At only 25, Bocado's Spanish head chef Víctor Santos is a force of flavour, infusing fresh surprises into Spanish cuisine while illuminating its spirit.
Santos' culinary compass was set early in his home province of Lugo in Galicia. At 12, he observed how happiness thrived in restaurants, with friends laughing and families lingering.
Striving to kindle that magic, he started cooking at home, seeing food as both sustenance and storytelling. The pursuit of excellence steered him into the restaurant kitchens of Marbella and Ibiza in Spain, Lucerne in Switzerland, and now, Kuala Lumpur.
Here at Bukit Damansara's Bocado, Santos prizes Spanish and European produce such as smoky padrón peppers, seasonal asparagus and artichokes, Idiazábal cheese from the Basque Country, Atlantic octopus and North Sea grouper, in unison with Malaysian ingredients like wild-caught prawns.
Santos' range is remarkable: He makes KL's most satisfying paella, cooked with a soulful crustacean stock, while also showcasing recipes rarely seen in Malaysia, like classic tripe soup and cachopo, a breaded meat fillet beloved in Spain's Asturias region.
If you're seeking a Spanish restaurant with a real difference, bookmark Bocado: Santos' ideas and imagination carry a captivating slice of his country across continents, on a brilliant bridge between tradition and tomorrow.
Commence with comfort: Bocado's starters balance rustic roots with refined execution. Alcachofa Confitada layers a four-hour artichoke confit with egg yolk and shavings of Idiazábal cheese. It's irresistible: The smoked cheese's lightly sultry nuttiness melts lusciously into the tender sweetness of the artichoke and the velvety creaminess of the cured yolk. Pulpo a la Gallega spotlights a Galician staple, with Atlantic octopus, rich in oceanic meatiness, perched on a pillowy chiffon of potatoes, its buttery smoothness lifted by the earthy warmth of smoked paprika. 
The colourful bounty of Spain's harvest shines in white asparagus and green peppers.
Espárrago Blanco presents thick spears of white asparagus, delicately yielding in texture but full-bodied in its elegantly clean, grassy flavour, bathed in silky almond soup that enfolds the vegetable in sumptuous indulgence.
Pimientos de Padrón emerge with a juicy-fried bite, playfully revealing mellow sparks of heat.
Callos is homely and hearty, Santos' tribute to his grandmother's tripe soup, slow-simmered with gelatinous ribbons of tripe that soak up a gently spiced broth, tinged with tomatoes and paprika for delicious depth.
Don't miss Bocado's selection of paella, headlined by the Paella de Marisco, perhaps the most pleasurable rendition we've encountered recently in KL.
Steeped in sumptuous stock made with crabs, fish and prawns, every firm grain of the bomba rice is saturated with the sea’s essence, topped with superbly fresh tiger prawns and squid, prepared in a shallow paellera pan for a lightly crisp socarrat.
We'd eagerly return to Bocado simply for this paella. Fun fact: It's also available as fidueá, with angel hair pasta instead of rice.
Mero de Roca highlights the flaky fleshiness of North Sea grouper; it's a favourite of the Bocado team, with perfectly grilled fish paired with boiled potatoes, cabbage and a creatively robust sauce that blends kale with balsamic vinegar.
Bocado
50-G, Plaza Damansara, Jalan Medan Setia 2, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur.
Daily, 12pm-3pm; 6pm-10:30pm. Tel: 012-923-3206
