The first is to immerse yourself in the pintxos dining style that is unique to this part of Spain, the second is to booze and eat yourself stupid at a traditional cider house and the third is to eat at a Michelin starred restaurant. We didn't let you down faithful readership. However given that they're all food and drink related goals our arms didn't need to be twisted too far.
Pintxos
Wow. I thought that the tapas style of eating was great. Eating pintxos style supercedes even that. Again it's just small plates where every bar has its own couple of signature dishes and you just have a couple before moving on but the difference is the presentation of what's on offer.
The temptation is turned up to 11 as you walk into a bar and are presented with an array of food that looks something like this.
Laid out in all its glory along the bar for your perusal and salivation. No shitty little faded photos on a menu trying to represent what you'll get here.
We arrived in San Seb late on a Saturday night but if there's anywhere in the world that you can arrive to late and still eat like a king it's Spain. Although being a Saturday meant squeezing into bars that were spilling out onto the street and attempting to yell "dos txokoli" over a couple of rows of people to the barman. Txokoli? Come on. At least give us a hand.
Anyway, the proceeding couple of days of food made jumping in at the deep end more than worth our while.
For the record, Txokoli is a brilliant local wine that's poured from a height in an attempt to impart a bit of carbonation upon it.
Zeruko
First stop. Nix orders creamy sea urchin row still in its own shell that comes out with a crispy skin after being grilled before being served and bacalou (La Hoguera). The bacalou, as you can see, comes out on a little grill. Really Nix? We're shoulder to shoulder with every hombre and his perro and attempting to cook our own little piece of fish?
The bacalao was soft and nicely smoked, the little spongey brioche biscuit thing was a beauty and the test tube of emulsion? I couldn't tell you seeing as someone gulped it down in one. The look of guilt was a priceless one as Nix sheepishly looked back up at me having realised what she'd managed to do.
A fancy, modern intro to pintxos but a goodie nonetheless.
Bar Txepetxa
A bar that specialises in anchovies. Yes, please.
I'm not talking just anchovies on bread with an olive tapinade either, I'm talking anchovies with coconut, anchovies with papaya, anchovies with creamed crab. We went for the latter two and a couple of nights later returned for anchovy with salmon roe.
Our first time round I grabbed the creamed crab one and shoved it in and Nix the anchovy with papaya. My comments went something along the lines of, "holy shit, it tastes like the ocean has eaten itself and then vomited itself back onto the bread", such was the extremity of the flavour of the sea that coated my mouth. And Nix, upon popping hers in, quickly stated that it was one of the greatest flavour combinations that she'd ever had.
Keen to see what the other was so excited about we swapped morsels. Maybe we don't see eye to eye on everything. The papaya and anchovy was beyond my flavour palate and the sea flavour of the crab was too much for Nix. We quickly swapped back.
We agree that anchovy and roe are a good flavour combo though as they play off of one another nicely. The salmon row are like little fishy fireworks popping around the deep, saltiness of the anchovies.
La Mejillonera
A dirty little place that upon entry we were concerned may have been Santa Cruz round two. We were in the clear. The patatas bravas weren't memorable but the vinegrette mussels were. And throwing mussel shells onto the ground is good fun too.
La Vina
Oooooooooooooooooo. This place. Jesus fecking Christ.
What you initially need to understand is that it may appear that we just rock up in a new place and fall into all this amazing food. You'd be wrong. Hours of obsessive research by Nix allows us to travel how we like to. I just write blog posts.
So when Nix sets us off in the direction of a bar for cheesecake I have to hide my disinterest. However from low levels of expectation come the greatest surprises. This was one of those times.
About ten cheesecakes line the end of the bar in preparation for the siege that they will soon be under. This is a famous cheesecake. And for the first time in my life I can actually use the word cheesecake for what it actually is. A cheese, cake.
It's difficult to explain why it tastes so good. A smooth cheesy texture and flavour and a fairly strongly flavoured caramelised, burnt outside skin begin to explain it but this thing is majestic and reason alone to go to San Seb. Given that it's not overly sweet it matches particularly well with a Pedro Ximinez too. We also returned a further two nights for this perfect combo.
La Fuego Negro
Supposedly famed gildas (olives, pickled chillies and anchovies strung together on a toothpick), a mackerel thing that was supposed to be on the menu and bloody razorclams brought us here. Maybe it was a hangover from that day's eating and drink fest (read about that in Thursday's post) but the dishes and place were a bit lost on us.
And being told that I need to speak less Spanish when I come to Spain because the barman got a bit sensitive that I pointed out that he'd stuffed our bill twice doesn't go down well either. However his greatest offence came when he said, "when I go to England I try and speak little English". I'll let you work out why that's so offensive.
Gandarias
That day's meat hangover (as I said read, about that soon) caught up with us again here. A nice little beef solomillo was just a bit too much beef for one day, dare I say it!
Borda Berri
Mushroom risotto doesn't sound like much but when the very essence of mushroom is represented so intensely and when rice instead of rice orzo is used it becomes something that's very very enjoyable. It goes alright alongside some big meaty pig's ears and a not bad beef cheek.
We came back the following night for a nice little molleja (sweetbread) tortellini.
Casa Senra
Calamars in squid ink with apple and chestnut purees. Sounds nice. Is nice.
A chorizo a la sidra croquette. We've come to the conclusion that croquettes are nothing more than glorified nuggets and aren't worth the calories or stomach space. They're now on our food blacklist.
Hildago 56
If that looks like a volcano to you it's because it is. A Spanish black pudding (morcilla) mound with an egg yolk nestled on top and an apple puree. Good but not great.
My next choice (and the reason Nix does that research) was this little creation.
An ever so slightly browned beef mince pattie with cheese and onions on top and a squirt of tomato sauce. It tastes about as good as it sounds.
Bar Goiz Barg
Just €2 for four sweet little garlicky prawns on bread (brocheta de gambas). Yeahhhhhh, we'll have another round of those, por favor...
Astelena
Tasty, succulent, ethically challenging foie gras. This tasted like that perfect little bit of fat that rims a well cooked sirloin. So soft and oily. So delicate. So delicious with its mango, raspberry and apple pairing. So much the Devil's food.
La Cepa
Spain's lesser cured meats are sensational so when you shell out €10 for four wafer thin slices you're in for a treat. You've done it again you glorious little piggy bastards.
Bar Nestor
At exactly 1pm and 8pm each day Nestor brings out its famous tortilla. A tortilla that's so famous that someone's painted a picture of it being presented to baby Jesus and hung it in the bar. We got there at 810pm on our final night. Huge mistake.
It disappeared whilst we waited to get served and given there's a list at the bar specifying who gets a slice, we'd probably already missed out anyway. My advice, get your name on that list!
Santa Lucia
My one key question to Nix before we arrive in a Spanish city, "have we got a churros place?". And being the star that she is, always responds with, "yep, we've got a place".
Santa Lucia is a v good one. Old school, a bit on the dirty diner side of things but very very good. "Dos cafe con leche é uno chocolat con churros, por favor". Breakfast of champions and the perfect cure to a pintxos hangover!
Stay tuned for the second and third of those goals.
