The Star - Metro Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Mouth-watering Spanish cuisine
Jeganathan shares his passion for Spanish cooking via La Cocina.
By Lim Chia Ying

MENTION tapas or paella and Spanish cuisine springs to mind. But few Spanish cuisine outlets in Malaysia can match the authentic taste and flavours of Spain in their paella (Spanish saffron rice) and tapas. At La Cocina Restaurant in USJ 9, Subang Jaya, its managing director-cum-owner and chief chef Jeganathan Letchumanan translates to the plate his deep fascination and passion for Spanish food with an array of authentic tapas courses, meat and seafood.

Restaurant's Forte: The Mariscos Paella is Spanish saffron rice served with large prawns, shrimps, razor clams, squid and vegetables.

Cosy and romantic: The interior of La Cocina Restaurant has a Spanish-Mediterranean feel to it.

After all, his restaurant's name La Cocina is the Spanish term for art of cooking. But Jeganathan brings with him an extensive experience from his training days as a cook in Switzerland to his ll-year stint on board the world famous cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II (QE II).

"I was a wine sommelier on board the QE ll," he said.

"So yes, I'm rather well-versed in wines, and this restaurant is where I share my expertise on wines with guests through the wine tasting sessions I conduct for members here once every two months,"

He said with the wine sessions, people get to learn the fundamentals of wine appreciation as wine was something very individual and different people were inclined to different types of wines.

"It's about teaching people what they are looking for in a wine, or if this wine is their type? Everyone will become a participant during my session, and this helps rekindle their interest in wines," he said. The restaurant houses the Copa de Vino Wine and Tapas Bar upstairs with a no-frills cellar that carries between 30 and 40 labels from France and Italy to Portugal and Chile.

A European-style lounge enables guests to sit back while relaxing their sips of wines. Six years on, the restaurant has continued reinventing itself to now include a pool and karaoke section on the third floor. The restaurant itself, meanwhile, has a very cosy Mediterranean feel to it, with candles placed on every table illuminating and figurines and other knick-knacks adorning the walls - most of which were bought during Jeganathan's travels back then, especially during the ship's ports-of-call in Italy, Portugal, and Spain, of course!

This sets for a romantic and enchanting dinner right from the start.

"What makes Spanish food so fascinating is its variety and the varied flavours. "Compared to the mother of all Western cuisine - French, which utilises a lot of cream and where its sauces are quite heavy - Spanish food is a lot about simplicity yet very well refined.

"The bottom line of Spanish cuisine is olive oil, lots of fresh ingredients and herbs, with a dash of wine," said Jeganathan. This was evident later on in the food. For tapas, there are a total of 24 varieties, not including vegetarian tapas. Among the recommendations are the Gambas al Pil Pil (pan fried shrimp with fresh garlic, olive oil, and dried chilli), Albondigas de Cordero (Spanish meatball served

Delectable: The various tapas items that are bursting with flavours, to be eaten with the accompaniment of the baguette.

in herb tomato sauce), and Queso Manchego (cheese made from 100% sheep milk from the La Mancha region of Spain, served with crackers.)

Accompanying these tapas were slices of baguette bread.

We were also served the Berenjenas Gratinadas (gratinated eggplant with garlic, tomato, herbs and cheese), made in-house. Then came the must-have paella, which is also La Cocina's forte. The Mariscos Paella was served, with accompaniments of large prawns, shrimps, razor clams, squid, and vegetables.

"Our paella is cooked to perfection the way Malaysians like it. In Spain, the rice is rather grainy and not fully cooked, which is something Malaysians can't get accustomed to. "So I've modified that in such a way that the rice is just nice, to suit local taste buds," explained Jeganathan.

Next recommendation was the Sizzling Grilled Lamb Loin, which is grilled rack and loin of lamb served with fresh mixed vegetables, grilled tomato, jacket potato and a choice of sauce (Spanish garlic cream sauce, mushroom sauce, or black pepper sauce).

Desserts were interesting especially with the tantalising Crema Catalana (rich Spanish custard with caramelised sugar) and Tarta de Santiago (almond tart served with vanilla custard). Such meal could not get more heavenly than with a glass of Sangria (classic Spanish red wine cocktail with citrus fruits).

And every Friday night after 10pm, the place comes alive with salsa dances by his regular customers and newcomers who train at a nearby dance school.

Pork free. LA COCINA RESTAURANT, 38 USJ 9/5P, Subang Central, UEP 47620 Subang Jaya. (Tel: 03-8023 2395). Business hours: Daily; 11am to 3pm (lunch), 6pm to midnight (dinner).