Bakea, Mungia (Basque Country) – no stars yet

I had the pleasure of dining at Bakea last month. Choosing a fine dining place in the Basque Country (I wanted to go to only one) was a real challenge, given the abundance of amazing restaurants and chefs in the region.
However, after reading about Bakea, the choice was quite easy. A restaurant that only opened about 11 months ago, the concept and vision behind the restaurant (cooking traditionally using a coal grill and oven while also using very modern and cutting-edge techniques) seemed appealing.

Behind the innocuous door we found a sleek restaurant with a long table as its centerpiece. This encourages guests to briefly interact with fellow diners. Behind, a large glass window reveals the space where Chef Alatz Bilbao makes his culinary vision come to life. A steelworker in his previous life, he also fabricates all of the dishes, plates, and cutlery used in the restaurant, adding to the narrative of the meal and engaging diners to take a close look at their eating utensils.

The meal was a real stand-out experience. I have quite a few fine dining restaurants under my belt, including two- and three-starred restaurants. I have never had as much bang for my buck as at Bakea. The dishes were inventive, albeit not in a tacky way. They were tasty, while still surprising the tastebuds. But most of all it felt like every plate was embedded in the history, culture and heritage of Basque cooking, while still presenting the refined techniques afforded to chefs nowadays. I was thoroughly impressed.

I will quickly go through the individual courses:

1. A take on the traditional sopa de ajo, made with fermented bread and miso. Really delicious, I would have gladly drank a gallon. 10/10

2. Sourdough bread and some amazing olive oil. The bread was very crusty, a bit too hard for my liking. But incredibly airy. 6/10

3. Anchovy with pollen and honey. The sweet and salty paired really well, and the anchovy had a very interesting chewiness to it. The pollen elevated the dish through its earthiness and aroma. Great dish. 8.5/10

4. One of the first standouts: yoghurt with trout roe and juniper. It was only a few spoonfuls but the mix of the dairy freshness of the creamy joghurt and the salty roe was fantastic. 10/10.

5. Egg yolk with stinging nettle and peas. We were instructed to eat this dish by just directly inhaling it. Fun idea, quite tasty but the confit yolk was a bit bland imo. 6.5/10

6. Morokil with bone marrow and espelette. A traditional basque corn dish. Again interesting taste, the espelette pepper definitely added a lot to a dish that would have otherwise been a bit one dimensional, albeit very rich with the marrow.. 7/10

7. Lentils with bacon. A really hearty plate that still tasted very exciting. Reminiscent of a chili con carne with earthy and smoky flavors. 9/10.

8. Fish (I don't remember what kind, sorry) with an incredible sauce made with Txakoli vinegar. The sauce was just one of the tastiesr things I have ever had, with a perfectly prepared piece of fish. 9/10.

9. Bonito and Garum. A tangy, salty broth and a very meaty bonito that the North coast of Spain is known for. 8/10.

10. Wild boar. It was served with a bowl of very refreshing and crispy lettuce. Definitely the most underwhelming plate of the evening. Flavorwise it was incredible, but unfortunately the meat was rather tough. 5/10.

11. Meringue and Chorizo. I won't do the explanation justice that we got from the servee, but this is again a play on a traditional dish. It was fantastic. Perfect meringue paired with the rich chorizo puree. 10/10.

12. Tomato in tomato syrup. Maybe my favorite of the meal. Somehow, both the savory and sweet qualities of the tomato were perfectly balanced in what made one of the best palate cleansers I've ever had. 10/10.

13. Chocolate and mushrooms. This was the most inventive and surprising dish. Tasted like the best chocolate pudding you'd ever had. 10/10.

14. Burnt milk and honey. Another traditional basque dish, the milk is burnt over coals and you definitely taste it. Paired with the honey it was a great end to an amazing meal. It was served with an amazing cup of coffee. 8/10

All in all food-wise, I would give it a 8.5. But the atmosphere, the incredible wine pairing, the service and the incredibly cool tour we got of the kitchen and how it functions, as well as the story that the meal tells with the elements of fire and coal and metal, puts this more in the 9.5 territory.
I believe this restaurant has a great future and I can recommend it to anyone staying near Bilbao or San Sebastian.