For over 40 years now, anybody travelling down O’Connell Street would have noticed a giant pink pig sticking out of a building wall. With recent renovations of nearby venues, it not nearly as prominent as it once was. The outside might look a bit tacky, but the inside is more modern with a casual vibe. With a long and narrow floor plan, this venue does lack natural light towards the rear of the building. Dim lighting can create a more intimate experience, but this place certainly isn’t fine dining and I certainly wouldn’t be impressing a woman at this place.

With a place called the Pink Pig, you would expect a large selection of pork menu items or at the very least, cooks that know how to cook pork. Surprisingly, there is only half a dozen pork dishes. The rest of the menu is made up of the other main proteins such as beef, kangaroo, fish and chicken. There’s also a few Italian and Asian inspired dishes thrown into the mix. Tonight, I ordered the Pork Spare Ribs. With a complimentary bib and a wet towelette, there wasn’t going to be any neat way of eating this dish.

The meal arrived after a 15 minute wait and was nicely presented. As expected, all meals arrived at the same time. The dish came with a bowl of their famous spicy sauce which turned out to be not too spicy but more of a subtle sweetness. The serving size seemed generous, but when you cut up the ribs into individual pieces, it does increase the volume on the plate. I’ve also seen nicer and larger cuts of pork ribs in my time. The pork was well marinated, lean and meaty, however, the meat didn’t easily fall off the bone and some portions were really dry. The meal came with a garnish that looked like coleslaw but turned out to be pickled vegetables. It was alright but didn’t really complement the ribs.

My friend had the Roast Pork Scotch Fillet. I was informed that the dish was really good except for the pork skin, that was too hard to eat, and a few fatty bits that weren’t too appetising.

The staff were friendly and the service was above average. Drinks were brought out promptly and plates were cleared as we finished. The atmosphere was relaxed, even with the dinner crowd rushing in. The pricing was slightly above average with the ribs costing $33. This is equivalent to the “all you can eat” ribs option from the nearby competitor. The ribs here were definitely better but the price point could be a bit cheaper.

Overall, not a bad dining experience, but there are areas of improvement that could be made. I’m in no rush to eat here again, but I wouldn’t discount coming back.

WHERE: 50 O’Connell St, North Adelaide