Hungry Bacon – Pork Restaurant, Damansara Utama
Words: Monica Tindall
Photos: Han Sen Hau
If you love pork, Hungry Bacon should be at the top of your KL to-visit list. This cosy establishment in Damansara Utama has a menu worth pigging out on.
The COVID pandemic caused many to take a step out of their comfort zone, turning more than a few employees into employers. As was the case with Chef Timothy Sebastian. Switching jobs just before the world shut down, he was forced into entrepreneurship and Hungry Bacon was born. Veteran chef Timothy says, “things got complicated, and when push came to shove, I had to take things into my own hands.” The search began for a suitable location, and he and his wife Pearl settled on a cosy shop lot in Damansara Uptown. The dark grey and black palette is accented with splashes of chrome and warm lighting, with room for up to 45 diners. The front half of the restaurant has bench seating, and the back half is more suitable for lingering longer with padded leather chairs. And the name? They wanted something catchy, and their miniature poodle Bacon was always at the table with hungry eyes, hence Hungry Bacon.
Hungry Bacon Menu
As you’d expect from the name, there’s plenty to pig out on at Hungry Bacon. The pork-dominant menu is unapologetically meaty, with possibly the most porcine dishes we’ve come across in a single menu. Timothy explains, “the menu is compact. It’s what we can execute consistently.” It’s probably not advised to bring your vegetarian friends here. Still, there is a trio of meat-free dishes – mushroom soup, pumpkin salad and basil pesto pasta – if your plant-based friends enjoy your company so much that they are willing to tag along with the carnivores to eat.
Good things come to those who wait, and the team at Hungry Bacon thoughtfully reminds diners of this. Many dishes listed have an estimated cooking time of 15 to 30 minutes, and some require a two-day advance order. So take note and plan ahead if you like to eat the second you sit down.
Appetisers & Snacks
How can you make nachos, a classic and much beloved Mexican snack, even better? Add bacon! Hungry Bacon’s Ultimate Nachos (RM 49) has the usual crunchy corn tortilla chips drizzled with cheese sauce served with sour cream, guacamole, pico de galo and jalapeños. However, the kicker is the bacon chilli con carne and bacon bits as extras. There’s a little drama in the entrance, served tableside with cheese sauce (cheddar, mozzarella and cream) poured over upon delivery. It sounds decadent, right? It is! But vinegar and Tabasco cut the richness, making it hard to stop digging back in.
If there ever was a candy I would eat (I don’t have a sweet tooth), it might be a Bacon Lollipop (RM 32)! These plump, bacon-wrapped chicken drumettes are stuffed with pork sausage on a bed of mayonnaise and barbeque sauce. It’s a bit like the local boxing chicken dish, only with bacon. Cooked upon order, they’re incredibly moist, with the fat melted into the drumettes.
With pork coming all the way from Spain for the Iberico Satay (RM 65), these skewers are lightly marinated so as not to overpower the natural delicate flavour of the collar. There’s a tasty satay sauce on the side with chilli oil and an ingenious pineapple chutney. It’s a rather elegant take on a classic and we love the bright condiments that pair with it.
Wild Boar Peratal (RM 31) gets high acclaim, and Tim and Pearl say that if there is a single dish to try from the menu, this is it. A multi-generational family recipe, it’s served with white bread and papadoms for scoops for the thick, dry curry. It’s delivered sizzling in a clay pot, and the lid removal and rising steam enlighten us with an aromatic preview. A curious fact about the preparation of this dish is that the garam masala ratio changes depending on the sex of the boar. Apparently, males have a stronger flavour and smell, and females are much more refined.
Salad
So hardcore are Timothy and Pearl that they even manage to wrap salad in bacon! Bacon-wrapped Pumpkin Salad (RM 36) is a tower of slow-roasted pumpkin wedges enveloped in bacon, surrounded by rocket, spinach, chickpeas, sundried tomatoes, feta cheese, pine nuts and a topping of balsamic pearls. It’s so popular that several attempts to remove it from the menu have been met with fierce backlash – even Tim’s own mum threatened not to return until it was back on the menu.
Porky Sharing Signatures
The next two dishes are made for sharing, so bring friends! Firstly, BBQ Ribs (RM 90) are slow-cooked and basted with your choice of sauce and sided with fries, coleslaw and sweet cornbread. They’re Hungry Bacon’s top sellers, and we can taste why. The flesh fulfils the old adage of “fall off the bone tender” and comes with four house-made sauces – garlic barbecue (most popular), sweet Guinness, black pepper (packs a punch with Sarawak black pepper), and a non-spicy barbecue sauce.
If you’d like to try the Baby Porchetta (RM 97), you must give a two-day advance order to ensure it’s ready for your table. The slow-roasted Spanish pork is accompanied by truffle mash, broccoli, au jus, romesco and roasted garlic. The pork belly is stuffed with thyme, garlic, orange zest, salt and black pepper. The secret to the faint sweetness in the meat is an orange juice bath while roasting. It aids in cutting the richness of the pork belly with a mild fruitiness and acidity.
Hungry Bacon Mains Menu
Another hearty main is the Pork Shoulder Chop (RM 45), which has been brined for 48 hours and smoked. It, too, comes with truffle mash, broccoli, romesco, herb butter, and gravy. We appreciate the natural flavours and don’t think it needs any sauce. Still, if you’re a saucy kind of person… sauce away.
The Nasi Kerabu Babi Percik (RM 44) might be my favourite dish thanks to the complete experience of all the components. Blue pea flower rice is plated with separate piles of solok lada (mackerel-stuffed chillies), salted egg, fresh ulam (ulam raja, selom, laksa leaf, torch ginger), fish crackers, homemade percik sauce, budu and sambal belacan (pungent and spicy, these two are not my favourite, but others really dig them). The server tips the mini containers over the rice, gives it a good squeeze of lime, and then… makes a mess! The muddle is a flavour bomb!
Dessert
With a small kitchen, desserts are limited but well chosen. Actually, we’re surprised that diners still order dessert after indulging in all of that pork. However, we’re told they do! Chocolate Lava Cake (RM 25) is worth the 17-minute wait time, spilling in a gooey, chocolatey river when broken. The warm cake and sauce contrast with a scoop of local artisanal Forty Licks vanilla ice cream. It’s pretty yum!
Hungry Bacon Drinks Menu
You’re going to need something to wash down that feast, and Hungry Bacon’s refreshments are all made in-house. Assam The Bois (RM 11) cools us off on this warm afternoon. It’s an icy mix of calamansi lime juice and dried sour plum topped with calamansi sorbet. Sour, sweet and a little salty, we can see why it’s their best seller. Ginger Pop (RM 11) is ginger juice with an awesome kick blended with lime juice, honey, brown sugar, and mint and topped up with ginger soda. For something on the sweeter side, Berry Healthy (RM 22) is smoothie-thick with fresh blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and grapes blended with yoghurt and ice.
There’s also a handful of bottled beers if you believe a beer and pork is the perfect match. Alternatively, there’s a tiny RM20 corkage for wine or RM50 for spirits, which includes four glasses with mixers.
Reasons to visit Hungry Bacon: live life high on the hog with a porky feast fit for a king; cosy, casual environment with friendly service; must-tries are the Ultimate Nachos, Bacon-wrapped Pumpkin Salad, Wild Boar Peratal and Nasi Kerabu Babi Percik.
Hungry Bacon
33 Jalan 2221/56B, Damansara Utama
47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Link to Hungry Bacon on Google Maps
+60377329013
[email protected]
@hungrybaconrestaurant @hungrybaconmy
Hungry Bacon Opening Hours
Tuesday – Friday: 5 pm – 11 pm
Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays: 12 – 3 pm & 6 – 10 pm (first slot 6- 7:30 pm, 2nd slot 8 – 10 pm)
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