Three Good Reasons

A few years back I went scouring all over Spain for delicious, saffron scented, golden paella. I was fascinated by this one pot dish of wonder. City after city, I was disappointed not to find a single restaurant that made fresh paella during my trip. Of course if I wasn't being such a pig-headed tourist, I would've read the guide book properly that clearly suggests that I was eating in all the wrong places. I needed to be along the coast, in the country side, not in Zara-infested cities! So it is ironic that I would finally find the elusive paella here in KL. Ah, the irony! I want to get down on my knees, look up to the heavens and cry out "Why?!" Hopefully it would also be raining at the time to add to the effect.

El Cerdo has become one of my favourite restaurants. How can it not? With a menu full of delicious pork, pork and more pork, I only wish I had a thin body and fat wallet so I could eat there everyday. It is unfortunate that the truth is in reverse but oh well, its not a perfect world. The paella is a fairly new dish on their menu and it comes in three sizes. The smallest size is for 2-3 people and costs RM88++ but you get some really good quality stuff. Crisp fresh prawns, scallops in their shell and slices of chorizo ham on a bed of fragrant saffron rice. They usually put chicken in too, but we always tell them to leave it out. The chicken merely disrupts the delicately harmonious taste and texture of the saffron, rice and seafood.

Yesterday we drove around the block trying to pin point my sister's cravings. I could literally see the light bulb flash over her head before she swerved violently towards El Cerdo. They have a couple of set lunches priced very reasonably that includes a cold starter buffet. We both chose to have the cold starter buffet (rm18++) and shared the paella as a main dish. Its a great spread of hams, pate, rillette, salad, roast pork and terrines. Its a perfectly satisfying lunch even without the paella. And if these two things still don't interest you, then you must at least try their roast suckling pig. It is divine! To die for! Unlike Chinese restaurants, this suckling pig has quite a bit of meat on it. It is so tender and crispy, you just can't stop eating it. The only thing that bothers me about ordering this dish is their rather noisy gimmick. I won't ruin it for you if you haven't been, you'll just have to go check it out yourself. Oink.