Images from the Basque Country

Today I want to share some images from my beloved Basque Country.

I first visited Bilbao and San Sebastian back in 2003 and since then I have them in my heart. As I visited more and more, I started appreciating the country and not only the two cities.

The Guggenheim Museum

This beautiful structure was the first reason I wanted to visit Bilbao. I became aware of it back in 1999 and put it on my list as a place to visit. It is true that the museum by itself is a good reason to visit Bilbao. Is it the only one?

The Guggenheim Museum

Of course not! The Basque country is a place where you can enjoy food to the fullest, and at the same time you can enjoy nature, be it the sea, or the mountains!

Bacalao

Salted dry cod – bacalao – is one of the other reasons to visit the Basque country! In San Sebastian there is a shop specializing in bacalao, they sell some 20 different cuts!  The “steak” is better than beef!

Fishing Vessels in San Sebastian

Fishing is traditionally a major activity, these fishing vessels testify to the fact.

From Bilbao to San Sebastian

The road from Bilbao to San Sebastian is an opportunity to see the sea coast in all of its rocky magnificence, and enjoy – weather permitting – the beautiful sandy beaches.

Lekeitio

The Basque people love the sea, and you can see the proof in the hundreds of boats in every small town.

Boats

The mountains are a short drive away.

View of San Sebastian from the North

The mountainous terrain provides for excellent lambs meat and wool.

North of San Sebastian

Back in San Sebastian, you can enjoy the city and the relaxed atmosphere.

View of San Sebastian

Ang go to the patriarch of Basque cuisine for a nice meal!

Arzak talking to his customers

Juan Mari Arzak has three Michelin stars since 1973! When I first visited his restaurant in 2003, I was terrified, having the experience of 3-star restaurants in France. But the Basque country is different! In Arzak’s restaurant I felt like eating in the taverna of my neighborhood. People were normal, and Arzak obviously knew them all! They are people from his city, and they consider Arzak’s their own restaurant! Dress code is smart casual, and thats it!

Jeff Koon's flowers in the Guggenheim

I close this short journey with a bunch of flowers from the Guggenheim.

In case you are interested, I have written articles in this blog about:

• two restaurants in Bilbao (Andra Mari, in Galdakao 10km from Bilbao, and the Guggenheim Museum Restaurant)
• two in the San Sebastian area (Akelare and Zuberoa)
• “La Brecha” fish market in San Sebastian
• the bacalao pil-pil recipe

Guggenheim Bilbao, Jatetxea, Restaurante

Suspended Figure, Munoz

I visited the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum in July and had lunch in the restaurant. It is a restaurant much acclaimed and I was quite curious to see, smell, and taste the food.

The Chef is Josean Martínez Alija, a disciple of Martín Berasategui’s. 

Before lunch, I had the opportunity to visit the brilliant exhibition of works by the Spanish Artist Juan Munoz.

Back in the restaurant, I opted for the gastronomic menu with the rather overwhelming title “Creation, Freedom and Tendencies”.

View of the interior

Having in mind that this is a title more suitable for a Ph.D. in Philosophy, I waited for the amuse bouche.

It turned out to be “tempura” peppers, which I liked very much. They were sweet, tender and very fresh.

 

The first dish of the menu was “Stewed tapioca pearls”. I was told that this is a simulation of a traditional Basque dish which has humbler ingredients. The dish was perfect, the pearls had absorbed the flavours of the stew and I had the sense of the pearls exploding in my mouth, releasing their flavours. Imaginative and pleasing. 

 

Stewed tapioca pearls

The “Roasted red endives” followed. This was a “minimal” dish and I have mixed feelings about it. I like endives, but at the end of the day an endive by itself is not the most pleasing dish. Although it was full of flavour, this was not enough to constitue a dish in a gastronomic menu.

Roasted Red Endives

Another roasted vegetable was next: “Roasted aubergine flavoured with “makil goxo”. I have the same comments as in the endives dish. Yes, the aubergine was very tender and juicy, but there was no complexity of flavours, no synthesis worth mentioning.

Roasted aubergine

The next dish was also roasted: “Roasted fish of the day”. The “minimalism” of the previous dishes continued with the hake. A good piece of fresh fish is not a gastronomic dish.

Roasted fish of the day

 The last dish was the “Iberian pork stew”, and it was a very good stew. But only a stew.

Iberian pork stew

 

 All in all, I was rather diappointed. In my view gastronomy requires synthesis of ingredients, tastes (and traditions in some cases), an abstract concept is not enough.

Andra Mari Restaurant, Galdakao, near Bilbao

I found Andra Mari in the Red Michelin Guide and gave it a try last year. I was positively impressed to the extent that I thought I just was lucky and everything turned out well during my visit. This year I visited Andra Mari again, wondering what the experience would be. I will try to describe it in this post.

The veranda

The weathwer was gorgeous and I had the pleasure of eating al fresco in the veranda. Galdakao is a small town 10 km southeast of Bilbao, and is very easy to reach.

The view from the veranda is peaceful, and the air aviation enthusiasts can see all the airplanes as they approach the Bilbao airport, without suffering any noise effects, as they are still at a high altitude (I would say over 500 meters).

The view south

I had the “Andra Mari” Menu, which is the showpiece of the chef’s artistry and skill.

The start was “foie gras terrine with Pedro Jimenez Jelly”.

Foie Gras Terrine

The second dish was “Sardine Fillets with roasted peppers and parmesan cheese”.

Sardine Fillets

An apotheosis of colours followed, with the title “Grilled Summer Vegetables”.

Grilled Summer Vegetables

The grilled lobster that followed was served with “Amaranto” risotto, which is in fact a cereal popular in South America.

Grilled Lobster

What followed was my favourite dish a year ago. A cottage egg served with octopus. The richness of the egg combined with the octopus flavours will remain unforgettable.

Egg with grilled octopus

The tuna loin that came next was a step down from the platform of excitement that the lobster and the octopus had built. I would nopt mind if it weren’t there at all.

Red Tuna Loin with Mango and Apple

To conclude they served a dish with Iberian pork cuts. The taste of the meat was superb, but the dish lacked the finesse and creative intensity of the previous dishes (excluding the tuna). I could live without it and have more lobster with the South American Cereal.

Iberian Pork

Deserts came next, starting with a junket with cherries.

Junket with Cherries

To wrap things up they served a sponge cake with pears.

Sponge Cake with Peaches

Overall, the experience was of the highest level, and in terms of value for money it tops the Basque Charts.

Andra MAri is now formly on my standard Basque Itinerary and for a very good reason. It serves excellent food at a very reasonable price!