Elcerdo.

Guten Tag, much has been spoken on Elcerdo, a place for all, glorious food and ambience. Loud maybe to some, and yet romantic dining couples are often spotted here; romance isn’t all about dead-calm-quiet dining.

In Elcerdo, the popular plate breaking ritual is definitely an eye opener for some and it does, to a certain degree allow for interaction between tables, with people spurring each other for a successful dunk. More on that later. For this occasion, it was Uncle Jack’s birthday. The owner of a ‘timeless’ coffee shop in KL.

We started off with a complimentary cup of tomato soup each. Now, I was never a fan of tomato soup and I guess I’m still not and may never be, but this one's certainly something else. Put simply, I liked it...

Under recommendation, we also tried the Green Pea Soup, another soup from the category of soups I dislike. Once again, Elcerdo worked its magic and i was left craving for more. The soup was rich in flavour and aroma, and was ideally served with baguette pieces and pure butter.

What you’re about to see may confuse you. No, this is not our dessert but a simple cold dish called Serrano Ham. Generous ham slices served with a touch of salad dressing finished with rock melon pieces and some greens. You're supposed to wrap the rock melon pieces with the ham.. Good stuff.

We had 2 pastas, one serving each of macaroni and cheese and fettuccine carbonara, both cooked to perfection. I’ve always had a liking for carbonara and what more here in Elcerdo where it’s served with pork bacon pieces. The macaroni and cheese was lovely, every piece, uniformly wrapped with cheese… never a piece of flat tasting macaroni here.

The Spanish Paela… I last had this in Telawi’s La Bodega, but at times they can get pretty inconsistent. This is of course my first Paela in Elcerdo, and indeed what an impression they made on it. Generous amounts of large prawns swamp this dish and the taste? I believe not even a Fussy Fernando Alonso would complain of this.

Next came the 2 plates of Pork Steaks, which was my favorite for the night. Put simply, Elcerdo now holds my king-of-the-hill title when it comes to pork steaks. The steaks were the best I’ve ever tasted in my life! Served with some greens and a special steak sauce, I’m actually planning to come here again one fine day for lunch… just me, and the pork steak… oh yeah.. come to papa….

This piglet was of course the highlight of the evening, besides being Uncle Jack’s birthday and my first night out with my dad’s brand new Nikon D40 digital SLR. While the suckling pig hails from China, this piglet recipe emerged from Deutschland, proof that ze Germans alzo likez de pig roasted in whole. The skin is not as crispy as the Chinese suckling ones but because the meat is not removed, you get to taste the flavor of the meat as well. This is perhaps the most popular dish in Elcerdo, despite a price tag of RM 180.00 per serve. When you hear the sound of plates being broken, chances are it’s not the waiters’ fault; it’s a signal that the pig is being served.

In an identical ritual to the Greeks, they believe that this piglet must be cut and chopped using a plate and that the plate must be broken to bring you good luck and your wishes granted. Here are some pictures of the birthday boy – Uncle Jack in action.

Afraid that we may not have enough food to go around, we ordered an additional pork knuckle given the rate at which the plates were cleared. You see, when you come to places like these, it's NO good, well at least to me, to leave with a stomach still craving for more... you've got to fill it to the brim! The grilled potatoes were great too, served with bacon pieces and topped with olive oil.

Last but not least, a famous German pork knuckle dish, known traditionally as Eisbein, served with sourkraut and mash potatoes came, in which by then we were all looking at each other with that "Oops.." look. The knuckle is marinated in brine, usually overnight, before it is sent to the roast. According to the captain who took our orders, the meat appears reddish not because it is uncooked but the brine, used to improve the texture of the meat and the flavor will turn the color of the meat after the lengthy cooking process. This, we only managed to finish 40% of it. The crew happily wrapped for us, the remaining of the Eisbein but after a round of their complimentary margarita, we only realised much later that we left the Eisbein behind....

Indeed, a great place to dine regardless of the occasion and with such friendly and helpful service, I’m just loving this place. The bill came up to whopping RM 783.38 but with 9 fully satisfied adults, the price paid was truly worth every single cent.

Sehr gute Nahrung. Wunderbar!

Tummyrating: 9.5/10