Azurmendi Restaurant - Basque Perfection

Dined 31 March 2011

I read about Azurmendi some time ago and knew I needed to go - there was just something about this place. Lucky for us we travel a lot so I could fit it into this trip of Spain ....and it really was fabulous. When I first read up on Azurmendi it had 1 star and now it has 2 however this is NOT the reason we loved our experience here. The food is amazing. Every sense is catered for.

The building itself is fabulous but then again most modern restaurants in Spain have the same incredible architecture going on. We were welcomed into the dining area in the typical generous style of the region, chose the Menu Geroka and a wonderful (and well priced) bottle of Valbuena Ribera Del Duero 2000 which was decanted and glorious.

Exterior

Yummy wine

OK to kick off... the truffled egg yolk cooked inside out. Molten egg yolk, rich truffle flavour. I'm not sure dishes get too much better than this.

Truffled egg yolk cooked inside out

Oxtail raviolis with their own sticky broth - delicious and meltingly tender with a rich jus, perfectly balanced and portioned.

Oxtail raviolis with their own sticky broth

Oyster with gel of the sea - now the theatre begins. A perfect oyster nestled in sea gel, the surrounds on to which the aromas are poured. The oyster was impeccible barely having sniffed the heat - the fragrance captured the essence of the coast and the result was seafood perfection.

Oyster with gel of the sea

The Garden - oh the garden. And what a garden it was. Beautiful to look at, compelling to eat. Digging potatoes were never so much fun. These beautiful miniature vegetables were imbedded in a "soil" of beetroot with a mousse (and forgive me I'm not sure what the mousse was now, possibly red pepper, but it tasted divine).

The garden

Quail breast cooked at low temperature was the next dish. Perfectly cooked just to pink, resting on a rich sauce and cauliflower puree. The gold painted corn added the most amazing textural contrast - an incredible dish.

Quail breast cooked at low temperature

Home made black pudding with red kidney bean stock. It reads like a heavy dish but it's beautifully constructed supremely light. The black pudding balls were nestled in the red kidney bean stock which was a smooth silky sauce bringing the onion texture surrounding the dish and the black pudding together.

Black pudding and red kidney bean stock

Now to The Reef...my favourite dish of all. Perfect on the plate. An intricate selection of fish, shellfish, tempura samphire (acting as the coral) in a bisque. Cooked to absolute perfection and the whole combination completely intoxicating.

The reef without bisque

And with bisque

Chrystallised dewlap...I simply cannot remember what meat the dewlap was. It tasted like pork but whatever it was it was unctuous and heavenly but the most memorable component of this dish was the single Sichuan blossom. We were advised to eat this at the end and .... well lets just say it makes you really appreciate all that nature has to give. Such a tiny bud yet .... well anyway.

Chrystallised dewlap

Now to dessert - moss on the wall was again theatrically brilliant. "Moss" standing vertical and presented in front of you somehow clinging to it's slate tile presentation plate. Digging down reveals goey yummy stuff (pardon my Kiwi!) that tasted incredible but I don't recall now what it was, with dried cake pieces (do not be fooled by these, they're the most superb cake dehydrated to an inch of their lives leaving not dryness but intense taste and texture in their wake). Another unfaultable dish.

Moss on the wall (clings to a slate tile upright)

Finally passionfruit and chocolate. A passionfruit icecream served in a shot glass with bitter sweet dark chocolate alongside chocolate coated passionfruit liquid (the liquid being suspended in the hard chocolate) with again some "dried cake" (remember don't be misled by this term, the effect is genius).

Passionfruit and chocolate

Oh yeah finally finally the minted sheeps milk etc etc, I am not sure what else came with this one. Sheeps milk isn't something I would generally go for, however this was not in the slightest sheepy and the mint edge allowed this course to be more digestive than anything.

Rounding off with chocolate coated nuts and perfect espresso.

Service throughout was impeccable. We were treated to a tour of the main banquet hall, kitchen and laboratory and the end. I actually ate (almost) everything on my plate which I've never ever managed to do before or since - serving sizes were completely spot on.

Kitchen

I'm planning to go back next year for my birthday that's how much I loved this place. Every detail was considered. Textures, flavours, salt, sweet, aromas. Sublime!!

**If you are using a Garmin GPS - and coming in from Bilbao turn right at the main roundabout then right across the smaller bridge. The GPS knew where Azurmendi was but not how to get us across the motorway and in the end a helpful local showed us the way.