Honey Pig Restaurant

This is the first place in my adult life where I haven't left a tip, and I've had some bad restaurant experiences before. Let me leave the owners one now -- do better, in every sense. I wanted to like this place. I can't.

After receiving a couple recommendations to try Honey Pig from a few different people, I decided to give it a shot to coincide with a special event dinner. My significant other and I are no strangers to Korean cuisine, making rather frequent trips to the local H Marts, Shilla's Bakery, and a handful of other Korean cuisine centric establishments in and around Ellicott City. While those are hardly the same bona fides or credentials as someone from a Korean family, I like to think we have a decent baseline understanding of the food, as well as the generally inviting sense of hospitality and welcoming when someone not from a Korean background wants to try something new. Neither the quality nor the hospitality were present this evening.

After a bit of research using the restaurant's website, Honey Pig beat out other, similar offerings within a reasonable drive, owing to their robust liquor list. Upon arrival, there were many signs indicating that Honey Pig had become a "bring your own booze" establishment, and that a twenty percent surcharge would be added to the bill for anyone who brought in their own liquor. Unaware of the change until our arrival, we briefly stepped outside to get our bearings, and determine if there was a liquor store nearby that may still be open, hopefully in the same or an adjacent shopping center; upon realizing we were out of luck, we returned in, and requested a table. The hostess seated us rather promptly, and save for one other individual who appeared briefly, a bit later on, this is the last particularly positive thing I have to say about our experience. Note that we were seated around 2145 (9:45pm).

As is common for many restaurants, the hostess isn't likely to be your server, and the handoff to our server was painful. We were only able to put our (non-alcoholic, because, you know, they lost their liquor license) drink order in along with the food order. During the ordering process, we did establish that this was our first time to the Honey Pig, and for a moment we were optimistic - perhaps the server will give us a brief rundown of who cooks what, who takes what off the stove, etc. Don't hold our hands by any means - we're grown adults - but the basics would be great. Unfortunately, nothing was done with the information that we were first timers, nothing was explained, and the awkwardness showed for the remainder of our stay.

A dollar fifty for a can of soda is comical, I don't know what else I can say. At least pour it into one of your dirty glasses for us. Speaking of drinks, there were no less than twelve soju promotional posters and banners within eyesight in our immediate seating area - not that I counted - and you know, they would really have helped sell me on a particular brand or two, if only I could've ordered anything with alcohol during my visit. Also, during the odd wait between order being taken and the brisket coming out to be placed on the stove, I couldn't help but notice the scorch marks on most, if not all, of the non-metal serveware, bowls, and plates. Not sure if this is endemic to everyone's experience, or if the staff just didn't like my plaid shirt, but for the budget we had going in (and fortunately stayed well under due to the abbreviated visit), I'd like to eat off a plate that doesn't look like an ashtray.

Brisket - okay. Dumplings - the appetizer - arrived after the brisket was done. Dumplings tasted heavily of sage, and I still haven't gotten the godforsaken aftertaste out of my mouth hours later. Rice cakes - still frozen. Bowl of rice - lukewarm, hard, and not sticky. The young man who brought the dumplings out (blue-silver hair) was sweet - wish he was our waiter. We left at 2212, dumbfounded, at the terrible everything.