[NON-HALAL]
The dog’s name, surprisingly enough, is Bacon. According to Timothy Sebastian and Pearl Dawson, the husband-and-wife restaurant owners, the establishment was named after their precious pooch, a five-year-old miniature poodle.
“We named him that because we love bacon a lot,” Sebastian, 40, told FMT with a laugh.
As you might have guessed, Hungry Bacon primarily serves delectable pork-based dishes, with bacon prominently featured on its menu.
Sebastian, a chef with more than two decades’ experience, aims to serve “pure, down-to-earth comfort food” at the restaurant, which opened in October.
“The idea is for customers to come here, have a good meal, learn that the food is tasty and value for their money, and return again,” he said.
Good service is also important to the couple, so, while Sebastian runs the kitchen, Dawson meets and greets customers to ensure they are happy and satisfied.
“It’s something a lot of customers appreciate, and along the way, we’ve made a lot of friends as well,” the 39-year-old Dawson shared.
So what are some of the must-trys on the menu?
Start your meal with the bacon cones, a unique appetiser. Resembling a sushi hand roll, each cone is formed using baked bacon and generously filled with bacon chilli con carne.
It is topped with cheese sauce, pico de gallo – a type of Mexican salsa containing onions and chopped tomatoes, among others – jalapenos, and sour cream… making every bite satisfyingly rich!
Another appetiser not to be missed are the bacon-wrapped chicken “lollipops” – a combination of juicy chicken drumettes and pork sausage stuffing, wrapped inside crispy bacon and served on a bed of mayonnaise, basil oil, and barbecue sauce.
Despite their petite size, they sure pack a powerful punch when it comes to taste and flavour!
The Ultimate Nachos, also off the appetiser menu, certainly hits all the right spots. The crunchy corn tortilla chips are topped with crispy bacon bits and jalapenos, resulting in a dish best enjoyed with a generous amount of hot cheese sauce poured all over.
The platter also comes with bacon chilli con carne, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole – so go ahead and choose your preferred dip to dunk the cheesy tortilla chips into!
Looking to get your fill of vegetables? The bacon-wrapped pumpkin salad is a scrumptious option.
The slow-roasted pumpkin wedge wrapped with bacon is served with rocket leaves, spinach, feta cheese, chickpeas, and homemade balsamic pearls, which add a nice pop of flavour with every bite.
Sundried tomatoes provide a sweet touch, while the pine nuts and croutons bring some crunch to the dish. There is also a vegetarian option that comes without the bacon.
On to the mains! The BBQ ribs, a must-try here, are tender and flavourful. This isn’t surprising as Sebastian uses his own signature dry rub on the ribs before slow-baking them for three and a half hours.
Similarly, the bacon ribs are slow-baked for the same amount of time, resulting in succulent, fall-off-the-bone meat that tastes like a cross between ribs and bacon.
Both dishes are served with fries, homemade coleslaw, and corn bread with four different sauces to choose from: BBQ, garlic BBQ, black pepper, and sweet Guinness. Yum!
The pork tomahawk is one of the most popular items at Hungry Bacon. The bone-in pork loin is brined in-house for 48 hours – time well spent, as evidenced by the juicy and flavourful meat.
It is served with creamy homemade truffle mash, broccoli, roasted garlic, and gravy.
Just like the tomahawk, the pork shoulder chop is brined for two days, resulting in tender meat that blends wonderfully with the delectable flavours of herb butter and homemade truffle mash.
Meanwhile, for an Asian touch, the “nasi kerabu babi percik kembar” is an exquisite dish that mustn’t be missed.
Fluffy rice – coloured blue by the petals of butterfly pea flowers – is served with a variety of side dishes such as crispy pork lard and fish crackers, as well as salted egg and sambal belacan, among others.
For the curious, “kembar” refers to the double skewers of succulent “babi percik” – pan-fried pork further baked in an oven. To truly enjoy this dish, make sure you mix the delicious side dishes together with the rice before partaking of it.
To quench your thirst, you have to try the intriguingly named “assam the bois”. Freshly made from calamansi limes and asam boi, and topped with calamansi sorbet, this refreshing drink goes well with all the scrumptious food and provides a sweet and tart contrast to the savoury fare.
Finally, end your feast with Hungry Bacon’s chocolate lava cake, which is served with a generous amount of chocolate sauce, creamy vanilla ice cream from local ice-cream maker Forty Licks, fresh strawberries, and almonds – making each spoonful absolutely tantalising. Go nuts!
Learn more about Hungry Bacon via its Facebook and Instagram profiles.
Hungry Bacon (non-halal and serves alcohol)
33, Jalan SS21/56B,
Damansara Utama,
47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Business hours:
5pm-12am (Tuesdays to Fridays)
12pm-12am (Saturdays)
12pm-10pm (Sundays)