"Gone are the days when pork was marketed as the other white meat. These days happy pigs get the steak treatment on menus—quality cuts, dry-aged and charred to more pragmatic temperatures so when you tear inside, the juices run ever so pink, making the need for a sauce optional instead of necessary. Chef Margaret Pak and her team at this South Indian pop-up turned restaurant have incorporated the flavors of her husband’s Keralan roots to showcase a herculean bone-in pork chop that has been deftly marinated in a tomato and curry leaf paste before receiving a deep smoky char. It arrives vibrant and fragrant, artfully draped over a deep-fried yucca cake and coconut-braised greens. It’s finished with a fiery, vinegary peralan sauce that tames the chop’s richness without overpowering the quality pork. For those gathered around the table, it all elicits an eye-popping pause, followed by jittery politeness that’s a primal reaction when something this good is part of a menu where everything is being shared." - ByThe Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors
