Hello all!
Just recently finished a trip to Spain, which included dining at the wonderful 3 Michelin star Azurmendi, near Bilbao, Spain. To start off, not only is the setting beautiful inside and out, but you feel the care and attention that has been put into each and every detail. Not only that, but it's clear why this place has been awarded a green star, as well, as the whole upper tier of the restaurant is a greenhouse with gardens that surround it. Walking in, the setting is incredibly impressive, with a beautiful vertical growth on one side, and a series of rooms on the other.
Starting off, we received the typical introductory beverage, as well as the picnic basket that has become quite well known here. Leaving there, we entered the kitchen, where the team had prepared an assortment of very delicious pieces. Next, we walked to the 'garden', where our server walked us through, pointing out little treats along the way. Finally, after a dozen bites, we sat at the table and started the main portion of the meal.
Service:
The service at Azurmendi was clean, elegant, and simple. The sommelier was eager to meet our desires, and offered several options for us to choose from. In general, I cannot find a single real fault with the service experience. Each dish arrived from the kitchen, placed behind a thin curtain, as the servers prepared and staged the course. Once brought out, the servers were happy to place the course, explaining each of the components and offering well taken advice on how to best enjoy the experience. We found that while most servers were happy and energetic, our most common server was often expressionless and quite calm, although they were again always very happy to be there when we needed something. Probably the third best service we've experienced, excellent all around.
The only bad 'service' experience came at the end, when we had asked for the bill. Three separate people had approached our table, asking if we wanted something like coffee or tea to finish the meal. All three times we said no thank you, and requested the bill. After ~25 minutes, we finally got the sommelier to bring us the bill. While we were one of the first tables to finish eating, we were one of the last to leave. While this didn't take away from the enjoyment of the experience, I thought it was quite a bit strange.
Wine:
While we didn't go for a pairing, we did split four glasses, plus a separate local cider during the first set of courses. Each of the pieces were excellent, and a fair value, for what they were. While we've had better wine experiences at other restaurants, this was still very solid, and presented a good value.
Food:
For the vast majority of dishes, the food at Azurmendi achieved something that I've only experienced a handful of times across numerous fine dining experiences. Not only were the dishes the most beautiful I've ever seen, but they were some of the best tasting I've ever had. Before I even get to the portion from the menu I posted, there were over a dozen dishes that I tried, with maybe only two or three that didn't score above an 8.0 in my mind. In fact, the two starters on the left of the picnic basket were both 9.1 (truffle meringue) and 9.2 (smoked fish brioche), and the nori and roe in the kitchen was a 9.0. The best bite, before sitting down, was the (semi) famous Rose Nectar dish, which exploded with unbelievable flavor (9.8).
Once we sat down, the butter and caviar (9.1), oyster with sea granita (8.7), and asparagus in different textures (9.3) were all great highlights. While I've had many good 'simple' preparations of lobster, this was perhaps the best I've had (9.0).
While this had been an unbelievable experience, the following three courses ranged from truly forgettable to downright disgusting. The trotters ravioli was a solid dish, but very disappointing as a main (7.4), and my wife's substitute dish was significantly tastier (beef ravioli with beef sauce, 8.8). The castañeta was maybe a 6.1, and pretty forgettable, to the point I don't really recall anything about it, besides my notes from the day. Finally, the partridge in chocolate, which was an actual stew mix of partridge, put into a chocolate truffle (0.0). My wife and I agreed, it was the worst thing we've ever had. Certainly at a Michelin restaurant, and perhaps anywhere. It was really, really, REALLY bad.
Following this were 3 excellent desserts, scoring 9.4, 9.1, and 8.2, respectively. Finally, we ended with the best petit fours we've encountered (9.2).
Overall:
What a strange experience. Everything was basically perfect, and far better than I could have expected. I had high expectations, as it is a three star, but I was really blown away by how complete this experience was. The service was great, the food was (almost) perfect, and we had a very nice chat with Azurmendi's chef/owner Eneko Atxa. Nevertheless, I also left feeling disappointed in the quality of the three main courses. While it didn't go to ruining the overall fun I did have, it certainly was a bad way to end the savory portion of the experience.
For a few quick notes: We were only billed 285 Euro, not 315, as the menu states (and is listed online). Not sure if they discounted the meal, or what happened, but it wasn't explained, and we didn't ask. We also weren't ever asked about a cheese pairing, and noticed that no other tables were either. Perhaps it's reserved for the dinner crowd?
Finally, I must say that this is the best fine dining experience we've ever had. While far from the most fun we've had, we experienced great service, mostly unbelievable food, and a beautiful setting. Well worth traveling for, and a place we will make many visits to in the future.
by FidgetyFinance