Fans of chef Chris Yang and his popular former Hawaiian spot Aina (RIP), and/or pop-up projects like El Chino Grande, will be excited to hear (if they haven't already) that he's opened a new brick-and-mortar spot on Mission Street.
It's called Piglet & Co., it's currently in soft-opening mode, and Yang is serving up some delicious looking ribs in addition to other pig parts, with dishes inspired by Taiwanese night markets. The place is, appropriately enough, in the former Southpaw BBQ space at 2170 Mission Street, and it's co-owned by Yang's partner, Marcelle Gonzalez Yang.
Sometime Chronicle and Esquire food writer Omar Mamoon raves about some "plump pork and shrimp toast (pfg), creamy congee with smoked egg yolk," as well as "these insane mala bbq pork ribs, which feature mala miso glazed ribs roasted then grilled over binchotan and finished with creamy umami koji mayo, pickled red onions, and crispy rice pearls—each bite is a little flavor bomb blast."
And the Chronicle's Mario Cortez has been by, and describes the lighting scheme as "dim violet lights that seem to channel the humming neon signs above a night market stall." And Cortez highlights the ribs, the toasts, and the only dessert on the menu, a "coconut tapioca porridge with red bean, bits of mochi, kiwi, cara cara orange slices and persimmon."
There are also some chili-glazed chicken wings, and a whole steamed trout on the menu.
“To be a traditional Taiwanese restaurant, you have to be in Taiwan," Yang told the Chronicle last fall when he first spoke about the upcoming opening, explaining his nontraditional approach. And so, diners shouldn't expect to find Taiwanese cuisine, per se, but food that is inspired by "night markets throughout Asia and late night food in general," as partner Marcelle Gonzalez Yang tells SFist.
Piglet & Co. is currently open Wednesday to Saturday, with reservations for just a handful of tables available via Resy. The grand opening is on January 28. A full menu is still forthcoming on the restaurant's website.