AKELARE

This was a very imaginative and creative lunch. Consider this, I was the only person for lunch that day....except for the other 12 people that showed up an hour later. A quick tour of the kitchen counted about 18 chefs. Spotless , Quite and almost surreal .....

Its situated high above the cliff of the Cambien Sea (Atlantic ocean) ...with a breath taking view. So its a 10 for atmosphere even with little bonsai trees on each table. The tasting menu 135 Euros is about $200. Yes its the most expensive lunch I ve ever had... Again great pains were taken to produce an incredible amuse bouche. This really seems to be a trade mark here . Starting out with a bang like i've never seen anywhere except Arzak. This time it included a crispy blood pudding roll ,almond dust bonbon, cheesepaper tartlette, a crunchy jamon souffled something, iced foie gras droplets with foie gras meringue like substance, a shucked oyster in cased in crisp delicate cocoa shell, and some bacalao bites coated with dehydrated tomato soup.

Someone certainly has a lot of time on their hands eh? First course is a warm shrimp salad only the shrimp are cooked table side on volcanic rocks in a cast iron pot set aflame with some kind of local brandy.....then served only a plate that has three little purees of screaming green haricot vert shrimp shell "soil" three leaves of ice lettuce (not ice burg) and the three thinnest strips of green beans of ever seen. The result was 3 tasty shrimp pleasing in every way. The whole lunch is like this . Menu descriptions read like chapters in a novella ,"Mollusks in the net of the Fisherman " and "Milk and Grape, Cheese and Wine in a parallel evolution." The result is spectacular. Not over the top as in WD-50. Not that that's not compelling in its own way but here I can appreciate all the ingredients from this region in their enhanced state. Best dish for me was the "Turbot with its Kokotxa " Turbots dont have a Kokotxa (throat) so the made one out of god knows what but it was Delicious. The fish cooked spot on served with natural gelatin thickened Pil pil . (garlic and oil sauce) oh and they ground up the bones after they baked them ,dehydrated them and pressed them in to a crisp 2x2" chip. I could tell you more about this meal but duty calls ....on to Pinxtos!