A BUBBLYLICIOUS SUNDAY EASTER-VAGANZA AT EL CERDO

Cheers! It's Good Friday and I wish Jom Makan blog readers of the Christian faith a Happy Easter ahead. Meaningful occasions such as Easter is best celebrated with family, friends and loved ones...preferably over a feast of epic pork-portions of course ;p

 

To get you into the mood for this Sunday's Easter-vaganza, El Cerdo will lay out a sumptuous Bubblylicious Sunday Brunch from 12 noon to 2.30pm. As the first European eatery in KL city to give local Chinese restos a run for their porky specialities, you can expect an unrivalled 'nose to tail' eating experience - washed down with loads of bubbly, beer, soft drinks or juices.

 

For porcine fans, it'd be love at first sight (and bite) - just the Cold Appetiser Buffet (pix above) alone would warm the very cockles of your heart and leave you weeping with joy. Choice pickings worth savouring include sliced Serrano ham with honey-sweet diced rock melon, pig's head jelly, lomo (Spansish cured pork tenderloin), smoked black pepper ham, chorizo, trotter terrine, roast pork salad, pork liver pate and pork rillette amongst others.

Serrano ham is best paired with rock melon

There's plenty to go around so remember to pace yourself and enjoy the whole plethora laid out. An ample selection of fresh salad leaves, cherry and sliced tomatoes are also available to complement the charcuterie.

 

Before ordering your main course, sample the house Sausage Platter. This is especially great for sharing so you'd have a chance to taste the different types with more than enough tummy space left over for mains.

Served on a bed of potato mash and sauerkraut with mustard on the side, our dining party made quick work of the delicious sausage platter which comprised bacon-wrapped cocktail sausages and slightly bigger Thuringer, German pepper, spicy Lyonner and farmer franks. 

Keep your eyes peeled for the hearty Roasted Pork Loin - the service personnel on duty would gladly proffer thick slices of this meaty delight on request; complete with an irresistible gravy, some veges and potato on the side. In fact, we relished this so much that most of our gang returned for additional helpings.

The day's simplest dish of Pork Belly Fettucini turned out to be a limelight hogger. Suffused with a lush, savoury sauce redolent with tomato and herbs, the fork-tender pork belly chunks were a match made in heaven with the perfectly al dente pasta ribbons. Likewise, the Seafood Spaghetti is well acquitted too with a large prawn and several smaller but succulent ones.

The traditional Austrian Wiener Schnitzel (which means 'meat in a crust') is notable for the crisply breaded coating that envelopes a fillet of moist, tender pork inside. Adorned with a dollop of potato salad, any greasiness is tempered by the accompanying tart berry compote.

Another raveworthy offering that scores highly is Hickory Smoked Iberico Soft Ribs. Mind you, just the thought of that tangy-smoky-sweet sauce smothering those meltingly tender soft bone ribs is droolworthy enough. A 'must try' dish that should have you licking the plate clean.

Other tempting main dishes to pig out on include Pork Steak (pix above), Spaetzle with Cheese & Ham (pix below) and Roast Baby Back Ribs. The luscious tiers of grilled pork and mashed potato topped with fried leek slivers are superbly yummy while the spaetzle - a comforting dish of mini dough dumplings similar to gnocchi in its chewy 'QQ' texture - comes perked up with lashings of creamy tomato-cheese sauce and diced ham. My only grouse about the baby back ribs is the scant bits of meat on them ribs.

Anyway that minor hiccup disappears since there's dessert to contend with. Sweet solace can be found in Mango Tiramisu, Spanish Chocolate Cake or Assorted Homemade Ice Creams & Sorbets.

The chocoholic in me readily vouched for the sole chocolatey option. Never mind if it's slightly dry and crumbly, the deep-seated cacao accent has enough 'oomph' to ensure a lingering impression and keep you asking for more.

If you love boozy ice cream, the Rum & Raisin is simply 'da bomb'. Its closest rivals are mango and raspberry sorbet (we love both flavours' seductively fruity creaminess) while the olive oil variant seems like a quirky wild card in the whole mix. The tiramisu passed muster...despite the dessert's mild alcoholic nuance, the mango component is barely discernible.

El Cerdo's Bubblylicious Brunch is priced at RM149 ++ per person inclusive of free flowing Cava, house red & white wine, Tiger draught, soft drinks and chilled juices. Teetotalers pay RM99++ per person (soft drinks and juices included) while kids are charged at RM49++ per head (6-12 years old).

For reservations, call EL CERDO, tel: 03-2145 0511 / 013-309 4197. Address: 43 & 45, Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

A-PORK-CLYPSE NOW!

The Rib Shop started the ball rolling when it boldly ventured into the non-halal territory by offering porky dishes to go with its extensive wine range in Damansara some years ago. Then came El Cerdo which had KL-lites all abuzz over its Spanish suckling pig and pork-centric delights.

It didn't take other restaurateurs to figure out there's a sizeable non-Muslim clientele who are just waiting to gobble up something different apart from the usual staples of Bak Kut Teh, Roast Suckling Pig, Roast Pork, Char Siew, etc.

So when I was invited to a special dinner headlining the Cochinillo Segoviano or roast Spanish suckling pig, how could I refuse? Bruno's Restaurant & Bar turned out to be a relevation of sorts - secreted at one corner of Jaya 33, this eatery is started by the same lady owner who runs the much-talked about Food Foundry.

What's good to eat here? Well, Chef Franky Chin who used to work with the Four Seasons in Singapore and then spent some time working/studying in the UK, is a dab hand when it comes to serving up Mediterranean, Italian and Spanish-style delicacies.



Starters to get you off on a head start include Piquillo Peppers with Anchovies with Tuna Belly (top) and White Asparagus with Iberico Ham and Romesco Sauce (below).



For those of you who have no inkling of what's so special about the Iberico pig, this Spanish black-haired breed is prized by gourmands for its tender, tasty meat. Also the pigs can be considered organically raised as they are allowed to roam freely, feeding on grass and acorns from the plush plains in Spain. Yeap, no growth hormones, antibiotics or chemical-laced feed for these precious piggies.

How is it different from the Cochinillo Segoviano? Well, the roast Spanish suckling pigs are prepared using 20-day old piglets which are suckled exclusively on their grain-fed mothers' milk. It is a classic speciality from the province of Segovia since the pigs are bred specifically in this area under strict regulations of the relevant certification bodies in Spain.

Chef Javier Sancha who is a third-generation expert when it comes to the Cochinillo Asado (roast suckling pig) at his family's famed El Pastor restaurant back home, was brought in to demonstrate how the speciality is prepared for local diners to sample. In essence, the piglet is roasted in a wood-fire oven for 2-2.5 hours with just a sprinkling of salt and nothing more.



It is interesting to find that the skin is thinner than our local Chinese suckling pig's and definitely yields a greater amount of tender, juicy meat. Those who are aversed to the strong milky aroma of dairy products may find the meat a bit of an acquired taste. Not surprising really since the little piglets had nothing but milk in their diet from day one.



Earlier we were also treated to an El Pastor Tapas Medley - each was a truly delightful morsel that remained in memory even after it was eaten. The other speciality featured for the special evening was Lechazo Asado (roast suckling lamb), an equally delectable Castillian delicacy.



Dinner rounded up on a luscious note with Natilla and Leche Frita, a superbly creamy deep-fried pancake and decadent pudding.

I have been back since for a heartily satisfying lunch. Now I can't wait for Bruno's to bring on the bacon since the outlet will be starting its weekend brunch soon!

Make haste and make a pig of yourself at Bruno's if you are into porky pig!

Bruno's Restaurant & Bar
PG-01 A Ground Floor
Jaya 33 Section 13
Jalan Semangat Petaling Jaya
Tel: (03) 7960 2663