Milford’s Verveine gets bold New Year makeover

WITH innovation and imagination at the core of his dining ethos, chef patron of Verveine Fishmarket Restaurant Dave Wykes has overseen the artistic transformation of his celebrated Milford eatery.

Since it was established in the village 14 years ago, David says Verveine has been “a million different places”, but the latest incarnation is one of the boldest with its eclectic ceiling-chair art in the private dining area.

Pride of place is a colourful montage of spraypainted clam shells created by David’s son Thomas, who is studying graphic design at Bournemouth University.

“I absolutely love it,” said David. “I am thrilled with how it turned out.

“He was outside spraying the shells on a really cold day and I kept going out saying ‘you could do this’ or ‘you could do that’. He definitely stopped listening to me but I love how it’s turned out – it’s my absolute favourite piece of art.”

Local decorators Nick and Dylan, from NRV Property Services, were tasked with repainting the restaurant, and creating a tornado-like stormscape ceiling with added recycled chairs.

Regularly featured in prestigious fine dining guides including the Michelin Guide and the Good Food Guide; dishes at Verveine are created with the “love of ingredients” and the “love of theatre” at their core.

David said: “The idea of cooking the same dish for 10 years is just horrendous to me – we constantly evolve, continuously change.

“The only rule we have is all food must have some sort of identity – the providence of the ingredients. It has to have an influence; different plates are influenced by different countries.

“It’s a bit of a double-edged sword, though, because to innovate and be unique you have to be ready to do double the amount of work, double the amount of research.”

The new décor has been positively embraced by customers, with a private dining area at the front of the restaurant proving particularly popular.

David explained that creating a ceiling focal point has been on his mind for some time. “We had the old restaurant chairs and I wanted to find a way of including them or reusing them,” he said. “Maybe it’s a little bit crazy but everyone seems to love it.

“It’s been a million different places; it’s never been just 98 High Street.”

David continued: “I cook every service. There is no someone who cooks underneath me, we all cook together – we are a team.”

During lockdown David and his team developed a collection of spice blends, which are sold online and in the restaurant as well as being used in the kitchen.

He said: “The spice blends took us around 18 months to get the first six right. It was a real challenge but the smell of them was almost hypnotic – making our own blends just fitted with what we were trying to do.”

Shelves laden with spices and dry ingredients line the walls, with the team also distilling their own alcohol blends which are used to create cocktails – including David’s latest creation, a clear Espresso Martini.

“Everything now is unique – this was two years of me thinking about what we wanted to do,” he said.

“I don’t know where we go now, but I love the evolution of it.”

Verveine is open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. Highlights include a two-course lunch from £25 and a monthly four-course supper club meal for £32.

To find out more, visit www.verveine.co.uk