Restaurant Boroa Jatetxea – Second visit

Back in 2015 I wrote about my first visit to the Boroa Jatetxea Restaurant. I write this following my second visit, which took place in November 2016.

The converted 15th century farmhouse is a wonderful building, spacious and “warm”. Do not let the rural setting fool you. This is a one Michelin star restaurant.

Íñigo Elorriaga, a Basque who lives in nearby Gernica (Guernica), is the chef in charge of innovation.

Jabier Gartzia Ruiz, a native of Gernica, is the head chef.

Oxtail capuccino. Boroa Jatetxea Restaurant, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

Oxtail capuccino came as a welcome drink and it was delicious! Light enough not to overpower the senses, but still capable of providing flavor, it was smooth and warm.

Chorizo. Boroa Jatetxea Restaurant, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

Chorizo is always welcome on my plate, especially this one that was accompanied by a sauce that had all the flavor of this wonderful sausage.

Eel. Boroa Jatetxea Restaurant, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

Slightly smoked European eel and avocado in spiced quince veil over foie gras with citric aroma was my starter. An absolute winner, a dish I could again and again without ever getting bored.

Eel. Boroa Jatetxea Restaurant, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

This is what great cooking is all about.

Cod tasting. Boroa Jatetxea Restaurant, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

Cod tasting (grilled, vizcaina and pil pil) was my main course. I have a special devotion to salt cod and it cannot get any better than what I taste in Basque Country.

The dish has three pieces, wach cooked in a different way.

Cod tasting – Pil Pil. Boroa Jatetxea Restaurant, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulo

The first is pil-pil, which is a traditional Basque preparation. The sauce is an emulsion of olive oil and the cod’s juices.

Cod tasting – Vizcaina. Boroa Jatetxea Restaurant, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

The second piece is “vizcaina”, another local preparation, with a thich red sauce. The purists say that the sauce should be made only with red peppers, that is without any tomatoes. Today it is more often than not that you find a tomato thrown in the sauce.

Cod tasting – grilled. Boroa Jatetxea Restaurant, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

The last preparation is grilled. This is a “nowhere to hide” preparation. The smallest fault of the fish will reveal itself on the grill, as well as the cook’s ability to maintain all the juices and aromas of salt cod’s most expensive cut.

Fruits of the forest sweet. Boroa Jatetxea Restaurant, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

Raspberry, yogurt and Dulcey junket Dulcey crumble, raspberry and yogurt junket, creamy yogurt, different Dulcey textures and raspberry meringue was my desert.

The desert was recommended to me by the propritetor, Mª Asun Ibarrondo, and I obliged

The desert was a harmony of tastes and textures and aromas, and by the time I finished it I could only think of how hard it would be to improve on such a finish to a wonderful meal.

 

 

 

Casa Garras, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country

Town Hall, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

Some time ago, I visited Casa Garras to have lunch. It is located some 60 km southwest of Bilbao, and more than half of the route is twisty, narrow, and requires extra care. The low clouds and mist did not make the route easier. After such a challenging drive, I was wondering whether the place was worth it.

Facade, Casa Garras,, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

The entrance leads you to the bar, where you can have a drink and some pintxos (tapas in the Basque language). The restaurant is on the first floor. I arrived early, at 1345 hrs – by local standards – and had the opportunity to observe the customers settling in. I think I was the only foreigner in the restaurant. In addition to the families and couples, there were large groups of friends, mostly men, getting together to enjoy lunch. By 1500 hrs – the time locals usually have lunch on a Saturday – the place was packed solid.

Dining Hall. Casa Garras,, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

The chef  of the restaurant is Txema Llamosas, whose parents owned Casa Garras,  has worked with some of the holy monsters of Basque and Catalan cuisine:  Eneko Atxa (Azurmendi), Juan Maaari Arzak (Arzak), and Ferran Adria (elBulli), and returned to his parents’ restaurant in 2010. With his inspiration and the support of his wife Pilar, who is the somelier of the restaurant, Txema has managed to establish Casa Garras as a gastronomic jewel in the Valley of Carranza, one of the nicest and mostly unknown area of Vizkaya in the Basque Country.

Txema Llamosas, Casa Garras, Vizkaya. Photo: Casa Garras

I tasted the gastronomic menu on offer. and took a bottle of the locally produced txakoli wine (txakolina).

Petite, Txakolina, Casa Garras,, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

The somelier recommended Casa Garras’s brand “Petite”, and I obliged.

Ox capuccino, Casa Garras,, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

This foamy, hot, tasty broth made from ox’s tail started the meal.  Its depth is unforgettable.

Queso a partir de queso Idiazabal con brioche de mantequilla, Casa Garras,, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

Soft cheese made from locally produced Idiazabal cheese, served with a butter brioche.

Marinated horse mackerel on white garlic soup with trout pearls, Casa Garras,, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

Extremely smooth and tasty! And it looked good too!

Atún rojo marinado sobre su emulsión, salsa ponzu, algas wakame y perlas de wasabi, Casa Garras,, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

Marinated red tuna in its emulsion, ponzu soup, wakame seaweed and pearls of wasabi. The visible fusion of Basque cuisine with Japanese flavors.

Gambas de Huelva sobre pieles de bacalao y mayonesa de sus corales, Casa Garras,, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

White shrimp from Huelva on cod skin and mayonaise made from the stock of their heads and shells.

The shrimp comes from Huelva, a city in the southern region of Andalucia.

Morrillo de atún sobre mousse de aguacate, cebolla morada de Zalla, pieles de cerdo y jugo
de pimiento, Casa Garras,, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

Glazed red tuna neck, avocado mousse, pickled purple onion and morcels of fried pigskin. I do not remember the sauce’s name, but it was delicious.

Cocochas de merluza con pilpil de aceite ecologico y sus espinas, Casa Garras,, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

Hake double chins cooked the pil pil way, with organic olive oil.

I absolutely love “kokotxas” (the double chin of the fish) and I can only find them in Spain and the Basque country!

Chipirón relleno del guiso de sus garras y cremoso de tinta, Casa Garras,, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

Stuffed squid, fried legs, and sauce made from its ink. The squid is stuffed with finely chopped legs.

Yema de huevo de caserío con crema carbonara, papada y ralladura de queso Idiazabal de
Karrantza, Casa Garras,, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

Egg yolk on carbonara cream, cured pig’s jowl and idiazabal cheese crisp.

Merluza a la plancha  y emulsión de coliflor, Casa Garras,, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

Grilled hake on a cauliflower emulsion.

Láminas de chuleta de vaca pinta de Karrantza, Casa Garras,, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulo

Rib steak of Karrantza beef, served with morcels of its fat.

This is one of the best steaks I have ever eaten! It melts in your mouth, and it unbelievably tasty!

Panacotta de vainilla con dulce de leche casero, nueces garrapiñadas, crujiente de chocolate blanco y maíz, con cremoso de queso y pompas de nata, Casa Garras,, Valle de Carranza, Vizkaya, Basque Country. Photo: Nikos Moropoulos

The desert was based on panacotta, and it was nice, but nothing compared to the savoury dishes. It is clear that Chef Llamosas prefers savoury!

 

 

 

Bacalao the Magnificent

 

 

 

cod

 

A selection of some of the best bacalao dishes I have tasted, published as a photo story in storehouse.

Images from the Basque Country

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

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

The Guggenheim Museum
The Guggenheim Museum

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

The Guggenheim Museum
The Guggenheim Museum

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

Bacalao
Bacalao

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

Fishing Vessels in San Sebastian
Fishing Vessels in San Sebastian

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

From Bilbao to San Sebastian
From Bilbao to San Sebastian

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

Lekeitio
Lekeitio

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

Boats
Boats

The mountains are a short drive away.

View of San Sebastian from the North
View of San Sebastian from the North

The mountainous terrain provides for excellent lambs meat and wool.

North of San Sebastian
North of San Sebastian

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

View of San Sebastian
View of San Sebastian

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

Arzak talking to his customers
Arzak talking to his customers

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

Jeff Koon's flowers in the Guggenheim
Jeff Koon's flowers in the Guggenheim

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

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

Guggenheim Bilbao, Jatetxea, Restaurante

Suspended Figure, Munoz
Suspended Figure, Munoz

Update 2021: The restaurant is no longer in operation inside the museum building. A new restaurant “Neua Guggenheim Bilbao” has pened and operates in an adjacent area of the museum vomplex.

I visited the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum in July 2008 and had lunch in the restaurant. It is a restaurant much acclaimed and I was quite curious to see, smell, and taste the food.

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

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

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

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

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

"Tempura" Green Peppers

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

Stewed tapioca pearls
Stewed tapioca pearls

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

Roasted Red Endives
Roasted Red Endives

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

Roasted aubergine
Roasted aubergine

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

Roasted fish of the day
Roasted fish of the day

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

Iberian pork stew
Iberian pork stew

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

Andra Mari Restaurant, Galdakao, near Bilbao

I found Andra Mari in the Red Michelin Guide and visited it last year (2007). I was positively impressed to the extent that I thought I just was lucky and everything turned out well during my visit. This year I visited Andra Mari again, wondering what the experience would be. I will try to describe it in this post.

The veranda
The veranda

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

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

The view south
The view south

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

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

Foie Gras Terrine
Foie Gras Terrine

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

Sardine Fillets
Sardine Fillets

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

Grilled Summer Vegetables
Grilled Summer Vegetables

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

Grilled Lobster
Grilled Lobster

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

Egg with grilled octopus
Egg with grilled octopus

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

Red Tuna Loin with Mango and Apple
Red Tuna Loin with Mango and Apple

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

Iberian Pork
Iberian Pork

Deserts came next, starting with a junket with cherries.

Junket with Cherries
Junket with Cherries

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

Sponge Cake with Peaches
Sponge Cake with Peaches

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

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