“I was very captivated by the restaurant in Spain and kept going back every year. In the last two years, I really felt that I needed to do something along those lines. I just thought it was time to do what I really wanted to,” said Wong, who is the founder and managing director of Vintry Cellars Sdn Bhd, which owns Stoked, the charcoal oven restaurant and bar in Medan Damansara, Kuala Lumpur which Wong opened last year.

Housed in the space formerly occupied by another KL stalwart Ribs by Vintry (also owned by Wong), Stoked is a beautifully appointed eatery with pristine white tablecloths, gorgeous Laguiole (a renowned French brand) steak knives and fresh flowers on every table.

It’s the sort of place you’ll want to dress up for, because otherwise it will probably outshine you.

And standing proud in the heart of the open kitchen lies big Bertha, a massive 300kg English barbecue grill and oven that Wong commissioned from its family-owned maker and which Stoked now uses as its primary licence to grill, fuelled by charcoal and firewood.

“I started researching ovens around the world and came across this, the Bertha. I made a trip to the United Kingdom, met the owner who designed my Bertha and we’re very very happy with it,” said Wong, adding that the eatery is the first in South-East Asia to use the oven.

The Bertha’s main advantage is its ability to cook meat at high heat whilst also keeping it moist, a feat that many open-burning ovens are unable to replicate. This means that premium cuts of meat get treated to a lot of tender loving care and are also cooked 40percent faster than on an open grill.

It is clear that Stoked takes its meat seriously. You only need to look at the menu to see what you’re dealing with – choice options like iberico pork ribs, USDA choice striploin, Blackmore wagyu tri-tip and even a particularly beguiling-sounding French wild partridge.

Having said all that, the restaurant is also part of the burgeoning locavore movement, sourcing vegetables locally and seafood from local fishing villages in Pulau Ketam and Hutan Melintang.

The menu changes every two weeks or so, so you’re unlikely to see too many repeats.

But if you do get the chance, try the Wood-Smoked Queensland Giant Octopus (RM58). Served with roasted Brussel sprouts and a saffron and vanilla aioli, the octopus is cooked well – it cuts perfectly but isn’t rubbery or spongy. The charred bits are particularly yummy, and give this very premium cephalopod a rugged edge that does wonders to endear it to diners.

If you’re after something to soothe and sate, the Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Winter Truffles and Artichoke Chips (RM42) will do that and so much more. The artichoke chips are a little like garlic chips and give the soup a nice, albeit slightly bitter, textural crunch.

The soup itself is divine – a creamy, pea green smooth operator that glides down your palate like silk. It’s flavourful and rich but also strangely calming, almost like having a warm bath after a long day.