Ever tried a rhubarb and custard Negroni? Us neither but after ordering one at Five Little Pigs in Wallingford we are total converts. Smooth, tart and boasting a subtle vanilla custard infusion it was a revelation that we’ll never forget. Throw in the equally ingenious lemon balm margarita and some sterling bloody Mary’s (always a mark of a good restaurant) and we knew we were in for an unforgettable lunch.
If you haven’t visited the gorgeous little independent Wallingford restaurant you’re missing out. Unique in every way, head chef Aimee Collins‘ menus are whimsical and imaginative. Constantly changing with the seasons, her experimental menus reflect her creative culinary brain, meaning that you always try something novel and delicious.
The bread board proved our point, because if you want to get a handle on how good Five Little Pigs in Wallingford is, then it’s a great indicator. The perfect precursor to our meal, the Lawlor’s bread board stopped us in our tracks. Thin slices of salty homemade rye and honey crispbread, pungent rosemary and sea salt focaccia, bouncy Oxford sourdough, and rich, chocolate coloured rye and oat malt loaf served with a large dollop of chive, mint, fennel and wild garlic butter, with crispy sage.
Slathering on the green, flecked, light, whipped butter with indecent haste, and marvelling at the variety and dexterity of the bread offering, it heralded an exceptional meal.
Five Little Pigs brings something really original to the table and is still one of our favourite restaurants
Then another board from the all day dining menu small plate section, this time spring vegetable tempura with a vibrant, bright yellow aioli and pickled chillies (£9) as we played guess the vegetable, their contents swathed in a light crispy batter.
The cured trout with pickled rhubarb, horseradish and crispbread (£10.50) was nostalgic and simple, the fish sweet, mild, and more delicate than its smoked variety, while the beef tallow choux bun with braised ox cheek and bone marrow horse radish cream (£10.50) was like unwrapping a present; the light, savoury baked shell enclosing the rich, soft, melt in the mouth slow-cooked spoonful of beef.
But it was the three cornered leek and Witheridge savoury doughnuts (£9) that stole the show, an easy order but the finished product defied belief, the hot, crispy, doughy balls immersed in a fragrant cheesy sauce and a burnt leek ketchup – we couldn’t get enough of them and their ingenuity.
Throw in the heritage beetroot with Jersusalem artichoke and walnut, and the jersey royals (£6) and we were all set, the potato dish another highlight – crunchy with capers and pickled shallot and flavoured with lemon and herbs.
We vowed to stick to the small plates but the wild garlic risotto with sage, hazelnut and whipped ricotta (£19) was impossible to resist, the wild garlic season so short, and we were amply rewarded. Risotto can be predictable, stodgy and bland, but here the crunch of nut, dreamy herb oil, and the pungency of the wild garlic soon cleared the plate.
Groaning over just the thought of dessert, the vanilla and orange panna cotta with roasted rhubarb an pistachio biscuits soon put paid to that – the panna cotta slippery, the spoon sucking, the rhubarb cutting though the creamy sweetness, offset by the crunchy pistachio biscuits.
What a lunch! It was the middle of the week but our meal still felt like a seismic occasion. So don’t underestimate The Five Little Pigs effect, because its legacy stretches far and wide throughut the community, alongside their pub The Bear in North Moreton and their dalliance with The Keep cocktail bar up the road where we enjoyed a basil cocktail before heading home.
So pop in for their bottomless brunch, lunch or dinner, and revel in one of Oxfordshire’s best restaurants because Five Little Pigs brings something really original to the table and is still one of our favourites.
Five Little Pigs is at 26 St Mary’s Street, Wallingford. OX10 0ET https://www.fivelittlepigs.co.uk
