The One With Comilonas – Spanish Private Kitchen

Comilonas was my first foray into the world of private kitchen. It was first mentioned in a newsletter, and curiousity got the better of me. Towards end of last year I organised a huge dinner for twenty pax, which I didn’t blog about.

No, it wasn’t that the dinner wasn’t good. It just slipped my mind. In fact, over time various foodies came to try Comilonas and laud it a revival to the world of private kitchens.

And so we decided to host another dinner at Comilonas again. The menu has not been changed much; but why change a winning formulae, right? Chef Luis and his wife Carrie went back to Spain for a “refresher” in February, and we were just in time to try out some new changes to the menu.

Romesco Dip

Served with breadstick and carrots. Loved the rich nutty flavour. A great start to the meal.

Herb-Marinated Scallop

Heavily drenched in olive oil. I thought it would be way too greasy but for some reasons it wasn’t. The fresh scallops were tangy to the bite, probably helped by the generous helping of herbs.

Esqueixada

A Catalan salad, the salted cod fish was perfectly mixed with the diced vegetables, mostly tomatoes and onions. The olive oil deceives, trust me. This salad was as fresh and as crunchy as they come.

Mushroom With Black Sausages

I am a fan of mushrooms of all variety, and this doesn’t disappoint. Freaked as I was when I was told the black sausages were made out of blood (eeeww), in restrospect, it wasn’t that bad. I was happily devouring the dish but refrained from mopping up the leftover (bloody?) sauce with bread.

Piquillo Peppers With Cheese

Not a fan of this, I thought it vaguely reminded me of some dish I had at Pizza Express. The pepper was way too soft though the cheese was rather enticing.

Chicken & Pork Canalons

Easily the highlight of the dinner. It was like a generous meatier version of mac ‘n cheese. The chicken fillets served as a filling based, topped with delicious cheese. And the pork? It tasted like crunchy bacon. Heaven.

Fennel & Orange Salad

Passable salad. Almost like a half-hearted attempt when compared to the other dishes.

Chorizo & Shrimp Paella

A must try in any Spanish kitchen. Though I preferred the squid ink version in my last visit, this one didn’t disappoint either. The somewhat refrain use of garlic made this not a heavy end to dinner, and the shrimps were expectedly fresh and crunchy.

Caramelized Orange With Ice Cream

My favourite dessert. By then we had so much wine that almost anything would have worked for us.

Speaking of wine… have you tried the Spanish wine fountain?

Basically you empty a bottle of red wine into a genie-lamp-like glass beaker. Then you pour the wine into your mouth directly, pulling the beaker away as far as you can go.

The trick is not to spill the wine… but like many amateurs, it is advisable for you to wear a bip. Accident may occur and even the strongest stain remover may not be enough to salvage your stained top. Hint: Wear black.

All in all, it was great to be back with friends both old and new. If you are looking for a private kitchen experience in a cosy environment with great food and service that doesn’t break the bank (wow that was one long sentence!), Comilonas would be perfect.

Did I mention there is no corkage fee?

Comilonas
1/F, Flat 22 Yip Cheong Building
4-16 Hill Road, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong
+852 9863 2270
www.comilonas.biz

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