Dining at Verbena, a Spanish private kitchen

Nestled in a cozy residence in Kuala Lumpur is a private dining experience that brings you to Spain. Chef Gabriel Bonnin who is the head chef at Artisan’s Playground by Cookhouse, also runs Verbena, a private dining enclave in Damansara Heights. Dinner usually involves a ‘cooking class’ where guests get front row seats in the kitchen and watch the preparation firsthand. 

For our interview, Chef prepared a few dishes to give us a taste of what a full 4 course meal would be like. We started with homemade brioche with foie gras and caviar. Loved the rich creaminess of the foie gras enhanced by caviar, tempered with the fragrant brioche.

We moved on to scallop ceviche which had a subtle smokiness of cherry wood.

And the sou vided octopus – an amazing party in the mouth, fusing the earthy olive taste from the tapenade with miso mayo, alleviating the tender octopus.

The perfectly done lamb came on an unusual bed of red lentils salad with curry.

Flavours were all on point, and opened our eyes to a different facet of Spanish food beyond paella. A meal at Verbena costs RM390, But more than that, it’s a curated affair that promises to be quite special. Verbena also caters to private events where you can have a Spanish buffet for around RM200. For reservations, drop a message to IG @verbena.kl on its FB page.