Food, but not as we know it at Mugaritz

MUGARITZ SAN SEBASTIAN

IWFS KUALA LUMPUR APRIL 19TH 2013

I didn't really do much research on Mugaritz prior to our visit. Well, Pilgrimage, more like. At the start of our trip with twenty International Food and Wine Society foodies from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, we knew that we were on our way to some of the most venerable shrines of wine and food in the world. We figured the better attitude was that the less we had in terms of expectations then the less we would be disappointed.  Given that we had a wine merchant in the group who had selected the wines, we figured we would get a better wine and food experience than many. And indeed after reading a few reviews in researching this piece, in retrospect it seemed just as well - they would have put me off the visit. Comments such as "overpriced", "not worth it" and "food didn't meet expectations" would put anyone off. And yet to have missed this restaurant would be to have missed one of the greatest food experiences this planet has to offer. Yes, maybe not to everyone's taste, but sometimes it is necessary to suspend preferences and just go with the flow. As one reviewer wrote, not every dish was a home run, but those that were were out of the ball park. Which pretty much sums it up. Mugaritz is the Babe Ruth of restaurants - not afraid to strike out occasionally in the quest for magnificent culinary home runs. And there were a superb number of these. Batter up.

Mugaritz Courtyard

Mugaritz is located just outside San Sebastian in the Basque region of Northern Spain. Proudly Basque (as one of our friends was gently corrected by one of the staff when she referred to Mugaritz as "Spanish"), it is a 2 Star Michelin restaurant which has been in the world top five restaurants since 2008. Chef Andoni Aduriz learned his craft in Ferran Adria's El Bulli and likes to call his style "techno-emotional cuisine" rather than the all embracing "molecular gastronomy" which many of the leading exponents of this style of cuisine also choose to reject. Adria prefers the term "deconstructive" since it more accurately reflects the idea of taking food apart and putting it back together in ways that challenge and excite in social, technical, emotional and artistic contexts. The aim seems to be to subvert the expections of diners in these areas and entertain. Maybe they just want to avoid being labelled. 

Mugaritz interior

The cooking and philosophy of Mugaritz is a "constant search for perfection and the exceptional in each one of our dishes" with the key words being nature, time and emotion. The menu says the dish names "not only describe what they consist of but also what they contain implicitly, that which we would like there to be…. evocative landscapes and moments, imaginary techniques and even new ingredients." I normally get suspicious with such seductive language and rhetoric. Having worked as a copywriter in the fashion line, a story selling the aesthetic usually means a premium on the price with often a corresponding lack of substance. Way too cynical, maybe? Actually, yes and so it was to prove on this occasion. 

Mugaritz calls its customers "Cultured and refined souls (who) have a calling to encounter with nature" and who prefer the raw and natural in their food. In this, the menu points out that everything on the plate can be eaten, the aim being to please both the eye and the soul and seek to "generously offer a new world of emotions." I somehow missed this, which meant I missed out on eating a lot of the rocklike looking things that the food came presented on. Memo to self - read the fricking menu next time.

Our bus of IWFS cultured and refined foodies got unloaded and we piled into the subdued lighting of an early evening April grey restaurant. Mostly wooden interior, it felt cosy though passing tables of people eating felt a bit like we were intruding on their intimacy. But then twenty rowdy….. er, cultured and refined Malaysian foodies will do that. 

The table decoration of a snapped plate broke into two halves and put back together with both halves at 90 degrees to each other gave the sense of deconstruction and reconstruction that reflected the spirit of the Mugaritz style of cooking. Taking something apart and putting it back together differently. Thanks to Tom Parker Bowles review in the Daily Mail for opening my eyes to this. Though the engineer in me says the plate was now pretty useless in utility terms. Think we parked some serviettes against it.

The evening got underway with a bracing glass of Cava. The Castell Sant Antoni Gran Reserva had a lovely lemon nose with good bubbles and acidity. Just the thing to relax after the bus ride and ahead of the twenty course three hour marathon ahead. 

Mugaritz kitchen

Our entertaining and witty maitre d' introduced himself and the menu and organised us for the pre dinner kitchen tour. This was done in two groups of ten and once there everyone got treated to a pea sushi roll with a garlic flower which tasted like cold fresh garden - nice almost frozen crunch but with a sweet freshness that was a real livener in the cheeks. Killed the Cava, though. 

The kitchen was something else - all steel sheen and swish and bright lights and chefs dancing around each other to get to their stations like some cosmic dance of moons and planets around the stars that anchor them to each other. There was light and laughter and smiles and no sense of feeling we were invading space or spectators at a safari. We were there to enjoy and they would be professional in delivering that enjoyment. Works for me.

Eating in the kitchen

Back at the table to finish off the fizz and to crack on with the whites. First up was the Pazo Senorans Rias Baixas Seleccion de Anada 2005. Medium of body with apples and honey on the nose. A dry sweet throat with nectarines, with a slight oil and industrial note on the finish. Good food partner it would prove to be - one of those versatile, go with anything wines. 

The first courses out were the Lock of "Hair" seaweed smeared with tapenade and the Edible stones. The latter looked like a pebble but turned out to be a parboiled new potato with light mustard coating - very cute and good crunch on the humble spud. Used to have them as a kid in early spring straight from the hot water on to the plate and smothered in butter - sweet and beautiful and a taste for eternity. 

Seaweed. Apparently. Tasted like dirt. 

The seaweed came across as the taste of dry dirt and the texture of wire wool. It dustily disappeared on contact with the tongue. There was a pop of mustard which didn't seem to do much. Presumably there was some nutritional value in the seaweed, but I didn't really get what was behind this dish. Someone said it was the Fatt Choy - a delicacy in Chinese communities that gets served for auspicious occasions. Okay…

The third course was seafood with seaweed and roe which proved a bit gunky and a bit yuck. There seemed to be lots of tastes going on in this, lots of activity on the tongue. Possibly too many - it certainly became difficult to pinpoint them. 

Fourth was the "Smoked toast, 100% lobster" a dry lobster on a stone wheat chip and (given that it was 100% lobster) what I guess must have been other lobster bits pureed into some green vegetal looking gunk. Interesting look, like a supermodel claw basking on a rock of black hardened lava waiting to be photographed. I have no note of the taste.

Asparagus and black truffle. I think.

Fifth was "Slices. Asparagus and black truffle" which was a crisp bite and veggie chew with the truffle coming off as slightly nutty and nicely undercut by a splash of cream. The white and black contrast of the asparagus and truffle made for a visual pop, but didn't photograph too well. 

The dishes were coming thick and fast and barely enough time to make any real notes. But it was fun. The wine kept getting poured and nicely helped the food go down. The reds were starting to appear but the fizz and white was still on the table. Just as well, lots more seafood still to go. 

The Tanned lobster flesh and fermented rice had a zap of pomelo somewhere which brought out a sourish grapefruit note in the remains of the wine and helped cut the lobster nicely. The combo was a good mix of fresh lobster bite and starch in the rice slightly sweetened by the ferment. Light and heavy at the same time. Pretty colour blends of snow white, grey and salmon orange with pops of what looked like green chives as contrasts. 

Emulsions of squid and cod with hake shavings

The creamy emulsions of squid and cod with hake shavings made for an interesting texture. It looked like a dollop of coconut "santan" on top of a dollop of soup. When the flakes got mixed in with the emulsion, it created a full, thick porridge that was a treat - all fishy goodness that hit all the taste and textural spots. Seemed to fill the belly as well - unusual for this type of cuisine. But welcome, nonetheless. 

Next up was the Threads of crab with vegetable mucilage, macadamias and pink peppercorns. Crab in cream with pepper - lovely taste, with what felt like a light milky cream fraiche. Absolutely Storming. Especially with the bread and a dab of butter. Peasant? Maybe. But I make no excuse. We enjoy our food as best we dare to experiment. And this was lovely. 

Decided to have a sip of the first red which was the Vides y Vinos Ossian Vino de la Terra Casstilla Y Leon 2010. Bit on the young side, lightish body, mildly fruity and a shade alcoholic. Berries and plums with good tannins. Pleasant enough, but maybe needs more time in the bottle. This one can age a bit to get a bit less aggressive.

The sea anemone with mountain watercress came out a bit like an oyster crossed with sea urchin. It smelt something awful, but sometimes you just have to hold your nose and swallow. The taste was of mashed things. That was it. My notes say it looked like dog balls and tasted of someone's balls. Don't know why, since i've never tasted balls. It was better with the bread to give it a carbo foundation. But this was another one that was a strike out. Maybe it was meant to fit in with the grander sequence of the menu. And indeed from this perspective, it made absolute sense because the Roe and bone marrow were beyond words. The roasted bone marrow just erupted with the hake roe. Totally explosive blood vessel busting food. There appeared no shame in sucking on the bone marrow. Dogs do it and they know a thing or two about bones. Trying to find a description of bone marrow taste - like a roasted fat squishy oily soft lard, soft mushy lard with beef but zipping the tongue with sweet hoy oily goodness. Transcendental. 

The Boiled artichoke with a mushroom and black olive Hollandaise was slightly odd, with the foam feeling a bit yuck and bland and somewhat vegetal. Didn't quite work for me.

Loin of Hake, Tiger Nut starch and Clam Juice

Loin of Hake, tiger nut starch and concentrated clam juice. The loin had been cooked perfectly, its firm and fluffly flakes giving a real a bounce in the mouth - reminiscent of the Soon Hock we get in Malaysia. The nut sauce was creamy and more-ish and a real throat coater, needing lots of our crisp red wine to clear the top of the palate. 

The Turbot "Pil-pil" and roe was a good oily contrast to the Hake though the sauce was a bit starchy, as if someone had overdone the MSG enhancer. 

The second and third reds had by now made it to the table, the Vinos de Pago Arinzano Navarra 2004 and the Bodegas Roda Rioja Reserva 2006. Not as bold as the Ossian, but had a much better balance, with a great body and lovely texture and fabulous finish. The Rioja was wonderful. Total lady of a wine - elegant with a bit of steel and breeding and a hint of sexy.  A supple leather and lace wine that would help provide a night to remember. 

The notes are getting a bit illegible. Drink will do that to you. Getting very full too, almost scared to eat any more. I also think that maybe there were some deviaitions from the menu order - giving a nod to lighter food beking cleared before the heavier food. I guess even with this deconstructive style of cuisine there are some laws of eating that are fundamental. There also seem to be an occasional addition - some photos do not seem to match any of the descriptions and some notes do not make much sense. 

Choppings of Pulled Lamb

Choppings of pulled lamb, caramel coat. The lamb meat was fine and quite succulent with an oustanding crispy skin though the sauce was a shade dry and powdery. Notwithstanding, a good blend of texture and taste. The lamb felt a shade aged, as if it had been left on a shelf somewhere for a couple of days and got a bit dried as a result. Though it retained sufficient juice and texture to avoid becoming the dreaded "lamby". The combo of meat, fat, char and skin was wonderful, especially with the Arinzano.

Iberian Pork Tail

The Iberian pork tail with sour leaves and creme fraiche. Imagine the best pork skin you have ever tasted. Then double it. Then double it again. That's what we had here. Crisp, clean, juice and fat and earthy salt. simply cooked but so, so excellently executed. The accompanying sauce tastes like total lliquid pig and pairs magnificently. Chef added a touch of full cream to the dish for a creamy pop in the mouth. Genius. The remaining sauce on the plate just begged to be soaked up with the bread and, oh my stars and boxers, it was the best. Bread, not chocolate, truly is the food of the gods. In a next life, I hope to come back as a baker.

Rack of Iberian Pork

Following the amazing pork with anything would be tough but Mugaritz managed to pull it off with the Rack of Iberian pork smeared with Sobrasada and fresh herbs. Total Whoah!! Though the skin was slightly less than perfect and a shade on the tough side, the meat was fine juicy and succulent. It was the zip given by the not too spicy Sobrasada sauce that was interesting - spritzed the tongue and flavoured the meat with a pungent but not overpowering kick. 

Seems there was a Sweet fermented carrot, Idiazabal ricotta and smoked paprika. There is a photograph but no notes. 

There are also no notes on the Vinos de Finca Losada Bierzo "La Bienquerida" 2009, though the notes do say that the Pedro Ximinez was amazing - sweet paricots, smoke, syrup and figs and total liquid gooey luxury. Opulent and disdainful and not afraid of being so.

Tower of Babel

Chocolate hits all the right buttons - it excites, it soothes, it stimulates the senses and lets those endorphins and other feel good chemicals in the brain get released. It is the aphrodisiac for love and the comfort for heartache. Having said this, it is apparently not an ingredient that Mugaritz usually has any attraction for. It may stimulate many things in the brain, but it would seem not sufficient doses of innovative creativity in the Mugaritz chefs to want to do too much about it. Fair enough. Chocolate is what chocolate does and there's no need to fix what ain't broke. 

This changed recently. Rising to a challenge to incorporate chocolate in an exciting and innovative way, Mugaritz has developed the 7 Capital Sins covered in chocolate. They spent months in collaboration with chocolate legend Oriol Balaguer to develop the tastes, flavours and textures to titillate the senses of Mugaritz diners. The delightful mouthfuls are presented in a vertical jigsaw of natural oak bowls and boxes intended to represent a Tower of Babel. 

Figuring out the Tower

Visually, the Tower is impressive, like a Wooden Guggenheim in Bilbao only lots of them piled on top of each other. Taking them apart is indeed fun and revealing the sinful creations did evoke delight and surprise. The taste was…  chocolate. Wonderful, smooth, dark, firm, and top quality, but ultimately…   chocolate. Deconstruct it all you want, at the end you get endorphin zapping well being that begs for coffee. And it is wonderful.

Prior to the tower we had a few other stages for the Chocolate Process. First up was a Chocolate chip sponge that required us to whip up our coffee and cocoa grains with some cream and create the "gravy" to pour over it or dip into. It was excellent - a shade cake like but the chocolate gravy softened it nicely and brought out all the dark cocoa taste. 

The Tower, er, untowered

There was also the Frozen almond turron (read biscuit and wafer)  which needed to get eaten with the edible paper. This was full on texture - crunchy biscuit, rich sweet cream created a great combo. Kind of like a Coconut ice cream with ice cold chocolate wafers and sugary coffee and cocoa. 

Overall, the service was pretty excellent, coming across like a well choreographed routine in clearing and replacing plates. Attentiveness to empty glasses occasionally an issue but, hey, when you've a menu of twenty dishes and needing to clear an entire restaurant, something's got to give. And we could always serve ourselves. We didn't - someone always seemed to turn up at the last moment.

The Lenglui. Ho leng.

And then that was it. Taxis had come to ferry us back to the hotel for a fitful sleep ahead of a 6am rise and shine to finish packing for 7am breakfast and 7.20 bus ride back to Bordeaux. We had done it. Mugaritz could be safely struck off the bucket list of places to eat before we die.  It is probably true to say that Mugaritz is more an experience than what we might normally call a meal. Tantalising tastes and textures are juxtaposed in often contrasting but continually delighting creations that flow gently from one to the other. With barely more than a mouthful for each course, the twenty dishes went quite quickly, and kudos for the kitchen being able to manage the sequencing with minimal delays between plate clearing and presentation. 

Mugaritz feels like it is one of those places that foodies just have to "do" and whether you enjoy it or not is secondary. I think I'm glad it's been done - the experience of doing it gives a degree of authority to be able to talk about the place and the cuisine and the atmosphere of the place. In terms of the tastes and textures, it deserves its ranking among the best restaurants in the world. In our individual journeys of food, we learn that what we like is at best only a preference and what is good or not is decided by whether what we eat stays with us. Like Fine Art, learning to appreciate the skills in preparation and presentation become keys to understanding the artistry of a chef.  A Tripadvisor review cited an ex employee saying that one really had to know food to enjoy the Mugaritz, which rings somewhat true in the same way that you really need to know wine to better enjoy the top end Bordeaux. Having done it, one question is whether one would want to do the experience again. Most restaurants would want an answer in the affirmative, though one feels that Mugaritz doesn't really care. Like the Enterprise, their mission is to boldly go where no chef has gone before and we are the mostly willing passengers on this taste and texture adventure. Though as a paraphrased and misquoted Spock might say for the Mugaritz: it's food, Jim, but not as we know it.

Friends Jag and Sue

For me, on balance….  yes I would go back to Mugaritz. On the one hand, it was a truly memorable dining experience which sets the expectation bar for a future visit quite high. On the other, the menu will change as the chefs uncover more and more brilliant matches in the deconstructive style. The mixes of tastes and testures are tremendous and inventive, and one is constantly delighted and surprised at the amazing combinations the kitchen has developed. There is a palpable sense of intelligent fun pervading the place, from the chefs who fed us on the kitchen tour before the meal to the serving staff who set and cleared places whilst entertaining all the way.

I guess it is this spirit of play that infuses the creativity of the place and the resulting food and experience. Play has always been essential in innovation in all fields, from science and technology to the arts, and this freedom to play in the kitchen results in some brilliant results. Some not so brilliant on times, but that becomes personal choice and maybe expectation bias. Whilst we all try to avoid judging as best we can, to comment constructively one necessarily needs a standpoint at some time. Mugaritz will either excite and delight or deeply disappoint, and the only question is whether you are adventurous enough to spend the money on the ticket and take the ride. Do it at sometime like now, when the current recession and depressed euro and economy make it a good time wallet wise. But maybe try and do it when your palate is sufficiently sophisticated to readily appreciate this style of cuisine. If you're a solely steak and chips kind of eater, then Mugaritz is not for you. At least not yet. In contrast, if you like the idea of food being reshaped in fun and intelligent combinations, you shouldn't miss this one.

Mugaritz

Aldura Aldea, 20
20100 Errenteria
Gipuzkoa

Coordinates for GPS:

• Longitude: 1º 55’ 4’’ West
• Latitude: 43º 16’ 22’’ North

Please do not hesitate to call us if you have any problems (+34 943 522 455 / +34 943 518 343)

www.mugaritz.com

WINES

Bottles, take a bow...

Castell Sant Antoni Gran Reserva Cava Brut 2005

Pazo Senorans Rias Baixas Seleccion de Anada 2005

Vides y Vinos Ossian Vino de la Terra Casstilla Y Leon 2010

Vinos de Pago Arinzano Navarra 2004

Bodegas Roda Rioja Reserva 2006

Vinos de Finca Losada Bierzo "La Bienquerida" 2009

Bodegas Rey Fernando de Castilla Pedro Ximinez Antique Jerez

MENU

Lock of "Hair" seaweed smeared with tapenade

Edible stones

Slices. Asparagus and black truffle

Smoked toast, 100% lobster

Tanned lobster flesh and fermented rice

Creamy emulsions of squid and cod with hake shavings

Threads of crab with vegetable mucilage, macadamias and pink peppercorns

Sea anemone and mountain watercress

Roe and roasted bone marrow

Boiled artichoke with a mushroom and black olive Hollandaise

Loin of Hake, tiger nut starch and concentrated clam juice

Turbot. "Pil-pil" and roe

Choppings of pulled lamb, caramel coat

Iberian pork tail with sour leaves and creme fraiche

Rack of Iberian pork smeared with Sobrasada and fresh herbs

Sweet fermented carrot, Idiazabal ricotta and smoked paprika

The chocolate ceremony

Frozen almond turron

Glass. Sugar and cocoa as a cookie

Edible paper of leaves and flowers

Amazing Crab and Steak at Rekondo!!

Rekondo, San Sebastian

April 19th 2013

Outside the Rekondo, San Sebastian

Rekondo is slipping into the mists of fading memory, though it was a memorable lunch and one worth repeating should the opportunity arise.

Rising lazily at 8am and sauntering down for a full breakfast at the Hotel Londres, we had a couple of hours for morning sightseeing around San Sebastian town. 

It was a bit rainy as we set off, armed with hotel map and umbrella and directions from the concierge. The foodies in the group had opted to go in search of the Spanish breakfast churrillo - sweet deep fried dough traditionally eaten with chocolate. Some of the ladies naturally wanted to shop and the gentlemen kept them company, carrying the bags and taking photos. 

Inside the Rekondo, San Sebastian

The small part of San Sebastian that we were able to tour showed it to be a pretty town. The pedestrian area had lots of trees that were starting to blossom, and the wet grey skies quickly dissolved to sparkling blue as a glorious morning made itself known to this part of the planet. We went to the new Cathedral and shopped our way back through the old town to the old cathedral before walking back to the hotel along the boardwalk around the east half of the bay. 

There's a charm about San Sebastian. Nestling at the gateway to the Bay of Biscay, there is some serious wealth here alongside the occasional poverty of the street sleepers, though none seem to sit in judgement of the other.  It is. Permitted.  Live and let me live. The occasional police presence felt professional and firm, though as a visitor it is difficult to imagine how this feels to the native Basques with their continuing history of relations with the mainland Spain. But it felt safe and comfortable and people went about their business seemingly oblivious to the little white boy taking photos of his Lenglui in the warm Cantabrican sun.

We ambled back to the hotel to unload the booty and grab a quick change before boarding the bus for a ten minute barrel ride up the hill to the west of the bay for our lunch at Rekondo. 

Our lunch, ageing nicely

Rekondo had been built up on the foodie websites as the stuff of steak legend, with a wine cellar containing 150,000 bottles to pair with it. We saw the hand written wine list parked on the table as we walked in, looking like some Basque version of a Gutenburg Bible - all leather bound and priceless. So expectations were running high as we took our seats in the roomy and airy restaurant. They were heightened even further when we saw our lunch sitting on a wooden chopping board as we entered. This thick wedge of Basque Beef looked magnificent. As with our other food gatherings, we were seated lengthways which made for good converation and ease of sharing the food. Nice light and easy breezy ambience of rustic wood windows and brown marble flagstone floor with good natural lunchtime light showing off the brilliant white heavy cotton tablecloths on which pristine serviettes and flawless glasses waited to do their duty. 

The excellent Iberico Jamon

We started off with a Brut Rose NV Champagne by Jacques Selosse. Nice bead and bubble, with a slight blood orange tinge in the glass, this was a real tongue cutter of a champagne full of sharply acidic tingling lime. Just the ticket with the lightly fluffy yet nicely crunchy croquettes that had made their way to the table. 

The Iberico Jamon soon followed and this was belter - all light, sweet and dreamy good with fat and salt and meat mixing together in a taste of porcine heaven. The white 2006 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Grand Cru "Les Clos" chosen to match proved an excellent choice - clean and light with apples and sweet nectarines that cut  the salt and fat to let the meat shine nicely. 

Next out was something totally unexpected. Never had an emotional experience with food before, but this was amazing.

The Crab that rolled back the years

Remember that scene at the end of the movie "Ratatouille" where the rat prepares a dish for the food critic and the taste takes him back to his childhood? It was like that for me with the Spider Crab. It had been scooped out and mixed with tomato, salt, pepper and sugar and ladled back into the shell. The combo of sweet stringy crab mush of flakes and texture took me right back to days when we would buy little glass jars of Shipham's Crab Paste from the Bateman's Supermarket and have them spread on buttered toast for breakfast or tea. Forty years plus I haven't tasted this, but here it was and it was like I was right back there. For the first time, I realised the power of taste and the emotional attachments it can trigger. It was incredible. A total flood of memories, times and impressions got released by this long forgotten taste. Even more so when it got spread with butter on the baguette. The salty butter and crusty bread took the whole thing to another level. The years totally rolled back. A real emotional impact with this one. Never had anything like this before. So, so powerful. 

The crab seemed to go better with the Champagne than the Chablis. The butter and bread brought out the yeast whilst the low acidity of the Chablis didn't quite seem to have the necessary cut.

The rest of the food got pretty much forgotten in this time machine of a dish. 

Sommelier circumcising the bottles

We ended up doing a vertical of the Lopez Vina Tondonia 1991, 1981, 1976 and 1968. All Riojas, the 1991 and 1981 were white with the others being red. The wine master had an unusual way of ensuring that none of the wines would be corked - he had an iron neck cutter that was heated over an open fire and then clasped around the neck of the bottle for a while. He would then remove it and splash some cold water across the cut, instantly and cleanly snapping the glass with the wine ready for pouring. 

The 1991 was clean and full and still with enough acidity to pair well with the crab and turbot.  

In comparison, the 1981 Tondonia was thicker with the smell of sherry and texture of a medium white burgundy. Full of oil and fire with a slightly sourish note of old lemons on the back end, it made for a great partner with the somewhat oily flakes of the turbot.  The crab had gone by this time.

Rekondo Steak and Chips

The ribeye came out with chips and sauted red pepper and tasted nice. That's all I have - nice. The meat was well done and seasoned well. Perhaps the memory of Extebarri was still too fresh, perhaps that Crab destroyed any thought I might have for the remainder of the food, perhaps I was just having too much of a good time. But it was nice, especially with the 1976 Tondonia Rioja that had been decapitated to pair with it - having that aged garnet brick red tinge, but coming over like a fine burgundy with subtle sour cherries in the mouth and finish. Still so much power and life in this one - amazing for a wine nearly forty years old.

The best was yet to come. The 1968 got opened and proved even more robust whilst retaining a subtlety and class that the 1976. Fruit, smoky cherry. Amazing power and finesse. Wow wow wow wow wow.

1976 Vina Tondonia

Someone got chatting to the table next to us and found winemaker Mariano Santos Puisa of Bodegas Mariano Santos presumably on a marketing trip. We being who we are, we managed to blag him into opening a few bottles of his best for us to try. And very nice it was too. Check him out - www.bodegasmarianosantos.es

We had a 1975 Dow's Port to finish. Very fine. Oak. balance, raisins and figs, smoke. Bit like top end cough medicine.

Rekondo has a wine cellar that is the stuff of legend. 150,000 bottles, many available for sale at silly prices. Everyone trotted off to oooh and aaaaah at the cellar. Myself and lenglui figured 20 people down there would be a bit claustrophobic so we lazed and finished off the remains of the wines on the table. 

1968 Vina Tondonia

2006 Chablis "Les Clos"

And that was it. A pleasant afternoon and an amazing experience with the crab. Great food and great wines and another place to return to with friends and an appetite. Some got back on the bus to head off into town in search of Pintxos whilst others took the opportunity to walk off lunch down the hill and along the promenade back to the hotel. There was another monster wine dinner ahead of us at the Mugaritz and we figured the more space we could create ahead of it the better we would cope. We would be right.

IWFS Kuala Lumpur at the Rekondo

Rekondo

Pasao de Igueldo, 57

20008 Donostia - San SXebastian

Tel: 943 21 29 07

www.rekondo.com

REKONDO MENU as at April 2013

STARTERS
CLAMS WITH LEMON

CHOWDER
IBERIAN HAM AND LOIN
MEDALLIONS OF FOIE, TANGERINE ICE CREAM CONE AND CHERRY JAM AND RED PLUM
SALMOREJO, FLOWERS AND SPROUTS

NICE SALAD WITH ANCHOVY AND CHILLI VINAIGRETTE

URT WARM SAUSAGE, PINEAPPLE JAM AND POTATO PURÉDE
SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH MUSHROOMS
GRILLED VEGETABLES WITH HAM POWDER

CARPACCIO OF CRAYFISH, PISTACHIO VINAIGRETTE AND GUACAMOLE

SCALLOPS GRILLED IN CILANTRO AND GINGER JUICE

CHOPPED LOBSTER, PRAWNS AND SCALLOPS, BLACK OLIVE VINAIGRETTE

PIQUILLO PEPPERS STUFFED LODOSA OXTAIL
WHITE GAMBA HUELVA

FISH
CLAMS IN GREEN SAUCE
QUEUE GRILLED HAKE
RICE WITH CLAMS
GRILLED SOLE
FILLETS OF HAKE IN GREEN SAUCE
HAKE KOKOTXAS
BAKED CRAB
GRILLED COD, PIL-PIL SAUCE AND ASPARAGUS
NICE TO PIPERRADA
SQUID IN INK
GRILLED TURBOT
LOBSTER (KG)
LOBSTER (KG)
COGOTE GRILLED HAKE

MEAT
DEER ROAST WITH APRICOTS AND MANGO JAM
SUCKLING PIG CONFIT WITH APPLE COMPOTE
SIRLOIN GRILLED WITH GARNISH
GRILLED SIRLOIN
BEEF CUTLET (KG)

DESSERTS
HOMEMADE CURD
CHEESEBOARD
PINA COLADA
CREAM JELLY ROLL WITH CUBAN MOJITO
BACON CHOCOLATE BROWNIE SKY
CHEESE ICE CREAM WITH RASPBERRY COULIS
VALENCIAN
STRUDEL WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE AND ORANGE SAUCESTICKS OF CINNAMON CREAM

DESSERTS WE RECOMMEND ORDERING IN ADVANCE
CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH RASPBERRY SORBET
WARM APPLE TART

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