Chez Piggy in Kingston is one of the two most upscale, expensive and gourmet restaurants ( the other one being Le Chien Noir). A friend and I saw on their menu online the CHARCUTERIE PLATE composed of Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio, Abner Sausage, Foie Gras Pâté, Rabbit Rillettes, Beaufort Cheese, Rhubarb Compote and Fig. Having just come back from an exchange in Paris, we were highly pumped about going to a local restaurant in Kingston , ON , Canada and savor and reminisce about Paris. The platter turned out to be more than what we expected. The Rabbit Rillettes and the Foie Gras Pate with Rhubarb Compote drizzling on top were absolute blasts, probably better than some of the places in Paris. The Rabbit Rillettes and the Foie Gras were tender, juicy, moist to the right degree and absolutely original tasting. I always think that the best -tasting food are the ones that are the simplest and most original to the extent that you can clearly distinguish what you are tasting but at the same time, be amazed at the texture and the correct composition. The Carpaccio, sausage and cheese are decent as well. The only problem I had was with the fig which was dry and untasty. Apart from that, everything on that platter mixed very well with our toasted little pieces of bread that came with. Delicious indeed. Then we ordered their special of the night : scallops with Risotto. To be honest, we both agreed that had we stopped at the platter and proceeded with the desert, our dinner experience would have been better. The scallops were fine , but the Risotto tasted not like a conglomerate of creamy rice with some seafood flavor, but hard, hard rice that did not go smoothly on the palate. We both gave up after couple bites. So much for the expensive dish. The desert was decent: French-style chocolate mousse which again tasted original and not too sugary like most of the North American deserts. Deserts should never taste sugary to the extent that they are taking away the flavor of the ingredients that go into them. In fact, some of the best deserts I have had in both Paris and here are absolutely free of the heavy-sugar, heavy-icing and the additive sweetness . Not as good as the chocolate raspberry ice cream in Grecos but very decent for sure. We also had Sangria to pair with our food which came in nice presentation but tasted just okay. Our appetizer baby spinach salad was quite nice as well, not exactly the most refreshing but you can taste the good olive oil that went on there.
Special note on the location and the decor of the place. I love the little courtyard you have to go through before entering the restaurant. I could only imagine in the summer when the courtyard will be converted into a dining area and how lovely that would be. However, the decor inside, shall I describe, is horrendous, not fitting at all with the reputation of the restaurant. Upscale? only when you sit down and notice the right hand side of the menu. The decor looks like 18th century Shakespearean palace (obviously not as big) with a jarring collection of Persian Rugs, depressing art pieces and cheap-looking polygon lamps. In other words, there happens to be no consistent style at all within the restaurant. I have to say that the lay-out of the restaurant is quite beautiful and I regret that the interior decoration overshadows the lay-out in a very bad way.
I am definitely thinking of buying their award-winning Chez Piggy cookbook. But the problem is I kind of have to find someone to cook with. Cooking for yourself , especially gourmet -cooking, is never too fun if no one enjoys with you over a beautiful glass of wine.
