I knew Golden Pig was a small one woman operation and her leanings were home cooked Korean. I couldn't wait to try her food. The owner was very warm & welcoming and we were seated at one of 2 tables in the restaurant. There were also 2 other patrons seated at the bar that had 4 stools. It's a tiny operation. We ordered the Korean Pancake with Kimchi to start. My husband ordered the bul dak chicken that was described as fiery hot. I ordered the pork daeji bulgogi.
Our Korean Pancake arrived with 2 starter plates with some amazing Korean Coleslaw, Kimchi & other assorted veggies. I mixed all the starter goodies with my kimchi pancake & it worked. Without these enhancements the pancake wasn't nearly as exciting.
Both of our main dishes arrived with what appeared to be a similar sauce - the color of hot cheetos (that's literally off the Post Gazette review that hung above our table & he nailed it!). The sauces were nearly identical & I actually preferred it over my husband's chicken than my pork. Spice on a 1-10 scale was probably a 7 for the chicken & a 5 on the pork. That was about the only difference in the sauces that I could discern. It was definitely a home cooked style & pretty good.
If I lived close enough to frequent Golden Pig, I believe the owner's charming personality could woo me into a 4 star. She's quite fun and really brings her personality into her cooking. Realistically it's a 3.5 rating. Although I 100% get the plethora of 5 star ratings she's getting from regulars who adore her.
We are in love with Korean food & have tried some truly stellar places, sadly not in Pittsburgh. Not yet anyway.