Swine feast
El Cerdo in Kuala Lumpur is a pork lover’s dream, boasting a “nose to tail” porcine experience. It’s been on rif’s to-eat-list for quite a while and we only managed to pop by for dinner not too long ago.
The Roasted Suckling Pig (RM188++ per half piglet) is a popular order here – almost every table that night had a portion, or more. Like how they do it in Spain, the piglets are butterflied and roasted till the skin becomes well browned and crusty. We ordered half to try.
Half a suckling pig at El Cerdo
The skin was incredibly crisp with a layer of fat beneath, while the flesh was moist and tender, but not to the point of flabbiness. That said, I still prefer the suckling pig from Oriental Pavilion. This version was too fatty and oily for my liking. The oil got to me after a while.
Crisp, fatty and tender
Chop chop!
Violence in the house.. :P
I think the highlight of this suckling pig is the Spanish tradition itself – we were given a plate to knock against the wood board three times and then chop the pig into three parts using the same plate. This is said to transfer all bad luck into the plate. We were then asked to break the plate (and by doing that, break all the bad luck) by throwing it into the bucket provided.
Mixed Appetizer
We also shared a mixed appetizer of French rillettes, trotter pate, salami and pork liver pate (RM36 for 1-2 persons). Portion was generous and I reckon this could feed easily 3 adults. Not two. That was good liver pate – I asked more bread to go with this.
Seafood Spaghetti in Lobster Cream
If I knew this swine feast was going to be that filling, I wouldn’t have ordered the Seafood Spaghetti in Lobster Cream. But then again, I’m glad I did because it was really..good..spaghetti! I actually enjoyed this better than the suckling pig. The sauce was richly flavoured and adequately creamy; and there was a generous amount of seafood in the pasta.
Andreas Special “A Dream in Chocolate”
Alas, the dessert we had was a big disappointment – Andreas Special “A Dream in Chocolate”. This was merely a trifle of vanilla ice cream, chocolate mousse, chocolate crumble, banana, passion fruit and pear in red wine. Not particularly terrible but neither was it as delicious as claimed.
It’s rare that I can’t finish my food but I couldn’t put away the remaining three pieces of suckling pig so we took the balance home. I think my father in-law had it for supper and said it was tasty. Oh well, too much of a good thing isn’t always good.
Complimentary Limoncello
Dinner was slightly under RM350 for the above, inclusive of a glass of red wine. Not cheap but it’s a good place to consider if you’re looking for a good porky experience.
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Ambiance: 6.5/10
Price: 5/10
Food: 7/10 (non halal)
Verdict: Pretty good food, but do share the suckling pig as it can get a bit much after a few pieces.
El Cerdo
43 & 45 Changkat Bukit Bintang,
50200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2145 0511 / 013-3094197
Website: www.elcerdokl.com
GPS Coordinates: N 3 08.845, E 101 42.473