Dinner at Little Black Pig & Sons
We were excited to receive an invitation to visit Little Black Pig & Sons Italian restaurant, a hidden gem in Heidelberg. Owner and chef David Lakhi’s artisan touch is everywhere—he not only makes the hand-cut pasta in-house but even crafted the restaurant’s pottery plates and custom lighting.
For David, pasta is an art form. As he puts it, “You don’t get the feel from a machine.” This passion shows in his signature Cavatelli, cooked low and slow, allowing the sauce to seep into every curve.
The newly renovated restaurant with extended dining room is a moody haven, with attractive artwork, black walls, white tablecloths, and soft spotlighting that sets the stage for a refined experience.
Little Black Pig and Sons has a loyal clientele who love the ever-changing innovative biweekly menu. For me this was one of my favorite dining experiences of the year.
We savored a tasting menu brimming with highlights: from smoky Oysters with caviar to gin-cured Kingfish with rhubarb and bottarga, and a Tartare of kangaroo elevated by truffle butter. The Olasagasti anchovies with egg, caramelized fennel and chargrilled bread delivered a bold punch, while the Vitello tonnato and Polenta with seasonal mushrooms were delicate and full of flavor.
Agnolotti del plin, with its rich, roasted filling, and the rustic Squid ink spaghetti with Cloudy Bay clams and Shark Bay blue swimmer crab meat, were standouts.
Posce al forno featured melt in your mouth oven-baked Port Lincoln SA pink snapper.
Arrosto di malale, slow cooked rolled pork belly, was another rustic triumph, and Bistecca di manzo, chargrilled pasture-fed black angus 350gm rib eye, was cooked to perfection.
The hero of the night was the Cavatelli —tender, slow-cooked Flinders Ranges SA venison ragù melded with garlic and sage, embodying David’s ethos of crafting everything in-house with heart.
Tiramisu was decadent and creamy, and the panna cotta and flourless chocolate cake were exceptional. All wines were excellent but finishing with a 1993 @grantburgewines Meshach was a delightful surprise.
Little Black Pig and Sons is one of Melbourne’s true suburban heroes.