SPANISH tapas with bold flavours and an Asian twist – this is what Little Pig at The Hub SS2 in Petaling Jaya trots out.

The eatery is helmed by chef and co-owner Yong Yu Khim, who honed his craft for years at renowned Spanish restaurant group FOC in Singapore.

I was won over by the Roasted Cauliflower with Manchego, Piparra, Pine Nuts and Romesco Sauce.

A spectrum of flavours is revealed as you sink your teeth into the smoky, juicy and lemony cauliflower, paired with the piquant, nutty Romesco sauce and tangy piparra pepper.

“We steam the cauliflower for four to five minutes, then roast it over charcoal,” said chef Yong.

The Romesco sauce, made with grilled capsicum, nyora peppers, sherry vinegar, olive oil, crushed almonds and hazelnuts, is nothing short of amazing.

The crispy coating of the Cod Fritters shatters into a creamy centre of a roux made with the cooking liquid of bacalao (salted cod) combined with the fish’s shredded flesh. The apple gel on top provides a fresh, fruity balance.

The Crispy Pork Belly Eel Bao has two buns sandwiching grilled Spanish Duroc pork belly, Dutch eel in a teriyaki sauce, pickled cauliflower and egg-yolk gel. I was wowed by the combination of melty pork belly and sweet, smoky eel, with a nice crunch from the cauliflower at the bottom.

The Mushroom Spaghetti is eringi mushrooms cut into threads resembling pasta and finished in a deeply umami sauce with king oyster mushrooms, garnished with egg-yolk gel and white button mushrooms.

It’s an intense sauce, rich in the essence of cauliflower, broccoli, onion, carrot, eggplant, root vegetable, kombu and other ingredients.

We heartily dug into the Squid Ink Paella with Clams, Prawns and Squid, opting to add to it a sheet of Carabinero prawn tartare. These sweet, succulent crustaceans with striking red shells are a sought-after delicacy in Spain, and have been likened to mini lobsters.

The Carabinero tartare is stirred into the hot paella, blackened with squid ink and cooked in a stock of prawn shells and fish, with caramelised onions and red capsicums.

I loved the complex, natural sweetness of the paella, with small chunks of squid, clams and prawns adding texture. However, there was rumbling at my table of it being a tad too sweet. Perhaps, we should’ve had the Carabinero tartare on its own.

We met up with friends, who generously shared their Tortilla Classic and Presa Iberica. The tortilla is like an omelette, made with astaxanthin-enriched OnZen eggs and agria confit potatoes. The layered potato slices, together with the eggs, make for luscious, velvety bites.

Presa Iberica is a tender, well-marbled piece from the shoulder of the Iberico pig. It’s usually grilled medium rare, so that the meat melts in the mouth.

“At Little Pig, we sous vide the presa for 25 minutes on low temperature. Then, we grill it over charcoal to the customer’s preferred doneness,” said chef Yong.

It’s served with a chorizo ketchup and black garlic-red wine sauce, finished with a pickled apple sheet, olive oil, Maldon salt and pea cress. Well executed and scrumptious, with the smoky, sweet-tart ketchup bringing it all together.

By its name, who would have thought that the LP Mini Burger and Fries is a dessert?

The components are all made of chocolate – the “chips” have a Dulcey chocolate coating, and are filled with a white chocolate passion fruit mousse. Within the chocolate “sesame seed buns” nestle a dark chocolate “patty” and a strawberry. This dish was a delight to eat!

The Crema Catalana Sandwich, meanwhile, has slices of “bread” made of meringue, with toffee ice cream and crema catalana as the filling.

Little Pig is a showcase of chef Yong’s dazzling culinary skills, and there is much more to discover on the menu.

Some of the prices: the Crispy Pork Belly Eel Bao is RM34, Cod Fritters (RM15), Mushroom Spaghetti (RM18), Roasted Cauliflower (RM24), Squid Ink Paella (RM42), Presa Iberica (RM58) and Tortilla Classic (RM13).

The restaurant is located at 81-06, The Hub SS2, 46300, Petaling Jaya. It can be reached at 016-2222-708. – September 28, 2019.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.