Okay, before we get into the details, just wanna say that if you fancy the likes of Pinchos Tapas Bar and Marta’s Kitchen – then, you would definitely loveeee El Toro Loco. These guys are definitely up there with them 🙂 Food was delicious and most importantly, authentic. What more do you need, right?
Okaysss, now, back to the details. So, the day started off with a business meeting across the road, at Life Centre. As were the case with business meetings, they tend to run longer than anticipated. By the time we were done, our tummies were all rumbling in hunger and anger. I missed out on breakfast and by the time we were done with meeting, it was passed lunch time. Good thing El Toro Loco was located just across the road, yay!
The eatery is located on the Ground Floor of Fraser Place, tucked in a corner, it faces the road. On your way in, be it via driving or walking, you can hardly miss it.
The outer part of the eatery is ore of an open setting, which was cool. The eatery is positioned in a face that it faces the main road, directly in front of it. It would be an awesome place to kindda loose your self for a bit, tone down the nerves, relax. Simply sipping on a glass of Sangria while people watching – yup, after the taxing day I’ve had, that sounds heavenly, does it not?
But … I was looking forward to the food and to having it in a more cozier, intimate setting? That being the case, naturally we opted to sit inside. Now, the inside, is small but intimate it was. They’ve designed it in a way that some tables had its own private corner, secluded? Makes for an excellent spot for a date, ey?
Based on my limited comprehention of the Spanish language, I’d say El Toro Loco literally translates to The Crazy Bull? Toro is bull, which is a significant symbol in/of Spain, deeply ingrained into their culture and concurrent with this, you’d see a miniature of a bull on every table.
Most of us hardly indulge in this cuisine, not because we dont like it but more due to the fact that we are not familiar with it. It is a common notion that humans generally steer clear of the unfamiliar, preferring to stick to what they know. Such is the case with us. However, one of us is very familiar Spanish food, having to travel to Barcelona annually to attend telco conferences. So, in no time, made a friend out of the chef, exchanging stories about La Rumbla and Plaza Reial. I havent tasted the food but the experience here so far has been awesome, listening to the exchange, entertaining indeed. Despite all the talking and laughters, food arrived rather quickly. Service was good – friendly and attentive. It was all around a good atmosphere.
While most of us were hungry, we wanted to try a lil bit of everything, as oppose to ordering one big portion of something. So, we literally allowed the chef free rein to present us with whatever he thought would wow us.
Did he, though? Yessssss, he certainly did. I may not be familiar with the cuisine but I sure am well versed with good food and this was GOOD FOOD.
Soooo, we started of with De Txaka, 15 ringgit which basically is crab salad served on a baguette. You’d think it simply is a crab salad, nothing to be wow-ed about, right? W r o n g. Pretty much any restaurant you head to, the first mouth you take kindda sets the precedence, if its good food, you’d kindda feel that vibe throughout and if its bad, yea, a least memorable experience definitely. The first mouth I took of this dish, I loved it. The flavors were lovely, the texture was all thick and gooey – good stuff.
Next, we had De Champinon Iberico, 24 ringgit. At the bottom, you’d get a piece of German bread, topped with grilled Champignon mushroom and then the start of the dish – the jamon Iberico. I’ve had plenty of pork, ham but the jamon Iberico, it has been donkey years. I cant recall tasting it locally, a rarity perhaps. As you know, it takes weeks of preservation for it to achieve this form of texture and then the precision slicing, oooo it sure takes skills 🙂 Flavored just right, it was a delight.
Then, we had Ceviche Agazpachado, 22 ringgit. This is a Peruvian classic with a Spanish twist. It consisted of Gazpacho Soup with fresh grouper and coriander. I was told that the soup was tomato based and surprisingly – I enjoyed it. I usually stay clear of the watery, ‘all you can taste is tomato’ kindda soup, which is what I usually come across locally but this one here, the consistency was lovely and tomato isnt the only thing you’d taste, in fact I hardly tasted it that I literally slurped the whole thing up. Niceeee.
We had Patatas Bravas, 18 ringgit and Croquetas de Jamon, 15 ringgit next. Both dishes were awesome but I enjoyed the Patatas Bravas a tad more. It comprised of crispy fried potato wedges topped with garlic mayonnaise and homemade bravas sauce. I usually try and keep away from potatoes, simply because they mess up with my calorie count but indulging in these potatoes though, it was worth it. The mix of the brava sauce and mayonnaise – oooo man, it was heavenly. Lets just say, if a cafe decided to add this to their ‘Light bites’ option – yup, I’ll be there weekly. A simply dish it was but it was tasty. The Croquetas de Jamon is ham croquettes, all crunchy and crispy n the outside and creamy on the inside. It literally felt like I was eating soft, gooey nuggets. Best plop the whole ball in as oppose to eating it in halves, that is when you’d be able to taste it all in one go.
Lastly, the Paella, 29 ringgit. I try and get my hands on this plate of yummy goodies whenever I can, which isn’t as often as I would like considering the rarity of my visits to Spanish restaurants. So, naturally this time – we went for it. Ooooooo, it was good, a gooey, delicious pile of thick, mushy, flavorful rice topped with clams, mussels, prawns and squids. I have a soft spot for short grain rice, it is the same reason I loveeee risotto too – I was a happy kid. Burp!
Oooo and what better way to end it all with a glass of Sangria, 26 ringgit. A nice dose of red wine and chopped fruits. I was stuffed but I simply couldn’t resist. Lovely.
** Thank you for having us 🙂
Would I head back here?
Yes, I had an awesome experience here. Food was delicious, decadent and authentic. Love the ambiance and service was good. This is certainly an eatery I’d head to to get my Spanish fix.
Address: Ground floor, Fraser Place, Jalan Perak, Kuala Lumpur.
Opening hours: Everyday, 12 pm – 12 am.
Signing out now, Ciao.
