Set on a hill overlooking the ocean, Akelare is known for having one of the classically top 3 chefs in San Sebastian and for commanding a magnificent mountain-top view over the ocean. Given that Spanish dinners start at 8:30pm (and the opening time for many of the top restaurants in San Sebastian is thus 8:30pm), the perfect season to go is summer when it coincides with sunset.
Unluckily for me, this particular summer day was fraught with rain, fog and cloud. Throughout dinner the skies got darker, there was a glimpse of the ocean below at one brief point, but otherwise disappeared amongst mist. At least the food was good.
Akelare offers two tasting menus named Aranori and Bekarki. I don't know if there is a different concept between the two, but I chose Bekarki €145 as it sounded more molecular.
Sea Garden Appetizers
- Prawn's Sand - dried mini-prawns ground into a crispy crustacean sand;
- Oyster Leaf. Take the leaf & feel its flavour & aroma - a leaf that tastes like an oyster. Don't understand how, go figure;
- Mussel with "Shell", now that it with the spoon, whole in your mouth - mussel coated in cocoa;
- Sea Urchin's Sponge - onion-flavoured textual sponge, but couldn't detect any sea urchin;
- Beach Pebbles (shallot & corn) - soft corn morsel;
- Codium Seaweed Coral (goose barnacles tasting tempura) - crispy seaweed tempura.
Served with a drink of pomegranate and kava.
Bekarki Menu
- Xangurro in Essence, its Coral Blini and "Gurullos" (the crustacean's meat is reinforced by its juice. Accompany with the pasta that looks like rice grains) - intense crab-flavoured combination of crab meat patty, wet bread soaked in a thick crab liquid and served with salty fish rice;
- Razor Shell with Veal Shank (combine razor shell with veal and cauliflower mushroom. Textures, flavours, contrasts...) - oceany soft clam, thick meaty veal jus, delicate slight crunchy fungus;
- Sauteed Fresh Foie Gras with "Salt Flakes and Grain Pepper" (sauteed foie gras with a lot of "Salt'n'Pepper") - perfectly warm and cooked delicious foie gras onto which the waitress dumped a shocking amount of "salt" (crystallised sugar) and "pepper" (fried vanilla rice cream) which complemented the flavours beautifully;
- (alternative course to foie gras) Pasta Carpaccio, Piquillo and Iberic with Parmesan shrooms (homemade pasta with piquillo and Iberic flavour. It feels like eating cold meat, even though it's vegetable) - black truffle slices on a light thin pasta, but not enough mushroom flavour;
- Turbot with its "Kokotxa" (the preparation is made entirely with turbot, including its "kokotxa". Pil-pil sauce. A crispy chip of its own skin") - turbot with fake cheek, soft like mash with a strong salty fish flavour;
- "Desalted" Cod Box with Shavings (crystallized cod presented in a fish box, over eatable shavings & cod tripes in tomato water) - cod flesh covered with rice powder, salt, served on pasta shavings and cod tripe in a clarified tomato sauce (like pure natural MSG);
- Roasted Suckling Pig with Tomato "Bolao" & Iberian Emulsion (to get a crisp & juicy texture, the baby pig is cooked in Iberian broth and finished in the oven. Start with the baby pig with tomato "bolao", continue with another bit of the Iberico emulsion. Finish tasting all together. Tomato "bolao". Iberico emulsion) - cute potato chip pig, roasted garlic, vegetable liquid and excellent pork with crispy skin;
- Carved Beef, Tail Cake "Potatoes and Peppers" (red meat, like we eat the rib. Tail cake with foie gras. Eat with your fingers the coppered potato and the piquillo peppers and the meat with a little bit of the juice) - superb rare beef, crispy chips and sweet sauce;
- Milk and Grape, Cheese and Wine in Parallel Evolution (grapevine, curded sheep milk & walnut. Powdered fresh cream with chives & grapes. Quark cheese with nutmeg & pink pepper aroma, must of tapioca & tomato. Idiazabal semi-matured with quince jelly & wine dust. Brandy sirop with gorgonzola cheese ice-cream. Torta of Casar's grape with soaked raisins in Pedro Ximenez. Start from the left to the right to recognise each and every of the different flavours that the milk has, as well as the transformations that the grape & milk suffers from the origin up to the oldness) - from the left, weak like tofu, sweet grape light cheese, salty yoghurt, strong, and lastly ultra strong;
- Layered Strawberry & Cream (a reconstructed strawberry. Strawberries and cream flavour and a basil seeds game) - squeaky basil and raspberry seeds, and a giant "strawberry" of white chocolate coating a strawberries & cream filling topped with mint. Brilliant design.
Overall an excellent meal of creative reconstructions, various textures and flavours from both quality natural ingredients and innovative designed ingredients. Although not in the San Pellegrino Top 100 restaurants, Akelare is commonly listed in the top 3 in San Sebastian. One of the key factors is the combination of menu quality with the setting high on the cliff is unmatched, and so I would certainly try and reserve a table next to the window on an evening when the sunset will be colourful and late.