Stoked - couple of clarifications

Got some fact clarifications from Stoked restaurateur Yin-How about my scribbles:

• Chef Yao did not train in Japan. He was trained in Japanese and western cuisine both in Malaysia initially and overseas for the past 6 years.
• The steak is aged Spanish but not exactly the same as the one used at Asador Etxebarri, just in case there is any confusion.
• We were having problems with the AV system that night and could not play our usual selection of music which is jazz oriented. Sorted now!

So there we go - Bertha's beautiful Beef and Chef Yao's yummy creations in the superb sophisticated surroundings that is Stoked, and sans Kenny!! The Universe is back in its sublime perfection. Thanks Yin-How!

Note to self - There's a lesson here which you still have yet to learn after twenty plus years of copywriting - check your facts and perceptions because they may not be how you see them. Yin-How was wonderfully graceful in his gentle corrections, but the point remains he shouldn't have needed to make them in the first place. Didn't keep the ego in check here. Didn't live up to the Mission Statement. Not good. Look to reign it in in future. 

Stoked in Damansara - Yes we were!

Welcome to Stoked!

First thoughts on the evening:

• Nice ambience - cute use of wine boxes as lampshades. Smoky cottage rustic feel. 

• Kenny G music - AAAAAAAARGHHHH!!!

• Open plan - can see the oven and chef. Got good meat supplier, including Spanish beef, same as used at Extebarri.

• Excellent beef - perfect sear and texture, lovely pepper rub, good jus, didn't overpower the meat. Stunner.

• Dessert of ice cream with salt was wonderful - first time having salt with ice cream.

• Definitely go back for the beef. New menu, but still retaining some old faithfuls.

Wednesday August 5th 2015

This was a wonderful evening of great food, wine and nonsense with the IWFS Committee and spouses. The IWFS regularly hold their meetings at the Ribs, and owner/operator Yin-How kindly provides glasses for the wines and cheesey nibbles for the hungry. Ribs has now undergone a revamp and makeover and is to be known as STOKED when its doors reopen (next week I understand). Main reason being the acquisition and installation of a 300kg Cast Iron oven who goes by the name of Bertha. Seems it took ten people to get Bertha off the truck and into position. She has pride of place in the centre of the restaurant. 

Chef Yao. With Bertha. Yes.

Bertha has a tray which takes wood chips and can do wonderful things with meat when you "stoke" the fire with a poker and stir up the embers to flame. Hence the renaming of Ribs to Stoked. Also, in modern parlance to be "stoked" is to be very excited about something - as in "Arsenal beat Chelsea - totally stoked!"  There might also be a somewhat more base connotation about Bertha getting stoked with a poker which is probably best to avoid - bit too ham sap for present company. Yin-How says Stoked will be experimenting with different types of wood (and hopefully MAKING their own wood) to see what flavours get more delightfully imparted by Bertha to the meats and other bits that get thrust into her metal insides. 

Other reason is new chef Yao who we don't know too much about at this time. Story seems to be he spent time in Japan learning up the techniques and is now keen to let them loose in a Western style concept. Should be interesting!

Yin-How had kindly offered up a dinner for Committee Members and spouses to enjoy a sampling of dishes from his new menu that would be on offer when the Stoked opened its doors. And a commendable fifteen were totally up for it. There was a wine theme suggested by David of ABA - Anything But Australian - which we all complied with. It became a pretty eclectic selection to which Yin-How did a very good job of arranging the order of drinking at the last minute!

Stoked interior

I got dropped off at the Stoked by Lenglui who was going for a Tai Chi session prior to the dinner. First thing of note was that the door had been shifted and the entrance now sported a reception and cashtill section guarded by a bronzed pig with a blank white sandwich board. Presumably El Porco will advise patrons of any specials available to the hungry hordes. The interior was red brick and cream cement with lots of dark wood, giving a farmhouse cottage feel. Stoked retains a separate wine reception area, and the original door area has been sectioned off by a glass door to offer a smoking area for cigars to be puffed with wines and the smoke being able to go straight out into the night air through a louvre style wall. Two main features - the use of wine crates as lights hanging from the ceiling and pride of place being given over to Bertha in the centre of the restaurant. Lots of alcoves in the walls which housed mostly Bordeaux bottles. Lighting was subdued though sufficient with halogen bulbs shining onto the tables. Certainly felt more of a "venue" than the Ribs - more restaurant and less cafe/bistro - though no less friendly and welcoming. The table for our fifteen had been set up along the long wall section with another table ready to house the Stoked glasses and wines all had brought for the dinner. 

Stoked interior and the hungry horde

We held our meeting in the usual private room where each member will bring a bottle from their collection for the others to try. The IWFS meetings have a particular style - things start quite briskly and as the wines get consumed the meeting starts to meander and drift and then there is a mad rush to finish the necessary and get down to the real business of food and drink. This evening was no different, though the rush was a shade more brisk than usual given that the ladies and the booze were waiting. We closed it out and trooped out to a tasty glass of crunchy cold bubbles that hit the spot nicely. Everyone had arrived so we all sat and chitchatted and took photos of the place and each other.

The house baked bread was excellent, and even more so with the truffle butter - it had that artisan salty crusty crunch feel though with a hint of smokey toast. Good bread always augurs well for a good evening!

Our Amuse Bouche was a Scallop Mousse, which quickly got labelled as Scaramouche by Lenglui (we are trying to crack an accapella version of Bohemian Rhapsody for an upcoming show in November). Tastewise I got pesto and tomato - sweet, smooth with fresh herbs. Creamy smooth, though for me it could have used some extra zip to zing the buds into anticipatory action - maybe a dab of yuzu or citrus lime or a tiny hit of strawberry or apple. 

Scaramouche... can you do the Fandango?

The Cattier Champagne gave way to a Nigl Rose Fizz which was lively and lovely - a sharpish salty acidic cheek pinch with tongue puckering acidity and a very nice crunchy biscuit mouth. The sides of the tongue were taking big hits from the wine. Pleasant hits, mind you, but it did throw the fruit a bit off in the balance. The tongue map says this indicates sourness and salt. Clean and lean which slipped down a sweet cherry treat. Lovely drop of pink fizz. Only one bottle of it. Sad. Could have chugged this one all night.

Next wine was the St Clair Gruner Veltliner which lacked the crispness of its Austrian ancestor but made for a smooth enough and Rieslingesque sweet sip. There was also a Vermentino from Corsica somewhere in the sequence which surprised in its excellent balance and crisp fruity whack in the mouth. 

Vichyssoise

The Vichysoisse was firm and full, with additional creamy vegetal texture given by the eggplant and a salty zip from some caviar. Presentation was nice, though the whisked potato soup still had a bit of grain and powder to it. Not sure what potatoes were used but I get this kind of hit from large mashed russets. It was pleasant enough, but didn't quite stun - not enough in the dish to make it really memorable. Perhaps a sprig of rosemary and a dab of wasabi oil to give some heft to the potatoes. The wine washed it down very nicely, with the crisp acid sucking up the grain and sending it down the tubes.

A Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc was next in the glass. Massively green, with grassy gooseberry and green pepper on the nose. Slender in body, but a frisky mouthfeel and a crystal clean finish. 

We were having it with the Foie Gras, the first taste of which was GAAAAAAACK - got a smack of gamey liver in the mouth suggesting a bit too much age on the FG. Bit like that little lick of rust you get from an overaged wine - not quite right. Though the rest of the FG was fine, no problem taste wise. Was the first time I'd experienced liverish FG. Interesting. Though it could have been the wine in the system initially reacting to it. Perhaps the system wasn't just quite ready.

The mango gave a signature squeaky sharp sweet acidic zip which cut the fatty Foie Gras a treat and gave a zappy pinch on the cheeks. Nice touch to pair a quintessentially Asian tropical fruit with a quintessentially French delicacy and it totally worked. The Balsamic Reduction was perhaps a bit too reduced, though - almost toffee in texture and taste and which stuck to the plate like a limpet squid and difficult to scrape off.  

Foie Gras with Mango and Balsamic Reduction

For me, Foie Gras needs bread and my request for more was swiftly answered by the staff. The artisan bread brought the whole combo into perfect sync - the salty crust with sweet mango splattered foie gras and a scrape of the Balsamic was an excellent salty swoooosh across the mouth which sent the whole thing ballistic. Wooooo.... Total belter. Winewise, the Cloudy Bay was not a great match, and neither was the following St Clair Wairau Estate - the first hit from the latter was a szzzzzzt sharp slap on the back of the mouth, with acidity that sucked all the spit from the tongue. Got a lot of soursop and citrus lime - though it gave a lovely finish showing some finesse and nice complexity. There you go. Be great with Crabs, though. 

The food and wine came pretty fast tonight and the next up Tagliatelle was excellent - totally fresh pasta and not too heavy with the sauce (which for some reason came across as a shade sweet for my taste, through the delightfully fresh baby tomatoes). The Duck Breast was very good - excellent meat and with enough pink to render it juicy and wonderful. And a lovely woodsmokey skin that tweaked the nose and cheeks without being too overseasoned. I also seemed to get a slight hit of marmalade. 

There was also a garnish of Parmegiano shavings which didn't quite work for me with the duck. It gave a clunky gunky clag feel at the back of the throat that seemed to mess with the oils in the duck - maybe too much in the fats area. But it was great with the tagliatelle and sauce. 

Tagliatelle with Wood Smoked Duck

We were having it with a Palisser Estate Chardonnay 2012 which was very pleasant and did good justice to the pasta, though the dish would have paired magnificently with the Craggy Range Pinot that followed had it been poured in sufficient time. So it goes. This is a beautiful Pinot - sleek, refined, clean drinking with understated power both on the front and back ends. The one glass we had went way too quickly - another that we could have supped all night. I think I have a bottle somewhere…

For the main we had a Triebaumer Blaufrankisch and a Vieux Telegraphe CdP to set against each other. The Blau was tasty and wonderfully balanced without being overpowering in any area - good sleek power and fruit with a clean lingering finish. The CdP was much sweeter on the nose and in the mouth - got jammy cranberry and a thumping whack as it hit the cheeks. 

The Tenderloin was excellent. Nice aged texture on the meat, lovely wood sear, light peppercorn in the rub and jus and done to medium rare perfection. Big Bertha did her work wonderfully well. Adding the watercress for texture and herb worked well, giving a vegetal crunch for contrast. I generally prefer my jus on the side rather than doused over the top as it gives me a better sense of the quality and sear on the meat. But on this occasion it didn't matter - one of those rare occasions where the jus enhances rather than overpowers and masks the meat. Really well done to the chef and double thumbs up to Bertha for the beef. 

Grainge Angus Tenderloin

Winewise, the Blau did it better for me than the CdP. It gave wonderful support to the meat without overpowering and partnered extremely well in all departments - fruit, tannins and a hint of black pepper on the finish. The CdP was a bit more cloying and syrupy, though still a lovely drop to have with a meal. 

There were a few more wines to end the night. Of these, the Sasso Al Poggio Chianti from Piccini stood out as an evenly balanced and eminently drinkable red. Something out of a decanter (I think Chateau Clinet) felt a bit uneven and tough and a bit difficult to enjoy. 

The Sticky Date Pudding was lovely. Full whack of treacle and dates. We were advised to add a hit of salt to it and this took it to another level. It smacked the tongue tip and cut the sweet toffee smack - this let the ice cream come forward and lend a smooth milky cream foundation for the treacle and spongey pudding to slip delightfully along the system. Really good. Salt with Ice Cream - who would have thought?

Sticky Date Pudding

We had a sweet Eiswein with dessert which also worked wonderfully - sticky apricots with a cut of citrus syrup to brush the cheeks in preparation for the hit from the dates and the cream. Lush, sinful, salty heaven. 

Wine service was excellent, as one would expect from one of KL's leading wine suppliers and restaurateurs. The music was perhaps a bit too eclectic - I got Kenny G through Shakespeare's Sister to (I think) Linkin Park. It seemed to be somehow fighting the smokey farmhouse ambience of the place and left me a shade confused as to what image and feel Stoked might be aiming to project. Maybe can think about French Lounge Jazz (Aznavour) or maybe even that cheesy accordian music you get on those Souvenir of Paris CDs in Montmartre. Or country Gypsy fiddle - Stephane Grappelli - or classical guitar. Something with a hint of sophistication. But Kenny G…   definitely no. Didn't work. Stoked is a restaurant, not a department store elevator. 

Chatting with Yin-How after the dinner, he shared that his beef supplier was getting the same meat that got supplied to Extebarri in San Sebastian. We all went there in 2013 and it remains one of my absolute best meals of my life (see my post elsewhere in this blog). He asked Chef Yao to bring some out and it looked magnificent. If it can be grilled and seared Extebarri style then this will be world class. Absolutely have to go back and try this - certainly saves paying airfare to get to San Sebastian... 

The Spanish steak, same you get in Extebarri, San Sebastian. Next time...

I like to see what I remember about a restaurant a couple of days after dining there. For me, Stoked stokes up memories (sorry couldn't resist!) of great ambience, excellent beef, tasty duck, lovely bread and the mango foie gras that went with it. Great wines and service. And Bertha impassively waiting to take whatever Chef can give her. Bertha is the star around which everyone revolves and will command love and honour by all who seek to dance with her. Yes.

Happy? Happy. Yes.

I like the idea that Stoked is aiming to offer European style modern preparations a la Michelin chefs in terms of presentation and content. I also love the idea of incorporating Asian twists with standard Western style ingredients (ie Mango with Foie Gras). And whilst some of the dishes on show on the evening were indeed worthy of top end  standard - the tenderloin, the dessert - others showed promise but seemed to lack some element of bonding and unifying that takes a dish from the good to the exquisite. The tastes and textures and presentations were there, just needing an extra lick of something Mastercheffy to help elevate the dish to the stratospheric. Given its cuisine, Stoked will invite comparisons with DC and Soleil and other international cuisine eateries and will jockey with these in terms of market position and niche. But Stoked still does pork, which distinguishes it from these places. And the Vintry group do their pork dishes extremely well - still for me some of the best ribs in town at the erstwhile Ribs and Vintry at Jaya 33. And decent comprehensive wine lists to satisfy most palates and budgets, and which can stand as some of the best in Malaysia.

But this is early days and one can never judge definitively or absolutely on a single visit - these tend to be reactions rather than reflections. Six months down the line, things in Stoked will have settled and come into focus and these same dishes will have gained from comment and experimentation. And I am expecting the beef will be even better, especially that chunk of Extebarri loveliness after it has been through Bertha's steely and fiery clutches. Phwoooar. Now thinking about getting stuck into THAT gets me stoked - and you should be too! Cheers!!

The tally for the night

STOKED RESTAURANT AND BAR

120-122 Jalan Kasah, Bukit Damansara

03 20948262

www.vintry.com.my

PRIVATE DINNER 5TH AUGUST 2015

Vichyssoise

with Roasted Eggplant and Caviar

Foie Gras

wth Mango and Balsamic Reduction

Tagliatelle

with Wood Smoked Duck Breast with Home Made Tomato Sauce

Roasted Grouper

with Braised Artichoke, Garlic Confit and Roasted Capsicum

or

Grainge Angus Tenderloin

with Watercress and Black Peppercorn Sauce

Siicky Date Pudding

with Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramelised Sauce

Coffee, Tea

Petits Fours

Akelare - I must have missed the point...

Akelare

San Sebastian April 18th 2013

Entrance to Akelare

We had finished our lunch at Extebarri at 5.15pm and originally had dinner scheduled for Akelare at 8 that evening. It was decided to reschedule to 9pm to give lunch a chance to digest, especialy the magnificent Galician Beef on the bone which was belting with a voluptuous and blowsy Rioja - all Penelope Cruz body and hot Spanish mama flamenco attitude. Ole indeed.

The beef was clearly still playing on the mind and digestive senses as we clambered back on the bus. Everyone was still talking about it and singing the praises for Dear Leader and his choice of lunch venue. Basking in the glory in the Basque region - someone had to say it. And Akelare beckoned. 

My expectations had been somewhat supersized. With Yelp and Chowhound reviews being overboard enthusiastic with things like "magical", "Stellar" and "Do yourself a favour and come here before you die" I expected great things. The Akelare website spoke of Chef Pedro Subijana and his highly efficient team dedicating "their deep-felt passion to ensuring that you take away the best possible memories of your visit from start to finish thanks to a perfect gastronomic experience and the exquisite ritual of the service that goes with it. " Well, and maybe, though quite what the website meant by Akelare being the "perfectly synchronised coordination between responsibility and action (that) generates unforgettable moments" was far from clear. The Fashion Industry generates stories to seduce - looks like the Restaurant industry is not that dissimilar. Maybe that is why I rebel against this kind of nonsense. It's not entirely honest. There's an agenda at work which seeks to alleviate you of your hard earned cash as seductively and pleasantly as possible. Like high class hookers, you presumably get what you pay for - an experience that you'd like to repeat or just keep as a once in a lifetime perfect memory. Or not. Usually depends on what it gets remembered for.

Chef Pedro Subijana

So. Rant over. Wikipedia says that the word Akelarre is a Basque term that means "witchcraft' or "a meeting of witches". The literal translation is meadow (larre) of the he-goat (aker). Alternatively, it could have its roots in the basque name for the long grass native to the area and got manipulated by the Inquisition for their own purposes. Whether Chef was seeking to suggest with the name that witchcraft took place in the kitchen was not made clear from the website. And maybe no bad thing - suggestions of ritual magic would turn a lot of people away. One had visions of Macbeth's three witches in the kitchen cavorting around a bubbling cauldron under the watchful and moustachioed eye of Chef Pedro. No. We could see the kitchen from our table. All light and steel.

 An uphill thirty minute drive up the hill and we were at Akelare. Parked on a cliff overlooking the Biscay Bay, we couldn't see much due to the high wall and the absence of much in the way of lighting. The illuminated name of the restaurant was all that stood out as a beacon in this Biscayan blackness of a stormy windswept and somewhat wet evening. A chilly drizzly thirty second amble into the restaurant and seated we got. Didn't get much of the view, being sat on a twenty seat long table, though thankfully with enough space for elbows and glasses. The place was nicely romantic, though a shade underlit for cameras without decent flash guns. But hey, who wants a snap happy flashing photoshooter when you want a quiet romantic evening overlooking the Mar Cantabrico as the sun sets?

Our tasting menus differed slightly from that published on the website. Maybe the webby was a bit outdated. Dear Leader Yin How had negotiated with the restaurant that we were able to choose our main course. The menus were

Akelare Appetizers

Appetizers - Sea Garden

Prawns Sand

Oyster Leaf

Mussel with Shell

Sea Urchin Sponge

Beach Pebble (Shallot and Corn)

Codium Seaweek Coral (goose barnacles tasting tempura)

ARANORI

Prawns and French Beans cooked in “Orujo” Fire

Molluscs in Fisherman's Net

Pasta, Piquillo and Iberico Carpaccio, Mushrooms and Parmesan Shrooms

Hake and its Kokotxa with Oyster Leaf and Mussel´s Beans

Whole Grain Red Mullet with Sauce "Fusili"

Carved beef, Tail Cake, "Potatoes and Peppers"

Roasted Pigeon with a Touch of Mole and Cocoa

Roasted baby Pig with Tomato “Bolao” and Iberic’s emulsion

Xaxu and foaming Coconut Ice Cream

Another Apple Tart

BEKARKI

Xangurro (Crab) in Essence, its Coral Blini and "Gurullos"

Razor Shell with Veal Shank

Sauted Fresh Foie Gras with “Salt Flakes and Grain Pepper”

Turbot with its “Fake Kokotxa”

"Desalted" Cod Box with its "Kokotxa"

Roasted Pigeon with a Touch of Mole and Cocoa

Roasted baby Pig with Tomato “Bolao” and Iberic’s emulsion

Milk and Grape, Cheese and Wine in parallel evolution
Orange "Tocino de Cielo" Sheet with Fruit Leaves

Being Malaysians, though, we would all be tasting each other's dishes. It's the culture - share the tastes!

Wines for the night were

Larmandier Bernier "Terre de Vertus" 2007 Champagne

Egon Muller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett 2009 (Mosel)

Domaine Leflaive Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru "Clavoillon" 2009

Domaine JL Trapet Chapelle Chambertin Grand Cru 2005

J Palacios Corullon Las Lamas 2009 (Bierzo)

Bodegas Mauro "Terreus" 2005 (Castilla y Leon)

Crab with Coral Blini

The Sea Garden appetizers were cute, looking like a sandy beach after the tide had gone out. Almost made you start whistling "Under The Sea" from Disney's "Little Mermaid." Tastewise, the textures ranged from crispy cake like crunch to salty seaweed chewy. The salt reinforced the fierce lemon acidity in the fizz which started ripping the tastebuds off the tongue. Almost a burning.

The prawns were pleasant though lenglui's crab had lots of shell bits and cartilege which made for a somewhat stringy mouthful and needing occasional accurate spits to expel the shell.  The Blini with Crab Mousse felt texturally strange though the pasta was tasty.

Whole Grain Red Mullet with Sauce "Fusili"

The Molluscs were a bit too seafoody for personal taste, with elements of seawater and weed present though the dish certainly had character. The Razor Shell with Veal Shank was an odd combination that might have worked in some 5th Dimension of the Universe but all it seemed to do here was kill the otherwise sweetly honey and spicy mango of the full bodied Scharzhofberger Riesling. 

The pasta was nicely oily and freshly filling. 

The Foie Gras was excellent, with a sugar shaving and a sweet black rice.

Turbot with its “Fake Kokotxa” or Fish Cheek/Maw

The Cod was excellent. Firm flesh flakes, perfectly cooked and steamed. Great jus and thin mash gave it enough carbo foundation and liquid to let it shine. The dish of the evening. 

The Whole Grain Red Mullet with Fusili had been glazed with the puree of the remains of the fish after the fillets had been sliced off. So there was bone, liver, head all nuked together and used as a crust to give a sandy crunch. Total fish, in all respects, with the fusili offering a texturally softer counterpoint. But again the salt overpowered, much more so with soy in the fusili which the balsamic "ajo blanco" did little to alleviate.

The Outstanding Roast Suckling Pig

The rest of the food seems forgettable except for the Roast Suckling Pig, which was a belter. Skin was oily yet crunchy , with the meat and jus blending nicely. Tender, mouth melting - they know how to do their pigs in Spain. 

Special mention for the “Xaxu” and Coconut Iced Mousse was visually cute - two large iceberg size chunks of foamy coconut ice cream closing in on an egg and almond cake. Remembe the movie "Jason and the Argonauts" when the ship was trying to sail through the shaking cliffs? That was this dish. No notes on how it tasted, but it was the visual dish of the night. 

Apple Tart with edible paper. Yes.

Lenglui had my okay apple tart with edible paper whilst I got lumbered with a range of little tapas style desserts of odd mixes with an apparent focus on salt and egg white foam with more salty foam. For me, this seemed to be too molecular, with the salted Fig and Pedro Ximinez sherry mix coming across as quite bizarre and confusing. It almost felt like chef was trying to be deconstructive for its own sake and somehow missing the point of the food - taste and innovation is one thing but I feel that some degree of sustenance is necessary and food still has to satisfy at some nutritional level.

Lovely wines...

Matching the wine became an exercise in futility, so the comments are on their individual presentations. 

The Leflaive Puligny once again made an appearance at the dinner table. Creamy sweet apples and a spring breeze on the nosewitha crunchy endless finish. Total class in a glass and masterful with the Cod.

...which went okay with the food

The Chambertin had good beefy cherries and firm tannins with a spicy mouth and a pepper finish. Somewhat bolder and feeling young, there's a few more years in the bottle for this one.

The Corrulon was an apple wine from the Basque with 11% proof. Was fleshy and voluptuous, young with bold tannins. Tasted like an alcholoic sorbet, but certainly woke everything up.

The Terreus was voluptuous and fruity. That's all he wrote. He must have been drunk by this time. 

Akelare staff explaining the magic

Staff were pretty fast and efficient in serving and clearing and keeping glasses refreshed. No complaints, except that the stylish coat of one of our group went missing. Apparently staff were a bit unconcerned and tried to say that friend did not bring a coat but that if she did then it was the manky one remaining on the hanger in the closet. Friend was too ladylike to make a fuss and wrote it off, saying that if that was her bad luck then maybe better the jacket should leave her and let her be. I think maybe it was the witches. Our friend apparently does have the sight so perhaps they recognised her power and wanted to whack her. So. Hopefully any balances are restored and equilibrium between the dimensions is maintained. But it left a bad impression. Watch your coats if you go there - the witches are clearly fashion conscious. 

So….  adding it all up, it's not sure what it all means.  On balance, I'm probably glad it's been done so that I can now talk about the thing. Could I recommend it? Hmmm.  If you like fresh seafood playfully prepeared and artfully presented then yes. If you like salt and foam and the sea theme then yes. If you like an outstanding view across the Mar Cantabrico then go for lunch or in summer. My notes on the menu say "IT'S ALL FOAM!! AND GOT FRICKING SALT IN EVERYTHING!!" But it was the last thing written and came just after dessert. Total taste of the sea in all its storm and tempest. Or maybe the kitchen witches just like salt.

Reading some other reviews, it's clear that I missed the point with this place. Whilst some of the tastes and combos were truly outstanding, I'm realizing that Michelin stars seem to get given out for innovation in food, be that in preparation, culination and presentation, and these stars direct people to chefs who are avant garde in their approaches and outlooks toward food and cooking. I must have a piece of the puzzle missing here, like trying to drink a Two Thousand dollar bottle of wine when you've only got a twenty dollar palate. I think I get it. I'm not quite sure I go along with it. Or maybe don't WANT to go along with it.  Not completely convinced that it is my bag. Or the guilt of the Catholic. The Scotsman in me feels it is a shedful of money to pay for something so fleeting, a memory of a food experience that one can do little with except blog about or relive memories with friends who were there. The Michelin restaurants I have visited have underwhelmed in various aspects, mostly the food and the absence of substance therein. Tongue tickling and visually pleasing but not really sticking in the ribs. At the same time, I have been pleasantly surprised - Nimb in Copenhagen stands out as memorable in both food and location senses. And La Pergola overlooking the Vatican in Rome was stunning. And coupled with tasting some outstanding wines at these places is beyond words. But we are always learning, and the tongue and belly are insatiable masters. I'll roll with it. 

On the way back we were still talking about the amazing beef at the Extebarri. Hence my point that perhaps the context of things meant that Akelare was always going to be a non starter. Extebarri was a tough act to follow and would be like comparing the soul food diner to the fine dining star. Apples and oranges. If the twists and turns of life permit, then I would go back to Akelare to try again and making sure to skip lunch. Old wisdom says one should never judge on a single visit. But it would not be a place for me to make a second dedicated trip. If there's a crowd or a charming dinner companion keen to get romantic on a hill overlooking San Sebastian, then maybe. Otherwise I'll do lunch because that beef at Extebarri was amazing. Guess I'm just a steak and red wine kind of guy at heart. Bourdain says next time must try the baby eels there. Sign me up.

Akelare

Paseo Padre Orcolaga, 56
20008 San Sebastian – Donostia, Spain
Phone: +34 943311209

Stellar Lunch at Extebarri San Sebastian!!

April 18th 2013, San Sebastian

We left the Pullman Hotel in Bordeaux at 10am expecting a three hour drive to get to our lunch in San Sebastian. Slow driving and backlog at the border turned this into close on six, meaning that lunch didn't much get underway much before 3.30pm. There was also a slight delay following a mistaken destination. But we finally arrived at the Asador Exterbarri pretty hungry and hoping for a memorable lunch.

And that was exactly what we got for all the right reasons. Superb food and matched with some magnificent wines. 

Extebarri entrance

Located in the Axtondo valley to the south of San Sebastian. Extebarri nestles in a lush green setting that was only slightly dampened by an April shower as we debarked the bus and got inside. The ambience is one of rustic simplicity and warmth, dominated by stone walls and wood panels and lunchtime natural light helped by wall lamps. 

The Extebarri website talks about the necessity for "Care and instinct under the discipline of fire and primitive cooking techniques, where simplicity and warmth of the grill inspire a natural landscape." At the same time the restaurant seeks to inculcate a sense of "Wistfulness, with an adventure spirit for knowledge; tasting flavours, and rediscovering that space and time are imperceptible."

What this means is that all the food is locally sourced and cooked over "La Brasa" or "The Grill". Chef Victor Arguinzoniz plays daily with his fire to maintain a simplicity yet with a sense of experimental adventure whereby anything can be prepared over the grill or in the ovens - caviar, egg yolks, even the goat's milk ice cream. Part of the secret is the charcoal used - it is made every day at the restaurant using an assortment of woods from various trees and sources. Apple, orange, olive and oak wood each lend a hint of smoky enhancing char to the cooking. "From seafood and steaks to wild woodland mushrooms and oysters, the character of cooking is defined by the woods used" and different charcoals get used for different foods. As much as the food gets infused with the spice of the wood, so does the restaurant. The smell hits you as you walk through the doors and take a seat and breathe and taste the smoke in the air. The grill is central to the Asador experience in all sensual terms - sight, smell, taste and sound. But not to touch. Burning fingers should not be part of the Asador experience. No.

At the heart of things, though, remains the food. Whilst the grill permeates the taste, texture and smell of things, the freshness and seasonality of the produce is what makes or breaks a restaurant. At Extebarri, much is made of sourcing from the surrounding district. Woodland mushrooms and wild berries, free range eggs from free roaming chickens, organic vegetables from the restaurant garden, whilst chorizo, cheese, butter and ice cream is all produced in house.

Gramona Cava

Given the numbers, it made sense to go with the tasting menu and do the Malaysian way of parking the food in the middle of the table and sharing it around.

Lunch became a total feast. Each of the starter appetizers did exactly that, setting the palate for the gastronomic assault that was to follow. The beetroot onion combo pumped up the fiery chorizo which was neutralised by the mozzarella in preparation for the salt and oily magic that was the anchovies on toast. The clean acidic and lemon spritzy finish of our Gramona Imperial Cava NV starter was naturally softened by the cheese and anchovies which also made for a somewhat short but pleasing finish. Outside of this the fizz did have good length on it, still tasting fresh and fruity even after two hours in the warmed up glass. Someone gave me their glass to try - I have yet to learn such discipline.

The Sea Cucumber

The oyster came out in a butter foam which zipped the fizz somewhat, though the cooked seaweed lent a vegetal salty texture that was nicely firmed up on a hunk of bread. The prawns were champion, fresh and grilled to succulent perfection whilst the follow up sea cucumber was soft, sweet and mouth meltingly delightful. Totally unlike the chewy monsters swimming in the gunky soy goo that my Chinese friends rave about when we go to eat at Chinese restaurants in Kuala Lumpur. This delicacy still totally eludes me - I just cannot get what it is about it that people will pay astronomical prices to eat. Everyone likes to sit next to me because I always give mine away when it gets served. To this extent, the Extebarri Sea Cucumber was a revelation. Still don't particularly like it, but revelatory nonetheless.

We had moved on to the white which was a 2011 Bizkaiko Tzakolina from the Itsas Mendi winery Guernica. This came over clean and light with a lovely body. Imagine a chardonnay without oak and butter and this would be it. Softly fruity, the sea cucumber killed off the acid which allowed a ripe apricot note to burst through.

Baby Octopus

The smoky grilled baby octopus was aptly named - it looked embryonic, almost to the point of pity to see them on the plate. But sometimes we must put sadness to one side and just taste away. And what a taste - the texture was one of very, very, VERY tender ribeye. Total woooooo….   

The strangely named Scrambled of Mushroom turned out to be scrambled egg yolk with raw mushroom and came out a bit thin and runny, like half boiled eggs albeit an incredibly great tasting yolk. This was perhaps the less salted dish of the entire production and was probably the one that most needed a shake. In the east, a half boiled egg is often spritzed up with a dash of soy sauce and that would have helped here. Add a hunk of buttered bread and it would have been bonanza.

The lightly grilled Prawns

The follow up mushrooms felt as if they had just been picked. Crunchy, raw, and fresh with nothing else added to enhance. Total taste and texture. Au naturelle, and oh my lord what a delight. Stellar and sublime.

Our dear leader and wine guru Yin How had been scouring the wine lists of the restaurants on our itinerary and had made his selections in advance. For our red, he had found a belter - a 2009 Echezeaux from the Romanee-Conti Domaine which the restaurant was selling at a price that proved so silly to some of the members that they promptly bought up the entire restaurant's stock. I also asked if I could buy a bottle or two but was too late -  there appeared to be no such thing as letting members get a look in when it came to buying top end wine at silly prices. Lesson learned.

DRC Echezeaux 2009

And oh, it was a belter. Drinking like liquid silk with a bouquet of cotton and wool and tasting of the lightest of cherries. Someone once told me that the first wine he had ever drunk had disappeared in the mouth - evaporated into the air. This was what the Echezeaux felt like - breathing the wine rather than drinking it. Enlightenment. Feed me more.

There had been lots of tittilating and tongue busting tastes to this point in the meal. And as playfully delightful as they were, it felt increasingly like it was getting time for something to fill the belly. Tasty is nice, but substance is still king. 

Me and my big mouth. 

The turbot came to the table in its smoked entirety and was rapidly demolished before most photographs could be taken. It was that good. Rich in flavour with an oaky smoky skin, the buttered asparagus contrasted well to boost the slightly dry texture of the fish flesh on the tongue and on the finish. 

Extebarri's magnificent Beef Chop

The Galician beef chop could have fed our house for a week. Large to the eye, it proved equally large on taste. Seared to medium cooked perfection on the bone, this aged piece of lightly seasoned meat was world champion. The importance of the grill now made sense, with the charcoal infusing its smoke into the meat and giving a heavenly carbonised oaky bite in the mouth. I thought New York had the edge of cooking steak. Extebarri would easily give the Wolfgang's and the Luger's a darned good run for the money. It was a Brahma with the Echezeaux, a perfect match of perfect steak and perfect wine. Absolute Wow.

My notes say that another bottle of red got opened at this time, a bold and sexy Spanish number tasting of spice and peppery dark fruits and plum and full on the finish without being overly tannic. Very voluptuous - the Penelope Cruz of wines. The name eludes at this time. And there are no photos. Perhaps I got it wrong?

Raising a glass at the Extebarri

The smart move would have been to stop eating at this point. We had a dinner reservation for 7.30pm and it was now 4.15pm. Would there be sufficient time for our lunch to be digested ahead of our 3 star Michelin extravaganza at the Akelare? Then wisdom shone through - we were in Spain where time takes on a different dimension. Why not just start our dinner later, say 9pm. when the rest of Spain starts eating? Brilliant. As Picard of the Enterprise might say, it was made so.

Which meant we could enjoy the desserts without feeling too much in the way of guilt. The fruits in the smoothie and marshmallow had a freshly acidic tang to offset the smoked and toasty marshmallow. But the surprise of the day was the Goat Milk ice cream that had spent some time getting smoked over the grill. It came out as rich milky cream with a dusting of smoke and a hint of goat. It felt somehow reminiscent of a Devonshire Cream Tea without the scone - total light liquid cream, yet less gunky than the full cream. Very unique taste and one that would be worth a return trip to San Sebastian on its own. 

Extebarri was the memory of the trip for the steak and the wine and the ambience. A total standout that we were still talking about two weeks after we had returned home. The beef, the wine, the smoke. We were recommending it to everyone who had either been to San Sebastian or were going there. Between this place and the Rekondo where we did lunch the following day, the beef at the Rekondo had the slight edge - less crisp on the char and a little less pepper. But both were magnificent and to have eaten them 24 hours apart was a privilege. Otherwise, is difficult to separate the two. Extebarri was a total experience and one I would happily repeat at any time. Especially the smoked Goat Cheese ice cream. Totally gut busted - Total Phwooooarrrhhh.

Do we really have to go to dinner tonight?

Extebarri

Erretegi Asador

Plaza San Juan,

1 - 48291 Axpe-Marzana

AXTONDO- BIZKAIA

Tel 94 658 30 42

Tasting menu starters were:

Beetroot and Spring Onion

Chorizo from acorn fed pork

Butter of Goat's Milk with Black Salt

Mozzarella of Buffalo 

Salted Anchovy

The mains were

Oyster with seaweed

Prawns from Palamos

Sea Cucumber with baby green beans

Baby Octopus with caramelised onion and its ink

Scrambled of Mushroom

Mushrooms

Turbot

Beef Chops of Galician beef

Desserts were

Smoothie of blood orange

Marshmallow with strawberries

Reduced Milk Ice Cream with red fruit infusion

Mignardise

Wines

Gramona Imperial Cava NV 

2011 Bizkaiko Tzakolina from the Itsas Mendi winery Guernica

DRC Echezeaux Grand Cru 2009

unknown Spanish red