El Cerdo, Changkat Bukit Bintang – Of birthday celebrations, and a tribute to the original HSS

Posted on January 23, 2008 by Lyrical Lemongrass

1.

Except for my dad who grew up on berries and boars on the plantations of Sungai Siput, the rest of us in the family have had less than solid stomachs. The whole family has a loyalty card at Pantai (buy 10 surgeries, free 2) and a parking lot right next to the lift reserved for the most frequent visitors. So when it came to planning a birthday dinner for mum (born in the Year of the Pig), we knew that the task was bigger than it seemed. We had to prevent another visit to Pantai at all cost as they had ceased their loyalty scheme. (They said they were losing money thanks to our last barbequed lamb fiasco.)

Nothing can go wrong with pork. As I write this, all is well at home, and their faces are still plastered with happy grins, stomachs intact. Yes, El Cerdo delivered.

We ordered a few starters and mains to share. The tomato soup with fine bits of pork was complimentary. The Jamon Serrano, basically air dried ham with slices of rockmelon (RM38 for one portion, we ordered two), was a play of salty and sweet, a little bit of country and a little bit of rock n’ roll. I embraced the flavours with the same excitement shown by my five year old nephew when he receives a hammer for a present (i.e.pure smashing ecstacy), while my mum politely smiled and said, “I thought we were going to have pork chops”.

Patience, I muttered.

I silently prayed. Please let the next item look like a pork chop.

Voila. Two servings of Iberico BBQ pork spare ribs (RM68 for one portion). Black pigs that have fed on a diet of greens and acorns along the southern border of Spain and Portugal (which basically means they’ve done a fair bit of exercising before their almost definite death at the chopping board of some spanish man with a long curly moustache) and are supposedly healthier, leaner, meaner pigs compared to the fat slobs roaming Kampung Baru Di Selatan Sana who feed on belacan and durians. And frankly, this was the best porker I had ever tasted. The pork ribs would have made a cannibal change his ways – the slightly salty, savoury marinade enhanced the juicy tender and yes, lean meat, and made the experience mindblowing. So it wasn’t a pork chop. Thankfully, mum had forgotten her mantra. We all resorted to using our fingers cavemanlike as a tribute to this wonderful animal.

It got better. Shhhhh, keep this to yourself – the waiters at El Cerdo are actually actors who didn’t get roles in RTM2’s Drama Minggu Ini. Yes, El Cerdo has its own showtime. I won’t elaborate, although many of you are probably aware of the special performance, but suffice to say that the little piggy went wee wee wee all the way home and got one helluva beating from mummy and daddy.

The skin of the suckling pig (RM215 for a whole pig) was thin and crisp, and there was quite a bit of meat to feed 7 of us even though the menu said 4. It was the best roasted suckling pig I had ever tasted. My family concurs.

The paella with seafood, chicken, chorizo and pork (RM88) was an excellent tummy filler. The rice was cooked to perfection. My compliments to the chef.

And the birthday cake? It could only be Death by Chocolate from Just Heavenly – a sweet, chocolatey ending to a celebration enhanced by the sound of smashing plates and oinks. Music to my ears.

Elcerdo (www.elcerdokl.com)
43 & 45, Changkat Bukit Bintang
50200 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2145 0511

2.

And while we are on the topic of birthdays, on 27 August 2007, Kenny Mah wrote me a wonderful collection of stories as a birthday gift and put it up on his blog. It was definitely a labour of love and something that touched my heart. Today, my friend turns 29. I wrote the following poem, specially for this friend who came into my life nine months ago and has refused to leave ever since. Does anyone know of a good poison?

Why you so liddat?
Why you tease me so?
You say my voice sexy
Y’mean better than Nipple Joe?

How can I forget
The first time when we met
I swear I saw the sparks
Between you and that slutty baguette!

Don’t lie, it’s true
It’s not me you want
I can’t compete
With that baked runt

Happy Birthday,my love
Embrace your age
You’re old, I know
You’re almost a sage

Your hair will grey
Your teeth will fall
When that bun leaves ya
You have my number to call

Coz our friendship lives
Got nine months mah
If babies are forever
We’re forever and ever. errr. lah

Aiyoyo sami
I can’t rhyme for nuts
This is disastrous
I’d better shop for cards.

At least you know I didn’t plagiarize this poem.

Kampachi @ Pavilion KL

Posted on November 18, 2007 by Lyrical Lemongrass

It was one of those spontaneous moments when JFKA wannabe, Nipples, asked me to join him for dinner at the latest mall in town and I said yes. I wanted to eat at Kampachi, and he didn’t mind eating at Kampachi again, so it was an easy decision to make. After all, I never say no to Japanese food.

Getting a table wasn’t very difficult on a weekday night, but we chose to sit at the sushi bar instead, hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the action behind the counter. We were not disappointed. 2 little plates of seasoned baby octopus were placed in front of us. I loved the sweet and savoury dish which went down in an instant.

Since Nipples didn’t get a chance to eat soba on his first visit to Kampachi, this was his obvious choice. His cold soba served with crisp nori came with a tsuyu broth with raw quail’s egg and chopped spring onions.

His set also came with tempura and grilled fish. If I’m not mistaken, it cost a little over RM30. He seemed quite pleased with his meal.

I took the sushi and sashimi bento (RM40). What I like about the sashimi is that they were generous portions – thick cut and very fresh.

It also came with grilled unagi (eel). Aaaah. Despite the unadventurous orders, this was comfort food for us. The food’s good. The prices are reasonable. The ingredients are fresh. Definitely worth a second visit.

Also see Lots Of Cravings and Masak-masak for reviews of other good stuff.

Kampachi @ Pavilion
Level 6, Pavilion, KL.

Tel: 03-2148 9608

The MIGF dinner that almost was – feat. Gobo Upstairs, Traders Hotel KL

Posted on November 15, 2007 by Lyrical Lemongrass

The month long Malaysian International Gourmet Festival (MIGF) is back. It features a number of really great restaurants, but the prices can be rather expensive (a relative term) even though one would get pretty good value for the prices paid.On Henry’s persuasion, I enthusiastically rounded up a group of foodies to visit Gobo Upstairs, a restaurant in the relatively new Traders Hotel. Unfortunately, as the day arrived, my body was suddenly attacked by the dreaded flu, but being the responsible coordinator that I was, I persevered for the greater good. Ahem.

The thing about the flu is that one loses practically all of one’s tastebuds, except maybe the ability to taste salt. Anyhow, I decided that instead of wasting RM160++ on the MIGF menu, I should consume something hearty instead. Like soup.

And that’s exactly what I had. A robust lobster bisque bursting with flavour (which I could taste!!). The others, except for Henry, took my lead and decided to order from the ala carte menu which was surprisingly priced very decently. I mean, can anyone think of any other fancy restaurant that serves baby beef short ribs at just RM38? And according to those who tried it, the meat was literally falling off the bone. The lamb shank, at RM38, was apparently an equally good option. I could literally see Fatboybakes’ face glow with happiness in the very dimly lit, chic restaurant. Nipples Joe had a very strange looking pumpkin risotto which he guarded with his life, so I didn’t get a chance to taste it. Oh, they treated me like the plague just because of a little itty bitty flu, so I wasn’t allowed to share any of their food. Except for Precious Pea, that sweet darling. She was kind enough to share a creme brulee with me.

The creme brulee came in four different flavours. My favourite (and Precious Pea’s least favourite, my gain) was the ginger flavoured brulee. The other four sections consisted of coffee, chocolate and hazelnut. My main course of grilled cod was overly salted, but other than that, I found the flesh to be very moist and tasty.

Henry’s choice of the MIGF menu came with a tomato appetiser, Black Ink “Spinosi” Tagliatelle with Octopus Merlot Ragout and Green Asparagus for the starter, Chargrilled Australian Beef Tenderloin with Garlic Confit, Lentil’s Fava Beans and Fresh Mushroom Ragout for the Mains, and Chocolate, chocolate and chocolate for desserts.

Overall, I like the ambience at Gobo, and I’d certainly revisit the place for a few reasons:

1. Service is excellent. From the moment I entered, I was greeted by name, and they made the effort to explain all the items on the MIGF menu as well as the ala carte menu. They were also able to make recommendations on house specialties.

2. The restaurant is lovely, if you like the modern look with subdued lighting. It doesn’t feel cramped, although it isn’t a very large restaurant with a seating capacity of approximately 60 people.

3. Good value for money. One can get a good meal for about RM100 per pax. Am not sure about the wine selection, though, so maybe someone can enlighten me on that?

4. Parking’s a breeze. The hotel shares the parking area with the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, so there is ample parking.

GOBO UPSTAIRS LOUNGE AND GRILL
Traders Hotel
Kuala Lumpur City Centre
50088 Kuala Lumpur
Reservations: +603–2332 9888
http://www.tradershotels.com/

Also see Fatboybakes’ take on Gobo.

A Whiff of Lemongrass

NOT a food blog

Category Archives: Location: Golden Triangle

El Cerdo, Changkat Bukit Bintang – Of birthday celebrations, and a tribute to the original HSS

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2.

Kampachi @ Pavilion KL

The MIGF dinner that almost was – feat. Gobo Upstairs, Traders Hotel KL