- calamares €9.72
- champiñones €5.4
San Sebastian - one of the few cities on Earth I've actually fallen for. The culinary scene is just the tip considering it contains extreme fine and creative dining in 3 Michelin stars and Top 50 restaurants, the best in social basic dining with the old town pintxos bars, as well as typical Spanish markets with exceptional ingredients. I long to live here one day.
The pintxos crawl started at a place I missed back in 2009. I walked past it several times but elected not to go in. I can't recall why - perhaps it was too busy... but it is certainly the coolest looking place to eat at. The colours and atmosphere are electric.
- Makobe with Txips €3.7pp - wagyu beef slider with tomato ketchup in the bun;
- Zebitxe con Granada (tigreton de mejillon, mama de bakailu) €3.5 - cod ceviche with mussels;
- Bacalau Enkarbonao con Pepitas de Pimiento €3.7 - cod with red pepper seeds.
I think the food flavours are better at San Telmo, but nowhere creates and presents as well as here. The entire experience is enchanting.
San Sebastian pintxos stop #2. Probably my favourite restaurant of the lot in terms of flavours and the one place I missed out on back in 2009 (as it was closed on the day I tried). The food is outstanding. I often have reservations about the most highly recommended places in LP and RG, but this time it was spot on for a reason.
- Carrillera de Ternera al Vino Tinto - veal cheek in rioja red wine sauce;
- Vieira Toro Ennuelta Tocino Bellota - large sea scallop wrapped with Iberico bacon;
- Oreja de Cerdo Iberico Asada y Crudiente - roasted crunchy pork ear.
The ingredients sing to me - cheeks, ears, scallops. The menu also contains trotters, foie gras, suckling pig, octopus... what more could you want? If it wasn't for it being a pintxos crawl, I would have stayed longer.
Stop 3 on the pintxos crawl. By this time things were getting a little tiring and drunken and so it was soon time to wrap up. Even this bar was closing soon as so mine was the last order taken.
- Risotto de Hongos o de Idiazabal - mushroom and cheese risotto (closer to risoni);
- Kebab de Kostilla/Berika - beef rib.
Both were good although I think my mindset didn't allow me to appreciate them as they may deserve. There still remained plenty of places left after that night's visit to A Fuego Negro, San Telmo and Borda Berri (but those were the three I was most interested in). Others around include Izazpi, Txapetxa and Zeruka. Next time.
Away from the Old Town, the other areas of San Sebastian are worth leisurely exploration. Gros is known for a more private beach area, and probably if nothing more, just another part of town to see.
Finding food here has more limited options and sometimes you just need to trust in the quality of the town. I think San Sebastian is very safe for that. Senra had a small number of pinxtos available on the counter and a full a la carte menu, as well as the distinct lack of English.
- Arroz con almejas (rice with clams) €20 - strong clam-flavoured rice porridge;
- Pulpo a la gallega (Galician octopus) €18 - I always forget what Galician-style octopus is (boiled, served with olive oil & paprika) until I order it again and remember why I shouldn't. This was a good version with tender meat. I just don't prefer it.
A recommended place for a stop when in Gros.
Despite San Sebastian's reputation for exceptional high-end gastronomy and similarly experiential tapas bars, sometimes a meal in the middle is what you are looking for. On this occasion, it was coincidentally a Monday which is when most restaurants and even a large number of tapas places are closed. Luckily Egosari (which has a pinxtos bar upstairs and a restaurant downstairs) was available, and my memory of eating here back in 2009 reaffirmed it as the chosen place for the evening.
They specialise in seafood as reflected by the majority of a la carte items available.
- Tepid salad of spider crab, prawns & scampi (ensalada de txangurro) €17.4 - sweet spider crab meat picked into mounds, served with salad, peeled prawns and a decorative scampi;
- Donostiarra's fish soup €6.2 - rich creamy fish soup with intense flavour;
- Casserole of anglerfish & hake with clams & shrimps (cazuela de rape) €18.4 - tender hake chunks and small clams served in what seemed to be the same soup as the above.
Each dish was delicious. My only slight gripe was both dishes with the soup seemed to be the same base - not disappointing from a flavour point of view, but rather it would have been nice to have been informed so I could choose something with more variety.
Next time I'd order the Crab Salad and try the cazuela. If the cazuela had a different base, I'd have the fish soup also. I didn't see any of the items under the 'seafood' header on the night, but I'm sure they'd be good too.
The finest booking of my San Sebastian gourmet adventure was the San Pellegrino World #3 Mugaritz. I hadn't previously dined at any Spanish juggernaut restaurants and so I was interested to see the difference between gourmet gastronomy Spanish, and those that I was more familiar with in more traditional Spanish and gourmet international/French.
Opinions online have suggested that of the restaurant selection panel between Mugaritz, Arzak (which was closed during the period of my visit), Martin Berasategui, Akelare and others, Mugaritz was rated by diners most commonly to be the favourite, occasionally the least liked, but always the most inventive.
Our menu €165pp differed slightly from the order printed.
- "Satiation eludes bread and olives" - edible paper (tastes like Eucharest bread) & olive paste;
- Garlic tempura - delicious garlic flower tempura with a rich fragrant taste;
- "Fishbones" with nuances of lemon, garlic & cayenne pepper
- Edible stones - boiled potato stones with an odd crunchy shell exterior with garlic mayonnaise;
- Flax and wheat "Kraft" paper with crab coral & sunsho - edible paper with a spot of sea urchin roe covered with crab meat. Fantastic umami flavours, textures of crisp paper, crab flesh and soft uni;
- Slices of foie-gras cured in clay & Sichuan peppercorns. Bath of apple extract - sliced creamy foie gras in apple water. A little strange;
There was a short interlude at this point where we were invited to see the kitchen. They gave as their version of a macaron comprised of pig's blood for the exterior and blue cheese filling. Unexpectedly tasty.
- Ravioli of aromatic vegetables - gelatinous pasta enclosing fresh soft parsley, mint, tarragon, thyme resulting in an explosion of herb flavours;
- Hazelnut & beans stew - warm soft hazelnuts, black beans, mother of pearl and onion;
- Cured cheese, in its own rind, mushrooms & coastal herbs - linen seeds processed in milk then into a clay oven for 2-3 days forming a soft gelatinous and very strong blue cheese;
- Artichoke & Iberian ham "tat in". Clam Chantilly - actually a mirage from lemon rind & potato hash, clam foam;
- Roasted loin of hake with clashing grains of ages mascarpone, cauliflower & almonds - hake with raw cauliflower & mascarpone;
- Daily catch with acidic sprouts of amaranth & vanilla - scorpion fish, amaranth, vanilla, roe forming a very strong fishy taste;
- Breast of guineafowl with lobster emulsion & its roasted skin - sesame seed/linseed/pepper/saffron mortared into pieces, added lilly flower/cosmo herb/soft fowl breast and smoky crackling, filled with a rather weak flavoured lobster soup. The smell of the crushed spices then infused into the soup was the highlight;
- Crunchy terrine of Iberian pig tails with a bunch of bitter leaves & Txakoli sediments - divine pork texture and flavour. One for the memories;
- Mint - mint soaked in alcohol with white rum powder;
- "Forgotten memory from childhood." Small bite of milky wafer with lemon ice cream - sensational lemon cream atop a waffle cracker. So good we asked for seconds;
- "Traditional" almond Fairy cake - nutty ice-cream cake;
- Vanilla-Fern - edible fake vanilla pods with sugar and swiped onto chocolate ganache;
Finally we were given dehydrated paper towels to reconstitute, followed by an enormous wooden box of hazelnuts coated in chocolate and cocoa powder, sitting on top of an edible earth of chocolate pieces and seeds. We asked to take the leftovers home, which they granted us for the hazelnuts.
Altogether a very special and interesting meal. There were some incredible highlights, a lot of good combinations, and the occasionally oddity. Definitely a recommendation to try and have your food senses challenged, but it isn't the type of place or menu I would come back for in the near future.
Martin Berasategui's restaurant has a large number of accolades. It was in the Top 50 restaurants in the world for 6 years, culminating at 27 before falling out in 2012 and also holds the TA #1 position for San Sebastian, which is a feat given the quality of restaurants in the town. Online reviewers comparing the great restaurants of San Sebastian often suggest that his 'greatest hits' menu is the one to go for and is perhaps the most friendly, accessible and easily liked cuisine in amongst the gastronomy restaurants.
The restaurant was quiet for lunch in June, with only one other table that day. After a taxi ride, we ended up in a lovely restaurant that included a balcony area overlooking the grassy hillsides of the region.
The menu €175pp seemed to be more recent than I would expect for a greatest hits, but was full of bright colours, foams and tasty jellies with no dish disappointing or tasting awkward. He seems to especially like green.
"I propose that you allow me to seduce you in small mouthfuls... seductive, light and succulent, they will whet your appetite and be the introduction to a magnificent meal"
- 1995 Mille-Feuille of Smoked Eel, Foie-Gras, Spring Onions & Green Apple - flavour mix of buttery foie gras, sweet apple, salty eel;
- 2001 Squid Soup, Creamy Squid Ink Ravioli served with Squid Crouton - deliciously strong squid dish, slivers of soft flesh, sweet ink morsel.
"This will be followed by:"
- 2011 Oyster with Cucumber, Kaffir & Coconut - cold oyster in a beautiful salty sweet Thai-style broth;
- 2012 Morsel of Asparagus & Raw Truffle, Air & Juice - strong truffle flavour, light cheese, roast sunflower seeds adding texture;
- 2009 Little Pearls of Raw Fennel, Risotto & Emulsion - raw crispy fennel topping soft sweet 'risotto' of fennel pieces, air emulsion;
- 2012 Smoked Balloon with Mille-Feuilles of Endives, Oily Fish, Watercress & Chickweed - smoked fish liquid balloons with smokey mackerel pieces, watercress broth, light cheese;
- 2011 "Gorrotxategi" Egg Resting on a Herb Liquid Salad & Dewlap Carpaccio - perfect poached yolk, beetroot pieces, green herb sauce, truffle oil & vintage cheese;
- 2001 Warm Vegetable Hearts Salad with Seafood, Cream of Lettuce & Iodized Juice - gorgeous plate of colourful salad ingredients, tomato water, jelly salad;
- 2011 Roast Red Mullet with Crystals of Edible Scales, Tail & Marine Salad with Sesame & Nuts - meaty portions of pig tail, soft mullet, juice tasting like wakame, almond cream;
- 2011 Grilled Sirloin "Luismi" over a Bed of Swiss Chard Chlorophyll & Cheese Bonbon - rare local San Sebastian beef, good combination with cheese, salt and chlorophyll.
"And desserts to finish:"
- 2012 Melon with Caipirinha, Lemongrass Sorbet, Crispy Flowers & Sheep's Milk - alcoholic jelly, sweet melon, delicious subtle lemongrass sorbet;
- 2012 Chocolate Frost with Mint, Asparagus, Caramelised Pumpkin & Bitter Coffee Icecream - chocolate & orange aerated sponge, bitter coffee icecream, mint, ice, asparagus pearls;
- tower of petit fours - cinnamon milk drink, alcoholic cranberry juice, portions of pistachio nougat chocolate.
Overall an excellent meal. The flavours were great and no dishes were questionable. In comparison to Akelare and Mugaritz, I think Martin Berasategui had the most straight forward dishes using fine gastronomical technique, although the other two probably have a more inventive edge.
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.