Black Hoofs Rule!
It’s
a treat for porcine lovers at Iberico
Kitchen! Imagine a restaurant paying full tribute to the black Iberian pig,
also known as the Black Hoof or the Four Legged Olive Tree, with a full menu of
Iberico dishes as its main highlight. Needless to say, porcine fans like me
cannot wait to make our way to Iberico
Kitchen for a sublime taste of the premium pork.
Located
in Oasis Square at Ara Damansara, Iberico
Kitchen opened recently about 4 months ago by owners who are passionate
about the lusciousness of the black pig. Dubbed the equivalent of the Wagyu of
beef, Iberico of pork hails from the native of Iberian Peninsula. These breed
feeds on acorns and has a good marbling throughout its meat, making the meat
tender, flavoursome and moist. Iberico Kitchen imports their Iberico produce
from Spain.
The
ambience at Iberico Kitchen is a
welcoming sight. The spacious restaurant kept it’s décor to a minimalist industrial
theme with rustic wood and steel with bricks all over the space. One can see
the open kitchen at the back of the restaurant as well. There are also al
fresco seating outside the restaurant. The menu consist of various cuts of the
Iberian pig prepared in the best possible way deemed by the owners.
Dinner
commenced with Chef’s Salad (RM25).
Even the salad here has Iberico pork, that’s how serious they are with this
premium pork. Enjoyed grilled cured pork cheeks on a salad of mix greens and
grilled vegetables dressed with honey balsamic glaze dressing. There’s also
some pungent feta cheese to boost the flavours of the salad too.
Next
up, a delicious Iberico Collar on Mashed
Potatoes (RM37). The collar is highly-prized for its super tender and well-marble
ratio that renders great juiciness. It is beautifully grilled here and is
flavourful with a good bite. Served with rustic mashed potatoes and sautéed vegetables,
the dish is easy to enjoy.
We
took on the The Bolognese (RM29) for
some carbs. This pasta dish comes with Iberico Jowl meatballs to lavish up the
dish. The dish is decent and perfect for pasta lovers. If Bolognese is not your
sauce, then there’s the Aglio Olio or The Carbonara, both served with pan
seared Iberico Collar too.
Iberico Pork Chop (RM49) is quite a delicious hunk of a
meat on the bone. Served with mashed potato, some vegetables and brown gravy,
that mighty pork chop was pretty filling. Though leaner than other cuts, the
iberico pork chop is still pretty moist and tender. It is definitely what
Iberico premium pork is all about as the meat can be lean and yet beautifully
tender and succulent.
It
was unanimous decision that the hero of the night was The Original Iberico Spare Ribs (RM16 for 100gm). Our platter was
620gm to be exact and it was a platter of sumptuousness. Choose the size from
quarter to half or full rack portion and flavours of Original or Honey Glazed.
Quarter size comes with a side dish while the others comes with two sides from
a choice of pineapple salsa, house salad, mashed potato, pilaf rice or French fries.
Rubbed
with spiced seasonings, the ribs are then slow grilled till cooked and finished
with a glaze of the choice of flavours. The ribs are not the fall-off-the-bone
tender variety but rather ribs with a good bite of meat. The meat is still
tender and nicely moist. The spiced seasoning rendered a good dose of savory and
spicy flavours with a light note of sweetness. It is quite different from other
rib joints and has a great bite of textures. The best part is that one can also
taste the natural flavours of the porky sweetness. For the whole month of June,
there is a promotion going on for the ribs at RM11 per 100gm so don’t miss this
offer!
My
personal favorite of the night was the Iberico
Shoulder Loin Special (RM58). I have never tasted a piece of pork cut so
awesome. It’s almost like eating a good piece of aged beef texture but the
flavours on this shoulder loin is even better. It is gorgeously juicy and has a
good firm bite. The flavours are so rich and robust despite its simple cooking
method and seasoning. Served with mashed, sautéed mushrooms and greens, the
dish is definitely drool-worthy and warrants a non-sharing mode in my books. A
must-order…
Just
when I thought it can’t get any better, we tasted the Iberico Collar Fried Rice (RM15). The secret to an awesome fried
rice is the wok heat and seasoning. This dish passed with flying colors on the
intense breathe of work, rendering a yummy aroma. It is also filled with lots
of fluffy egg, some vegetables and pieces of delicious pan seared Iberico collar.
Served with fried egg, dried chili sambal, cucumber and broccoli, we loved this
dish a lot.
Thrown
in for good measure, Iberico Kitchen
also has a seafood version called Chef’s
Seafood Fried Rice (RM19). This one has fresh crab meat and prawns in the
fried rice and served with the same sides as the previous fried rice. It has a
sweeter note from the seafood than the pork collar. Both fried rice is really
well cooked and seasoned so ordering either one is fine.
There’s
only two desserts on the menu and we had them both to put a sweet ending to our
meal. Crema Catalana (RM15) and Chocolate Fondant (RM15) is executed
with good authenticity of flavours. The Crema Catalana is cream cooked till set
and covered with a thin layer of caramelized sugar, similar to its famous
relative of Crème Brulee. This one is definitely richer and heavier with a
thicker consistency. It is nicely sweet and creamy too. There is a side of
watermelon salsa to balance the richness of the crème. The Chocolate Fondant is
well baked with the essential oozy molten center. Served with vanilla ice cream
and wafer roll, it will satisfy any chocolate lovers.
Drinks
that evening was Ice Lemongrass with
Honey (RM8.90).
Iberico
Kitchen may be priced
slightly higher but bear in mind that its premium imported pork we are
savoring. The price is definitely reasonable as I have noticed higher pricing
for these pork in other restaurants. Make sure to visit Iberico Kitchen for their awesome Iberico Ribs, Iberico Shoulder Loin and Iberco Collar Fried Rice. It’s porky haven here that porcine lovers
should congregate and enjoy the Iberico pork at its best!
IBERICO
KITCHEN
Unit D-G-07 Block D,
Oasis Square,
Jalan PJU 1A/7A,
Ara Damansara
Petaling Jaya
Tel:
03-7859-9296/012-2977296
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ibericokitchen
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