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| We all started with an Amuse Bouche of warm pea soup. The warm sweet mushy soup had an extra depth of flavour because of the bacon fat. This was a very rich surprise because slices of bacon lay hidden beneath the thick pea soup. The appetizer was an outstanding surprise. It was a plate of Spanish Jamón with steamed White Asparagus, melon balls and sautéed Artichoke Hearts (I could be wrong here). Spanish Jamon, especially Jamón ibérico is one of the finest and most sought-after hams in the world. For those in the know, the Jamón ibérico is actually a healthy meat to eat because most of its fat is Oleic Acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid which has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. Anyway, the Jamon we had was silky smooth with a deep smoky taste that coats the mouth with flavour long after it’s gone. The vegetables and fruit were well-paired to provide a little spark of acidity in all that richness. Moving into a smooth cruise, a trio of Pork Schnitzel, Oyster wrapped with bacon and a pork shoulder arrived. This was a competently executed trio and the pork shoulder was tender and juicy. Topped with herb mustard, it took a while for us to realize what the crunchy tidbit was. The pig tongue was tasty. And speaking of recommendations, the Braised Pig Tail was also very tasty. It went very well with the Paella, one of El Cerdo’s signature dishes. While I avoided the seafood, the rice was still infused with the flavours of the seafood. Moving along, the other signature dish of El Cerdo is the roast baby pig. This is done with a baby pig just a few weeks old and marinated in |  |
Sauvignon blanc for a few days before roasting. Because of its youthfulness and the marinating in Sauvignon Blanc, the piglet was so tender and soft that you can use the edge of a plate to cut the piglet. The flesh was moist, soft and almost flaky, the skin was also, unexpectedly, soft and moist, totally without the crackling crispiness that one expects from a roast pig. The plates used to cut the piglet are then smashed into a bucket in a manly manner to bring good luck to the diners. The availability of a mid-range restaurant that specializes in pork is rare in Malaysia. And if you think about it, there are actually more people, locals and expatriates, that do not have a restriction on
pork consumption. This creates a huge demand, and a large itch waiting to be scratched. And Werner’s Pokielicious El Cerdo serves simple robust pork dishes that scratches that itch with heart.
Ivan Ng
Ivan is an avid food blogger who tends to take a photo of whatever he puts in his mouth. His blog is mostly
about the good times he has eating with friends and contains notes of his kitchen experiments. His blog
came in top 3 in the Singapore Blog Awards 2008 for best photographic blog. His other hobbies include
inner eyelid study and he feels that vegetarians haven’t got the joke yet.
http://food.recentrunes.com/
