Suckling Pig Dish

Quintessential Melbourne! Big fuss, big price, big setback… We went to this new restaurant, Mr. Hive Kitchen and Bar, for a family celebration. We really wanted to go to one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants in Melbourne, Maze, but found out that the chef had left a while ago, and thus his restaurant shut down. To give a new restaurant a chance is just fair, considering that it had some good reviews and it is located in the Crown Casino together with a congregation of excellent restaurants. I shall summarize my experience. The area occupied by Mr. Hive Kitchen and Bar is vast, and the bathroom would easily accommodate a dancing rink. Modern details are abundant everywhere. No less than three hostesses tried to direct us to our reserved table, when we walked in, one for each member of our family. In Oz, waiters are paid by the restaurant, no the patrons, so they don’t make much income from tips. Yes, it sounds fair, but the result is an indigestion-inducing slowness and this restaurant simply that! The first dish landed on the table one hour after we sat down, and the bill ended the evening two and a half hours after our seating… I enjoyed the company, the food and the atmosphere, but almost three hours for a dinner pushes me to desperation. Especially since the main dish, what was supposed to be the highlight of the evening, the suckling pig, ended up being the biggest failure. A chef came from the kitchen with the dish and explained what each piece was, and although this enlightening moment was useful and entertaining, meanwhile the pig got cold and heavy. For a whooping $120, the dish is made to be shared by two people. Check out the picture though. My husband was lucky I wasn’t hungry that evening. Finally, who doesn’t read the name “suckling pig” and immediately get the image of a full roasted piglet embellishing the table with a shiny brown presence? Well, I did, and seeing the miniature suckling pig dishes made me laugh and cry in a notable sunny-rainy culinary moment.