“A decidedly non-halal post

Jac: Calling it a ‘treat’ on account of the yearly company bonus was just an excuse on my part to indulge ourselves in a new dining experience. And here’s where voracious reading of food blogs had me in good stead, so I narrowed the choices down based on glowing reviews from foodies and we mutually agreed on El-Cerdo in Changkat Bukit Bintang. I made the booking for 7pm but my over-eagerness had us at their doorstep by 6.40! It was a good call anyway to go early as we had the full attention of the restaurant owner who spent a considerable amount of time with us tailoring our dinner menu.

Bran: The host and owner seemed a bit dodgy in recommending or swerving us away from certain dishes we were trying to order – I suppose they were probably a little low on stock on some things but in the end he was gracious enough to give us a compromise. Ultimately, we would be thankful for him offering us the right amount of food and not too much of it….

Tomato soup – does being complimentary make it tastier?

Jac: We started of with a complimentary tomato soup that was nice and chunky (certainly not from a can) but a tad bland for my taste.

Bran: A nice tomato soup, for lack of anything else to describe it by. Might have lacked a bit of seasoning but it was alright.

Jamón Serrano from Spain

Jac: We wanted to try as many dishes as possible in one sitting (can you spell k-i-a-s-u ?) and so our waiter/owner very graciously offered to send us half portions of the Spanish ham platter above and the pork shoulder steak below (which is actually a main dish) as our starters. The salty Jamon Serrano ham was nicely balanced of with the sweetness of the rock melon. The steak was nice and tender and after some scrutiny and hesitant tasting, the straw-like garnish on top was found to be crispy slivers of onion! And I also really like the mash which I think had bits of bacon in it, ooh so yummy!

Bran: One thing I noticed about the ham was how incredibly thin the strips were – much too thin in my opinion. I was left wondering if they were running out of it or just keeping the rest for the bigger tables yet to fill up for the night. Otherwise, it was exquisite and the salted meat was complemented wonderfully by the melon.

Marinated Pork Shoulder Steak

Bran: The pork was tender and well marinated but I was left doubting the claim on the menu that it was a 48 hour marinade. Unverified claims aside, it was well worth having, especially as an ensemble with the interesting mash and julienned fried onions.

ROASTED SUCKLING PIG “COCHINILLO AL ESTILO SEGOVIANO”

Jac: In no-time our starters were whisked away and our main course arrived on a wooden board: Roast suckling piglet! According the owner this dish is a traditional dish from Spain and is prepared by slow-roasting the piglet for 4 hours. (Bran – I think it was a good thing that we were early, the place was bustling by the time we were having the piglet)

Jac: As testament to its tenderness, a plate is used to cut the piglet into sections. I did the honours and later broke the plate on a stone anvil enclosed in a wooden bucket. All the drama surrounding the little piglet is probably one of the reasons El-Cerdo is so popular aside from the fact that it is also impossibly divine to eat! The piglet meat is succulent and delicately flavoured and its skin crackles and crunches delightfully. Only one tiny problem, eventhough the menu says that half a piglet is for 2 persons, I’d think 3 persons is more practical as there is only so much fat one can consume without feeling a little sick!

Bran: This was actually the first time I’d ever had suckling pig that wasn’t prepared in the traditional Chinese way – and when I had my first bite, I knew I’d been having it the wrong way all along. The skin was wonderfully crisp, the meat slid off the bone – it was so tender, and the herbs and seasoning were subtly perfect. I tend to disagree with Jac though, I could have any amount of that piglet!

Piglet served with side-salad and a bowl of roast potatoes

Jac: Ah, and now for the wine we had. Bran made a great choice to go for a red wine from France: Chateau Villa Bel-Air 2002 Graves. If the first sip makes you go “Wow!”, it’s definitely a winner. It was very elegant and slipped-slid effortlessly down the throat. I really enjoyed it and will be on the lookout for it in case the wine shops stock it.

Bran: It was a lovely, smooth and refined wine. Exquisitely delicate and yet still maintaining body – it was a shame that we didn’t finish the wine before desert (blame the waiter for not giving us the bottle once the table was cleared before dessert) , as the sugar in the terrine took all that away.

Chocolate Terrine with Custard Sauce and Pistachio Ice Cream

Jac: Dessert was my choice, and therefore naturally chocolate-based. Unfortunately I found it to be only so-so. (Bran – I think it wasn’t half bad really

Jägermeister (German for Hunter Master) 35% Liqueur

Jac: Bran’s after-dinner digestive drink packed quite the punch though, 35% liquer! Don’t be fooled by the size of the picture above though, that’s a shot glass.

Bran: It reminded me of that tonic wine called Wincarnis, which my mum used to drink – but with oomph. Sweet and surprisingly a good end to the meal.

Jac: El-Cerdo is a place you go to in a group, with friends and family, to share a hearty meal together. This was pretty obvious as Bran and I seemed to be one of only 2 couples in the whole restaurant. Reservations are also a must, the place was packed to the brim! And one more thing on the tiny details that matter; have you heard of a handbag stool? Well I hadn’t but it exists! And what a brilliant little idea, women everywhere will attest to the fact that there’s never a suitable or comfortable place for our cumbersome handbags at restaurants. The stool is low and fits nicely beside you or even under your chair, leaving you free to lean back or sit forward to reach out and hold his hand whenever you feel like it (Bran – I’ve seen that before, forget where though)

Bran: I wouldn’t mind going there again with just the two of us as company, but there is some merit to enjoying suckling piglet with other people. You could have one piglet in the middle as an appetiser and everyone would still be able to have their own main courses. If only the place weren’t on the pricy side – we’d definitely find more excuses to go there more often.