Arzak

Well, Arzak lived up to the refinement and deliciousness that I had read about.
Arzak is situated in the house built by Juan Mari's grandparents in 1897. Four generations have served food here for decades. First, it was a cellar and tavern. Juan Mari's parents then turned it into a restaurant. In 1966, he took it over with help from his mother serving traditional basque cooking with his personal touch. He received his first Michelin star in 1974, 2nd in 1977, and 3rd in 1989. His daughter Elena has worked there since the 90s, and together, they've retained their well deserved 3 Michelin stars.
Every morsel of food/drink that entered our mouth was delicious.
The Amuse-bouche fired up the taste buds with four delectable dishes: fish, fried garlic soup, crispy corn, and shrimp.
Fish with peach emulsion and confit lemon was a flavour bomb.
I had then had butterfly prawn with a mango and papaya chutney while Jeremy enjoyed Hake with a kimchi green sauce.
The next dish 'Saline fried egg' may just be the best thing I've ever put in my mouth!!!! It's definitely the best egg. It was poached perfectly, encased in fried panko with quinoa and anchovy garum, and served with a crispy strip.
Thinking this dish would be hard to top the next two dishes proved otherwise. First came mouth watering Red Mullet with chorizo bell pepper and crispy pickled sweet potato. Then the pigeon roasted...so tender. There are simply not enough synonyms to describe just how delicious this dish was.
The 'acidic moment' to break up the mains from dessert did its job well, refreshing and preparing the palate for more deliciousness.
They served us two different desserts each. I indulged in a caramelised apple puree dish and a scrumptious 'chocolate ruins' dish. Jeremy enjoyed burnt milk and honey ice-cream and a chocolate molasses bread.
Artisan chocolates followed, which we enjoyed with a skillfully poured 1964 port.
Elena Arzac came out from the kitchen, introduced herself, and chatted with us for a short time, which was a nice touch. She spoke about her visit to Australia and time on Master Chef.
This is so far (will be more in future no doubt) my all-time favourite 3 🌟 🌟 🌟 restaurant.Read more