KAIA KAI-PE

High tech hidden in the old city. Kaia Ka-Pe is a restaurant that betrays its humble facade. Its mantra; FRESHNESS! Hiding in buildings along these cobblestone streets is a restaurant complex consisting of several small areas of operation from pumped in sea water tanks for all the live crustaceans to wine storage. There is a magnificent collection of wine I might add dating back decades. They even have bottles from the 1920s, 30s, 40 and 50s. Fabrication of the fish takes place outside the main restaurant in one of these buildings. Whole fish is grilled outdoors in front of the restaurant by Pedro and sold by weight while the other dishes come from inside the restaurants kitchen. All of it is simply prepared using just a few seasonings letting the ingredients speak for themselves. Lobsters ,langoustino, crabs and crayfish all cooked on the plancha in minuets. Browned garlic in oil with a splash of apple cider vinegar is the standard treatment for most of the whole fish after its semi de boned in the kitchen and sent out to the guest. They do this amazing thing with the gelatin from the monk fish heads! Concochas (codfish throats) are cooked in garlic oil until their gelatin makes its own sauce!! I'm enjoying the place. Igor and his staff are the nicest ,hard working people ever. Gratefully there is one guy who speaks really good English in the kitchen. He is Josh. Last night Josh took me to a kind of carnival in San Sebastian which is 20 minuets away. It was like the running of the bulls only with marching bands. We got back at 4:30am %$#@&*