It’s not often that you find Indian restaurants specialising in pork dishes, and that’s why Meat The Porkers in Damansara Heights is quite the unique eatery.
Founded by chef Herukh Jethwani, the spot features intriguing and “porky” takes on Indian food.
Herukh himself was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, boasting a Bachelor’s degree in F&B and Hospitality Management at Taylor’s University and Université de Toulouse in France.
“I got into the food and beverage industry because it’s in my blood,” he shared with Vulcan Post. “My father has owned a Bangles restaurant since the ‘80s, and I grew up there, running around the restaurant and sneaking into the kitchen.”
A restaurateur in his own right, Herukh has owned and operated numerous brands, including Bangles Restaurant, Fierce Curry House, Fierce Kitchen & Catering, and Cakes by Aahana (run by Herukh’s wife, Aahana Jethwani, who he describes as a “baking extraordinaire”).
And of course, there’s Meat The Porkers.
Today, three of the aforementioned brands are active—Meat The Porkers, Fierce Kitchen & Catering, and Cakes by Aahana.
Getting to the meat of it
Founded in 2016, Meat The Porkers was inspired by Herukh’s desire to offer something unique in the Indian culinary space.
“Growing up in Kuala Lumpur, I have always had a love for dishes like siew yoke, bak kut teh, and wantan mee,” he expressed. “One day, while having a drink with a friend, I came up with the idea of creating a pork biryani.”
The chef decided to try the novel idea out at home. After making his first order, word starting getting around, and things just took off.
At the time, he was already running his other pork-free establishments, so he couldn’t incorporate the dish in any of his restaurants. So, he just made the biryani from home.
The true trigger to officially start the restaurant came from his wife, Aahana. She pushed him to take the leap and transform an existing restaurant in Publika into Meat The Porkers.
“Initially, I was hesitant due to fear of the unknown, but looking back, it was one of the best decisions we’ve made, especially when the restaurant began gaining exposure,” Herukh said.
Not fusion, just innovation
But as we know, pork isn’t traditionally a common protein in Indian dishes. Herukh pointed out that this is especially due to the large Muslim population in India, where both pork and beef aren’t widely consumed.
He also said that in the past, it was also difficult to procure pork, which contributed to its absence in the Indian restaurant scene.
“However, times have changed,” he said. “Today, we’re seeing more pork-centric restaurants opening up across India and the world, and we’re proud to be the first to bring this concept to Malaysia—and perhaps even Southeast Asia.”
Despite its name, though, Meat The Porkers is a full-fledged Indian restaurant with a diverse menu that includes vegetarian options, chicken, seafood, as well as mutton and lamb dishes.
“Adding pork to our offerings gave us that special edge, making us stand out from the crowd and providing something unique for our customers,” Herukh determined.
But the chef wanted to clarify that his food isn’t fusion cuisine—it’s authentically Indian in flavours, with recipes inspired by family traditions.
“We’re not a fusion restaurant—there’s no blending of cuisines. Instead, we take authentic Indian dishes and dress them in new ways,” he reiterated.
For example, the restaurant serves Palak Fish Tacos, but everything about the taco is cooked authentically. It features flatbread, with Amritsari fish rolled in palak gravy, topped with a fresh salad.
“The presentation is taco-style, but the essence is purely Indian,” he said.
Together with his sous chef and kitchen team, Herukh takes R&D seriously, committed to changing part of Meat The Porker’s menu every six months.
He believes this is important because they’re a neighborhood restaurant, and many of their customers are regulars. Keeping the menu fresh helps prevent menu fatigue.
Serving fierce food
Today, Herukh still runs the Fierce brand. Fierce Curry House was originally started by his father in the early 2000s as a traditional Malaysian curry house.
“It’s called Fierce as that’s how my father describes great food, beautiful women, and anything incredible,” Herukh said.
When he revived the brand in 2011, it quickly gained popularity, especially for the biryani offerings. Over time, they expanded to feature a variety of biryanis, including lobster, crab, salmon, and lamb shank.
However, Fierce Curry House is actually no longer operational as a dine-in business.
“After COVID, the office crowd in the area didn’t return, and the dine-in business declined due to limited parking and changing work habits,” Herukh said. “However, we transitioned to Fierce Kitchen & Catering, focusing on corporate and home catering, along with daily deliveries.”
This shift has allowed the team to grow more in the events space while still offering their popular menu. Fierce now operates from a central kitchen, focusing on corporate catering, home catering, and events.
Meating expectations, and more
In the many years of Herukh’s F&B experience, he’s grown to have several cornerstones in his entrepreneurial philosophy.
“It’s a tough business and you can’t remote-control run the show; that’s always the death of the restaurant,” he said.
“You have to be there, at least for the beginning of your F&B journey. Customers love to see the owner around and especially one who is not afraid of getting their hands dirty. No employee will ever do what you do—that is the owner’s edge.”
He also believes that entrepreneurs should stay relevant, grounded, and focused. Always keep yourself educated and humble, as that will help you deal with the many issues restaurateurs deal with.
“Being a foodie and loving to eat has nothing to do with running a restaurant or hospitality business,” he reminded.
Nine years in, Herukh hopes to maintain his regulars by focusing on keeping their menu, food, and outlet relevant and interesting.
But in the bigger picture, he envisions growing Meat The Porkers into a global brand. With the right investors and strategies, he hopes to share porky Indian cuisine everywhere with the right investors and strategists.
- Learn more about Meat The Porkers here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about F&B businesses here.
Featured Image Credit: Meat The Porkers / jusdi lee via Google
