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Oink oink bliss marking 100th posting
Hit the 100th posting..I DID IT, i managed to continue with my blogging. And to celebrate this 100th mark, will talk abt the blissful oink experience at El Cerdo restaurant at Changkat Bukit Bintang. It was for the birthday celebration of 2 guys, choice of venue by JC, our "CEO" of the group. This was my first experience at this restaurant. The evening started pretty glum as it was raining by the time i left the house to pickup ST. Then it stopped when we reached El Cerdo. Which is a Spanish restaurant serving pork dishes..the owner claims he will not serve any recipes less than 50 years old. If you want to eat other meat dishes, there is only 2 beef and 1 lamb dish, if i remember correctly. Ambience cosy, Spanish music and songs played and a restaurant that welcomes kids as much as adults, which is great considering the restaurants and bistros around the area seems to be targetting more to adults and the expat community. Parking is a pain as usual along that stretch so either you park at Radius hotel or valet park.
And the restaurant motto..nose to tail eating. That is precisely what they serve from the pig. So if you think only the chinese eat everything, you are wrong. And the decor..lots and lots of piggy pictures, from glass etchings to posters in the bathrooms. Was i oinked thoroughly by the time i left the restaurant? You bet.
 All of us smiling in anticipation of a good dinner ahead. Drinks nearest camera has a name that ends with "romance"..it has a splash of white wine in it. Sweet yummy.
 Kid you not, even the loo is not spared of the oink decor.
Since ST and i arrived early, and she was feeling hungry, we decided to order drinks and a small plate of sausages. It came hot and with sauerkraut..must say the sauerkraut was too sour for me. Think it would have been better washed down with vodka rather than the drinks we ordered.
Finally everyone started to come in. We were lucky due to our CEO's booking. We were given a "room" which was in fact an enclave with curtains which could be drawn for privacy, giving all of us a chance to see other diners as well.
The owner came and gave us his recommendations, which we took. We wanted to try a bit of everything and so everything would be served in sufficient quantities for all to taste and for second or third helpings plus variety.
Starters was 2 plates each of Spanish parma ham..Iberico and Serrano. Generous portion slices, the darker Iberico served with rock melon balls and the Serrano with salad. Everyone preferred the Iberico because it was less salty and also had more flavour. The owner came after all of us have polished off the plates and told us we are spoilt when we gave him our decision on which ham we preferred. The Iberico is ham that has been dried for 3 years and is from the black pig that "lives"up the mountains and feed on the acorns. No wonder it was not so fatty in taste and had more flavour. The Serrano is from the brown pig which is cured for a year.
I loved the 2nd dish name - Sakura - just like my blog!!! Yipee and it tasted good too. Look at the presentation, doesnt it look like a flower?
 Its actually siew bak equivalent but it was not "roasted"as much as the way chinese does it. It also had a less porky smell. However because of the sauce served on top, something like the hoisin sauce taste, when you chew on it, it was a sweet combination. And the samosa slices served on top, didnt taste samosa at all. A wee bit greasy and didnt go well with the meat.
Next we had the pork steak and boq combo served on individual plates. The steak was cooked like the beef steak style, with black pepper sauce and the boq was wrapped in anchovies bread crumbs which made it very salty. It also had an onion ring plus chives sauteed on top ot it. I gave my boq portion to ST instead.
y the time i finished eating the pork steak, i was pretty full. We had meat after meat dishes. I think my friends from Johannesburg would be very happy when they dine at this restaurant.
The piece de resistance...the piglet.
 In between the dishes we had, some of us managed to peek at other diners selections on the way to the restroom and noticed many had ordered the restaurant's specialty..the suckling piglet. It was served on a wooden board, looked like the normal suckling piglet we get served at the chinese restaurants. BUT there is a difference..which lies in the fact that there is a "pomp" process which is tied to the dish before everyone gets to eat. And this dish comes with a story. Its actually a local specialty from a town 100 miles from Madrid. When the chef first served this dish, he was challenged when he told the diners that this was the tenderest piglet ever served. The diners challenged him to proof it, which he did by demonstrating that the piglet could be cut with a plate. Yup, the normal plate, not melanin of course. And to make sure that all ends well, the person who has cut the piglet with the plate must throw the plate for good luck.
 The owner showing the way to use the plate to cut the piglet.
 1st cut is the deepest by 1st birthday boy LK. Standing beside is the owner guiding him.
We wanted to end the night on a sweet note even though by the time we ate the piglet, we were all full. We asked the restaurant to help us as we forgot to bring the birthday cakes! No problem, they had just the right dessert for us. A glass of chocolate and raspberry ice cream with cream and cake slices in it plus served by the waiters and waitresses who sang happy birthday with chorus lines of öink oink"which we all happily joined in. Not to miss out is the little pig one brown and one black presentation on a separate glass when the dessert cake was served.
  All of us happily joining in the birthday song singing. Indeed a happy ending to the evening. The bill came to RM135 per person of course not incl the 2 birthday boys. Sumptious dinner with priceless company.
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All of us smiling in anticipation of a good dinner ahead. Drinks nearest camera has a name that ends with "romance"..it has a splash of white wine in it. Sweet yummy.
Kid you not, even the loo is not spared of the oink decor.
Since ST and i arrived early, and she was feeling hungry, we decided to order drinks and a small plate of sausages. It came hot and with sauerkraut..must say the sauerkraut was too sour for me. Think it would have been better washed down with vodka rather than the drinks we ordered.
Finally everyone started to come in. We were lucky due to our CEO's booking. We were given a "room" which was in fact an enclave with curtains which could be drawn for privacy, giving all of us a chance to see other diners as well.
The owner came and gave us his recommendations, which we took. We wanted to try a bit of everything and so everything would be served in sufficient quantities for all to taste and for second or third helpings plus variety.
Starters was 2 plates each of Spanish parma ham..Iberico and Serrano. Generous portion slices, the darker Iberico served with rock melon balls and the Serrano with salad. Everyone preferred the Iberico because it was less salty and also had more flavour. The owner came after all of us have polished off the plates and told us we are spoilt when we gave him our decision on which ham we preferred. The Iberico is ham that has been dried for 3 years and is from the black pig that "lives"up the mountains and feed on the acorns. No wonder it was not so fatty in taste and had more flavour. The Serrano is from the brown pig which is cured for a year.
I loved the 2nd dish name - Sakura - just like my blog!!! Yipee and it tasted good too. Look at the presentation, doesnt it look like a flower?
Its actually siew bak equivalent but it was not "roasted"as much as the way chinese does it. It also had a less porky smell. However because of the sauce served on top, something like the hoisin sauce taste, when you chew on it, it was a sweet combination. And the samosa slices served on top, didnt taste samosa at all. A wee bit greasy and didnt go well with the meat.
Next we had the pork steak and boq combo served on individual plates. The steak was cooked like the beef steak style, with black pepper sauce and the boq was wrapped in anchovies bread crumbs which made it very salty. It also had an onion ring plus chives sauteed on top ot it. I gave my boq portion to ST instead.
y the time i finished eating the pork steak, i was pretty full. We had meat after meat dishes. I think my friends from Johannesburg would be very happy when they dine at this restaurant.
The piece de resistance...the piglet.
In between the dishes we had, some of us managed to peek at other diners selections on the way to the restroom and noticed many had ordered the restaurant's specialty..the suckling piglet. It was served on a wooden board, looked like the normal suckling piglet we get served at the chinese restaurants. BUT there is a difference..which lies in the fact that there is a "pomp" process which is tied to the dish before everyone gets to eat. And this dish comes with a story. Its actually a local specialty from a town 100 miles from Madrid. When the chef first served this dish, he was challenged when he told the diners that this was the tenderest piglet ever served. The diners challenged him to proof it, which he did by demonstrating that the piglet could be cut with a plate. Yup, the normal plate, not melanin of course. And to make sure that all ends well, the person who has cut the piglet with the plate must throw the plate for good luck.
The owner showing the way to use the plate to cut the piglet.
1st cut is the deepest by 1st birthday boy LK. Standing beside is the owner guiding him.
We wanted to end the night on a sweet note even though by the time we ate the piglet, we were all full. We asked the restaurant to help us as we forgot to bring the birthday cakes! No problem, they had just the right dessert for us. A glass of chocolate and raspberry ice cream with cream and cake slices in it plus served by the waiters and waitresses who sang happy birthday with chorus lines of öink oink"which we all happily joined in. Not to miss out is the little pig one brown and one black presentation on a separate glass when the dessert cake was served.
All of us happily joining in the birthday song singing. Indeed a happy ending to the evening. The bill came to RM135 per person of course not incl the 2 birthday boys. Sumptious dinner with priceless company.
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