Perched on Monte Igeldo, one of the two mountains on either side of central Donostia (San Sebastian), this classic restaurant has one of the best wine lists in the Basque country. The menu was simple, ingredient-led and classic. The exterior showed its origins as an old farmhouse, whilst the interior reminded us of a smart provincial hotel dining room, although the charcoal grill in the entrance promised good, honest cooking. Here is the grill in action:
We started with a plate of
jamón Ibérico
, which was perfectly good without being outstanding. Other first course was a
seafood salpicon
mainly consisting of lobster and prawns in a vinegary dressing with some leaves.
As a fish course David then had some
gambas a la plancha
(grilled prawns) which were of the highest quality. They were perfectly grilled with a wonderful flavour. His notes read f’ing triple-A. Daniel had a bowl of
grilled baby squid in a very creamy ink sauce
. He thought the squid was very good, but could have done with less sauce.
Being in a carnivorous mood, and having seen the well-marbled meat on entering the restaurant, we then shared a kilo of
chuleta de buey
(ox chop) cooked on the aforementioned charcoal grill. The meat nearly brought tears to our eyes it being very rare with an exquisite flavour. Our only criticism is that it could have been dry-aged for a little bit longer. Our dining companion had
fillet steak
which was of a similar quality; more tender but less flavourful as would be expected. These were served with frites and pimentons (grilled red peppers).
As mentioned, the wine list was very good. Reviews of the wines we had can be found [link2post id=”1350″]here[/link2post].
This is an essential destination for anyone visiting Donostia for more than a couple of days. A very comfortable, quality restaurant with honest, high-class cooking.
Daniel and David
