Pigging out at Elcerdo, Changkat Bukit Bintang

I've heard so much - all good things about El Cerdo, a Spanish restaurant in Changkat Bukit Bintang that I decided that it was time to check it out myself. So, despite the rain, J & I, together with two of other "makan" buddies made our way to the city centre for a pig-out. After all, Elcerdo specializes in all things porky!

To start off our gastronomic journey, we ordered the Spanish Ham Platter, an assortment of Jamón Serrano & Jamón Iberico ham with a Variety of Chorizo Sausages and Condiments - salad, nuts, cheese and rock melon balls. The ham eaten with the rock melon balls combines the salty and sweet beautifully.


Next, we had ribs, which is supposed to be black pig ribs, if I'm not mistaken. The grilled ribs had a wonderful spiced flavour, very different from the American ribs we've eaten before. Whilst, it was a little tough to get off the bone, nevertheless, it unique flavor makes this a worthwhile dish to order.


We then moved on to the reason we came to El Cerdo - the famous roasted suckling pig - so tender, you can even cut it with a plate...I kid you not. When the waitress served us the suckling pig, she would tell us the story behind the chef who came up with this dish. Then she would demonstrate how to cut the pig with a plate and invite one of the patrons to cut. And then for good luck, you then break the plate into the wooden barrel (I suppose it helps reduce the cleaning up). So, when you eat at Elcerdo, be prepared for a little bit of fun and lots of plate breaking!


Our next main was our only non-pork dish for the night - paella with king prawns and scallops. Cooked just the way I like it, moist, but not too runny, the paella was also a winner.


Finally, for dessert, we ordered their homemade tiramisu with mango sauce and their special, off the menu raspberry ice-cream cake. The tiramisu, was light and fluffy, whilst the layered tangy raspberry ice cream complemented the sweet cake. All in all a good way to finish off out meal.

Our verdict?
We were as happy as the pigs on our doggy bag.


The food is fantastic - the bill for an appetizer, three mains, which included a 1/2 suckling pig), two desserts, two sangrias (the white wine pear sangria was delicious), two juices and two bottled water came us to close to RM500. It's worthwhile to save up to dine here for a special occassion!

Elcerdo
43&45 Changkat Bukit Bintang
50200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2145 0511

Balinese Cuisine at the Uma, Kota Damansara

One of the family traditions I cherish the most is celebrating birthdays together. Not only is it a good time to catch up with the family, it's also an excellent time to try out new restaurants. I really enjoyed Balinese food from my last trip to Bali, when I discovered the Bumbu Bali Restaurant at Tanjung Benoa in Bali. This was my first taste of the Balinese Rice Table or the "Rijsttafel", which essentially is a set menu comprising rice served with vegetables and meat condiments.

So, when my sis suggested going to the Uma, a Balinese restaurant at Kota Damansara for our latest round of birthdays celebration, it was a lovely trip down memory lane for me. We opted for their "Nasi Ratus", which is equivalent to the Balinese Rice Table at the Bumbu Bali. The portions are fairly big. We ordered six sets with 2 extra rice for the 8 of us. We ended up trying seven sets (they accidentally served us the Babi Kecap Manis which we didn't order, which turned out to be a happy mistake as it was very good).

The verdict? Absolutely delicious! The Nasi Ratus set is served on a bamboo basket, layered with banana leafs. Depending on the set, the rice and vegetable condiments may vary. A sample of the condiments include minced fish satay, shredded chicken salad, tempe goreng, sambal mbe and sambal tomat, mixed vegetable salad and fried long bean. Our absolute favourite was the Grilled Tuna set. The tuna was fresh and marinated in fragrant Balinese spices, not unlike our otak-otak, but much lighter in terms of the marinade.


Dad loved the Pork Rib Curry Nasi Ratus set (yes, this place serves pork - hurray!). The curry, which has a similar colour and texture to our Kurma curry complemented the tender pork rib perfectly.

The house specialty - Bali Bebek - Balinese steam duck. Served in a bowl of soup, very much like our Soto ayam, the duck literally melted off the bone. We also tried the fried duck set. However, of the two, I personally preferred the steam duck.


The happy mistake - Babi Kecap Manis (Sweet Sauce Pork)! Succulent and flavorful.


The pork sate set was scrumptious too. The sate was served on thick bamboo sticks and was well-seasoned enough to be eaten without any sauce. The rice, Black-eyed pea rice which had light sprinkles of nuts and herbs was my favourite rice accompaniment.



On the other hand, we found the grilled chicken set rather dry. To be fair, it was tasty but just paled in comparison with the other, oh so very delicious sets.


The meal which came to slightly over RM200 for the 8 of us was very reasonable. So, if you had a yearning for some good Balinese cooking, but don't have the budget to fly to Bali, head over to the Uma at Kota Damansara (7-G & 7-1, Jalan PJU 5/21, The Strand, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya). Be sure to make reservations (Tel:603-614 2271)!

Postscript: I paid another visit to the Uma in May, 2010 and was pleased that the food tasted as good as ever. As we were there with two first-timers, we ordered our top three favourites - the tuna, pork sate and pork rib curry nasi ratus sets for our group of four. We made sure we had room for dessert this time round. Fans of "hak lo mai chok", or glutinuos rice porridge aka bubuh injin would love this dessert. Served with coconut milk and gula bali, this dessert is rich and creamy. We'll definitely be back again.



One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story

Italian cuisine at Il Padrino Restaurant

J & I are always on the lookout for good Italian food in Kuala Lumpur. Having lived in Bangkok for almost 2 years, we've been spoilt by the wonderful selection of hams and sausages served at our favourite Italian restaurants there. When we came across a review on Il Padrino, we knew we had to check it out because it actually serves Parma Ham (or Prosciutto di Parma), thinly sliced dry-cured ham, a rare treat in Malaysia since most Italian restaurants are halal.

Since we were there to celebrate a special occassion, we decided to splurge and go for the full works, starting with the appetizer "Antipasto Misto Il Padrino, a platter consisting of Bresaola (air drief beef), Tomato Buffalo Mozzarella, Calamari, Parma Ham with Melon and Grilled Vegetables. The menu states that the portions are for two people but if you intend to order one main each, you can request for a half portion, which is a great way to taste a little bit of everything. What a wonderful way to start off the meal. The Bresaola was so tender it literally melts in your mouth. The slightly salty parma ham was balanced beautifully by the sweetness of the melon. The plum tomatoes complimented the mozzarella whilst the calamari and grilled vegetables added a warm touch to the cold appetizers.


For the mains, we opted for the Pizza Il Padrino (comprising parma ham, tomato slices, buffallo mozzarella cheese and rocket salad served on a thin crust pizza) and Costolette Di Agnello Scottatido (Grilled rack of lamb served with roasted capsicum, potato and rosemary garlic sauce). I had high expectations for the parma ham pizza as it's been a year since I've last eaten it in Bangkok. Whilst it did fulfill my craving for parma ham pizza, I have to confess that I was a little disappointed at the amount of parma ham on my pizza. I also didn't quite enjoy the rocket salad on my pizza and would have prefered basil instead.


The grilled rack of lamb was a winner in our books. Cooked to medium well, it was beautifully browned on the outside and was a lovely shade of pinky red on the inside. Because it was medium well, the meat was juicy and tender.


At this stage, we were already quite full but could not resist the classical Italian dessert, tiramisu. Not only was it a treat to look at, but it was a sweet finish to a very satisfying meal.


The Il Padrino is definitely worth a second visit. Next time, we hope to come with a bigger group so that we can try a greater selection of food. Service is attentive and its Godfather-themed ambience is welcoming. We'll be back.


Il Padrino Italian Restaurant & Bar
50-G-A, Ground Floor
Wisma UOA Damansara
No. 50, Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights, KL
Tel: 603-20938596

Valentine's Day at Rib Lee's

Aaah...Valentine's Day. A day to celebrate romance. Flowers, chocolates, cosy, candle-lit dinners for two. OK, back to reality. The truth is there's nothing romantic about paying exorbitant prices for flowers during Valentine's Day. Cosy, candle-lit dinners for two? In the last few years, we've tried going out to some fancy restaurants with "compulsory" Valentine's Day set menus. But, how romantic can it be when the next table is just a mere-10 inches away? We've also celebrated Valentine's Day home-style, which is nice, except that someone has to do the cooking (me)and washing up (J)!

So, this year, we organised a Valentine's dinner with a few friends, at one of our favourite restaurants, Rib Lee's located in Hartamas. Since J & I discovered this restaurant last October, we've been back 4 times because we absolutely love the food and the fact that this restaurant serves pork! The six of us were seated at the balcony. Despite my initial fears that it would be hot without air-conditioning, it turned out to be a cool evening and we all had a great time.

Whenever we come to Rib Lee's we always have a tough time deciding what to eat because we really enjoy the dishes we've tried and want to order it again. At the same time, we also want to try the other options in the menu. Tough...Choices and decisions. Rib Lee's had a Valentine's Day Menu but also gave us the option of ordering ala carte from their regular menu. We decided to opt for a mix of the the tried and tested - Roast Lamb with Rosemary, Bourboun Ribs. Olio with Pork Croutons and the new - Caesar Salad, Smoked Duck Salad with Orange Slices, Risotto with Bacon, Smoked Duck Breast. For dessert, we picked their Valentine's special Strawberry Parfait as well as the Mud Pie and the Triffle. It was the perfect ending to our meal.

Our friends, who were first-timers at the Rib Lee's were very satisfied and vowed to return with their families (after all, we were celebrating Valentine's Day...so it was an adults only affair that night). The only downside to the evening is that 1) the Caesar Salad was rather ordinary; and 2) the service was rather haphazard. Somehow our requests rarely got executed the way we asked. We could tell the staff tried their best.. Still, the rest of the food more than made up for it. We'll definitely be back again, and again, and again...

It may not have been a romantic night in a traditional sense, but it was definitely a night of celebration - Good food in the company of good friends. What more could a gal ask for?

Rib Lee's
No. 40-1 Wisma CKL (1st Floor)
Jalan 23/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: 03-6201 0180

Note: My other favourite which is a must-try at Rib Lee's is their Roasted Pork Knuckle. Yumm...

The Friends We Make In Our Journey...

Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose. ~Tennessee Williams

When I was a kid, I remember one of the phrases we used often in school was "I don't want to friend you" whenever some kid offended us or didn't want to share something, or for whatever petty reasons. Of course, all was forgiven the next day, and we're best buddies again. As we grew up, we made friends at different stages of our lives. When we moved on to our next journey, some of these friendships drifted apart due to time and distance. Yet, for those moments when they were in our lives, they made a difference, be it temporary or permanent.

Then years later, we meet again. Last night was one of those special reunions. The four of us met at Cava, a Spanish restaurant located in Bangsar. With some friends, it feels like you've never been apart. Whilst we're not exactly the same people we were back when we first became friends (more gray hairs and a couple of pounds difference give and take - probably more give than take), deep down, we're not that different from who we were in high school, or college or university. And as Ralph Waldo Emerson so aptly puts it, "It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." .

Over good food (the Tapas, Tenderloin and Osso Bucco are highly recommended) and a glass of Chilean wine, we reminisce and laugh about the good old days (was it really that long ago?)- of weekend volleyball games and bus rides, of spaghetti bolognaise and Hard Rock Cafe. Memories forgotten are brought back to mind. We celebrate a birthday with a Chocolate Dream - if you're a chocoholic like me, this should not be missed! ("Happy Belated Birthday A!"). Perhaps, even more importantly, we celebrate life and friendships!



A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. ~Lois Wyse