Asador Extebarri

I have been incredibly lucky to dine at a few of my bucket list spots this past year after graduating culinary school, and Extebarri has beaten them all. It is without a doubt the best meal I’ve had. It surpasses all expectations, lives up to all the hype, and does so without pretension or frills. It’s truly at the apex of culinary achievement.

For those wondering how I got in:
I lucked out with the waitlist. After booking my trip to San Sebastian last week, I submitted reservation requests for every day I was in the region. At 11AM this morning I received a call that a table was available for 1PM, and we scrambled to get there in time. Pure luck mixed with our ability to jump on a last minute offer.

Overall thoughts:
As mentioned above, Extebarri is at the top of the game. What was most impressive is how truly naked this cuisine really is; in most dishes there were only two or three ingredients. Never more than five. This showcased the incredible products Extebarri sources (largely from Chef Bittor’s farm) and the mastery of the cooking. Everything is touched by the grill, and everything is grilled expertly. Squid becomes tender, not chewy, and the flavour of smoke blends in with each dish, never overpowering other elements. True mastery.

Top dishes:
Really hard to narrow down, but there were a few standouts. The two obligatory mentions – the steak and the red prawns – are well known for a reason. They are perfectly cooked. A surprising favourite for me was the eggs and mushrooms. The two ingredients were cooked so gently that the eggs never set, and despite being so simple it was a comforting, almost nostalgic dish. The baby squid was also incredible, given that it’s also only two ingredients: squid and onion. The squid was stuffed with caramelized onions before being very lightly grilled, and served with a sauce of its own ink blended with charred onion.

Truly an unforgettable experience, I’d return in a heartbeat (once I pay off my AMEX bill).

by mr_waterloo