-on options like House-made Crumpets ($3/each) allowing you to create your own multi-course breakfast. Crumpets, by the way, seem to be done better in Tamworth than they are in Sydney. This pair were airy and golden, without any hint of a stodgy centre; topped off with a smear of creamy passionfruit curd that walks the line between sour and sweet perfectly. Bacon ($4) comes as two thick, country-style rolled up rashers, and is a good add-on whatever you happen to be eating.

Where the menu strays into genius however is with the Chicken & Ginger Congee ($16). This Chinese dish has been Westernised with extra texture with big hunks of breast meat scattered throughout, eating somewhere between a savoury porridge and a comforting chicken soup. Mini toasts add even more texture against bursts of XO sauce, and bright ginger threads. It’s this clever bowl of tasty, health-giving happiness that sends me off into my day...

Where to begin, honestly the vibe of the Resturant was very lively, but the service was yet to be desired. After making a booking.. we arrive slightly early. We were seated and offered water. I then watched the hussle and bussle of the staff and customers. Only to notice the table that was seated after us got their drinks and their meal ordered first! While we waited for our food to arrive, I struggled to get staff's attention as my partner wanted another drink. He ended up having to go the bar itself to ask for one. Finally the food arrived, the entre we ordered was the roast pumpkin bruchetta.. more like dry toast. No flavour, no oil on the bread.. the only flavour i got was that of the balsamic vinegar! The tomahawk that was meant to be medium.. was pre cut on plate and overcooked. My dinner was not to satisfaction only by the pure fact that the lamb was swimming in gravy, puree was watery and the 1 baby potato that came with the dish. The lamb itself was succulent. Dessert was another story. Presentation off the charts. But the brownie is more like a cupcake, light and fluffy and crumbly. The cheesecake however was actually divine. But the Ice Cream it came with had a visious side. Apon first taste it was like strawberry milk, but with a chilli kick after it. My partner was wondering why his mouth was burning while eating something that was meant to be cold. For the price of everything the evening as a...

Came for lunch and my goodness was it unforgettable. It was absolutely delicious, we got the roast pork and skewers, a chicken taco dish, and a meatball/esque dish that was truly, just so i cant explain it just try it. I got dessert as well and it had purple yam in it and a sophisticated ice cream that was both spicy and sweet. I felt like i was at masterchef.

The meats were so tender and seasoned well and divine, appetizers was nice and different and the sides & sauces balance out the dish beautifully.

One thing i would say though is that the presentation off some of the food we ordered was a bit too busy.

Staff were so friendly and atmosphere was fresh and elegant. I'm looking forward to coming back and trying the rest of their menu. Apparently this is under new management and the menu has been revamped and all I can say is please do keep up the good work.

Also worth noting that after that filling meal, i got myself coffee takeaway from them, to push down all that food and the cap was exquisite. I was then told by the lovely barista that they roast their own beans. I had to ask if they sell their beans and grabbed a bag. Exquisite. So so exquisite. Im...