BY GABE HERMAN | One of the Downtown restaurants participating in this summer’s Restaurant Week is Pig and Khao, a Lower East Side spot at 68 Clinton St. that serves Southeast Asian fare, including Filipino and Thai dishes.
Pig and Khao opened in fall 2012. Owner and chef Leah Cohen is a “Top Chef” alum, and the influence of her Filipino upbringing is felt strongly throughout the small restaurant.
The dinner menu includes “small plate” options, such as Thai mushroom salad, baby octopus paksiw, ka prow (with stir-fried beef), Malaysian butter prawns and grilled sirloin. Prices range from $15 to $19.
“Large plate” options — priced from $27 to $35 — include barbecued baby back ribs, Malaysian fried chicken and whole fried fish.
There is also a brunch menu, including steak and eggs, sizzling corned beef hash, longonissa sausage, green papaya salad and brioche French toast.
The space is modestly sized, with 74 seats, including some counter seating, and features an open kitchen. The colorful interior features several artworks on the walls, which all give the place a lively Lower East Side vibe.
Pig and Khao has an overall Yelp rating of 4 out of 5. “All around, the food was pretty good,” one reviewer wrote, saying that portion sizes were good and dishes had a lot of flavor. “It is a smaller establishment so the tables for 2 are a little cramped and it did get quite loud,” the person added.
Another reviewer said she recently went to Pig and Khao during Restaurant Week and that it was a good deal and the food was “excellent.” She added, “The highlights were papaya salad and corn sumtum. The three flavor prawns are packed with… well, flavor!” She said she would definitely go back.
During the summer Restaurant Week, which goes until Aug. 16, the brunch deal at Pig and Khao is $26 per person and $42 for dinner. More information on the restaurant can be found at pigandkhao.com.
