Recently, we were extremely fortunate to indulge in our splurge meal at the spectacular restaurant
Akelaŕe. It was a tossup between the brightest culinary gems in the region - Arzak, Mugaritz and Akelaŕe. Suitably helped by chatter at
Chowhound, we settled on the last one for this extravagance.
Chef Pedro Subijana is a master and pioneer of modern gastronomy and trompe d'oeil cooking and we were certainly not disappointed. .
Obligatory disclaimers for any who stumble on this blog precede - this ramble has no Richmond connection and primarily serves as a repository for friends/acquaintances. Faced with extraordinary art on the plate and palate, we threw principle into the Bay of Biscay and in between oohing and aahing, had to unashamedly take pictures of the array of delights put forward by this superlative kitchen. Apologia for the food porn.
A contemporary, dark entrance took us to the crisp, dining room with breathtaking views overlooking the azure waters of the ocean from atop a hill. Typical of this part of Basque country, there appeared to be quite some inspiration from the sea in the cooking at Akelaŕe.
The amuse bouche was quite a delight: a "Sea Garden" on a bed of "sand" which was nothing more than flavored bread crumbs. This little twist itself had me quite excited about the way Chef Subijana thought. Starting with Oyster leaf and ending with Seaweed Coral, (goose barnacles tempura), this was an light explosion of taste to set the stage.
Presented below are some highlights from both the fixe-menus we tried (Aranori (A) and Bekarki (B) were the two options and we had both at the table), hence the larger sampling of pictures ! Some of the titles were the ones we saw on the menu itself. A divine 2001 La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza suggested by the sommelier, accompanied our meal.
(A) "Mollusks in Fisherman's Net" with rice and borage cream and a beautiful garlic flower to round out a ravishing presentation.
(A) Pasta "carpaccio" with piquillo and parmesan mushrooms
(A) Hake, breaded in Monkfish dried skin over "beans" made with mussels and rice. The skin was described as a monkfish "habit" which was amusing.
(B) Xangurro in essence, its coral blini and "gurullos" accompanied with pasta that looks like rice grains.The txangurro is a sort of Basque crab casserole with the meat reinforced by its juice.
(B) Razor shell with veal and cauliflower mushrooms
(B) Sauteed foie gras with "salt flakes" and "grain pepper". This was a rather terrific dish that tricked the eye - the S&P were actually dark rice puffs that looked like peppercorns and flakes of sugar that looked like salt. Some theatrics as they liberally doused the foie gras with the salt and pepper...
(B) Turbot with its "kototxa" (the latter being the cheek of the fish) and its crispy skin made into a chip.
(B) "Desalted" cod presented in a fish box with edible shavings and cod tripes in tomato water.
(A) Red mullet, head and bone's praline, liver and onion with delicate little fusilli's stuffed with parsley, soy and 'ajo blanco' sauce. They called it "whole-grain red mullet" because the entire fish was used. I think I could have had an entire meal with the fusilli alone!
(A) Charcoal grilled lamb with wine lees that made for a nice decoration of sediment crystals.
(A) Roasted pigeon breasts with mexican mole and cocoa. My first time with this different avian and I just didnt want to disturb this beautiful dusting of cocoa.
(A) Dessert I- "xaxu" and coconut iced mousse was a recreation of an egg and almond with a foamed coconut ice cream. The latter was delightfully light and melted in ones mouth.
(A) Dessert II - an apple tart with puff pastry toasted-apple cream, puff pastry praline and edible apple paper. The paper was like an apple leather but what was so fascinating was the writing that made the presentation quite delightful and intriguing. Wonder if this is made by some kind of food inkjet printer!? Interestingly, they state that their apple tart doesnt have any fresh apples.
(B) Dessert I - Milk and Grape, Cheese and wine in a parallel evolution - This was a complex and conceptual dish meant to be eaten left to right, highlighting the aging and transformation of both milk and grapes as they originate all the way to their maturity. wow !
(B) Dessert II was Layered strawberry and cream with a reconstructed strawberry and some basil seeds. The wavy plate with little niches had to be one of the prettiest plates I have ever seen. Do they make plates after coming up with dishes or do such plates exist and are repurposed to such creations?
With full stomachs and minds, we finished off with some coffee and petits-fours.
Overall, the food was spectacular with clever touches all around. Lots of "" used above were simply because of delightful alterations and interpretations to components. Akelaŕe perhaps lacked some knock-off-socks surprises but was simply beautiful and delicious. We were quite stuffed by this decadent dining and took our time letting each course settle. The vibe considerably less formal than other 3 star places and although it may sound silly, for this level of dining, the attentiveness of service was quite ordinary. The friendliness of the staff on the other hand was spectacular. We asked for and were taken on a little highlight - being able to see a Michelin 3-star kitchen at work, including the training kitchen and test-labs. We also walked around the little garden where the kitchen sources many of their ingredients. 4 hours later as we sauntered into the Basque countryside, we all agreed that this was one of the best experiences we'd ever had.
Thanks for reading !!
