Sukaldaritzaen Arzak

Arzak... Sukaldaritza or cuisine in basque.

I never realised that my grandfather's hometown, Donostia, held so many wonders of fine cuisine. The very inconspicuous building opened up to a world of gourmet marvels fabricated by a genius. I would say the experience was like that of Charley in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory - bubbles, explosions, oysters that taste like chocolate, wild colors, snazzleberries and fabulous textures. My eyes were open wide, sparkling with excitement. I was like this little Charley in a candy shop for a grown-up palette. My hands couldn't move fast enough to match my hasty taste buds and time would melt into eternity as I savoured each bite.

We entered the discreet building, the welcome room was bustling with chaotic babble. People were leaned against the bar, basque and spanish words collided into each other in the air like fireworks. Our little english mumbling was very muffled. A young waitress smiled, a bit frazzled, and happily led us to our table. On the ground floor is a large, modern room in shades of slate and gray. Delicate orchids were perched here and there. It was very pretty but a bit too tendance for it to be unique. We were led upstairs. This salon was cozy. The soft yellow light washed over the room and the big tables of laughing friends. It was tastefully decorated, classic european style, with beautiful paintings in antique gold frames. Fine silver on the table matched with crystal glasses. Tasteful not ornate. We had a lovely table in a cosy corner. We were the youngest people there but treated just as equally as the others. No snobisme here. Big smiles from every staff that crossed us.

The menu was a bit overwhelming. Thank goodness for the degustation! It was extremely reasonable (130 € and had over 14 courses). It was also designed to be shared and tasted, so we had the maximum possibilities to try their numerous specialties. It started with little, crazy looking mise-en-bouches.

The first two are a bunch of little crispy things that played with texture and color. I couldn't figure out what was inside but whatever it was made me think of my childhood, eating cornik or cheese curls that had new flavors. Now the third one is cheese wrapped in a candied melon. It looks quite normal, but I swear, once inside the mouth the creaminess of the cheese was pierced by exploding pop rocks! It was absolutely crazy!

Two little extraordinary dishes followed. The first, oyster with cellophane, was more of a play on textures than taste. Being a purist, I like my oysters so fresh that they cringe when I squirt the lemon. It was not exactly a favorite but an experience that felt strangely familiar. The slightly cooked, tender oysters were trapped in a fine, dry paper that disappeared on the tongue. White rabbit came to my head. I never particularly liked the taste of this candy but more the feel of the paper sticking to the palette and evaporating right away.

Apples with foie gras oil. This is a very familiar flavor combination. Nothing new here except that in this little scallop sized apple bites, smothered with a foie gras paste, Arzak managed to multiply the flavor factor by a thousand! Not much larger than a two euro coin, this little dish is an atomic flavor bomb! Seemingly solid, it exploded, then melted into my mouth as the whole world simultaneously melted around me... It oozed into my blood and into my head, making that one small moment truly special.

I'm beginning to understand arzak. They take simple astes and turn them into extraordinary experiences.Cigalas - Crayfish? Langoustes? I was never an expert on these crustaceans, but whatever the species was it was cooked to perfection. Delicately grilled to obtain that smokey crunchiness outside but two seconds away from raw to preserve the moisture and the ocean flavors on the inside. These two creatures were swimming near a grilled corn emulsion pond. I swear it tasted like cornik. A spicy, sophisticated cornik sauce. The small bitter herb salad accentuated the smokiness of the dish. These little crustaceans had the most glorious death in cuisine heaven. I had never tasted such precise grilling.

The world of Arzak brings me back to my still vivid childhood. About fifteen years ago, sitting on the hot pavement in front of my home in the Philippines, eating sari-sari store bought chippie, cornik, white rabbit or US imported pop rocks. It's a nostalgic voyage for me and an experience I won't forget.

I'll be honest and say that this didn't strike my palette too much. I remember the texture as being a bit gelatinous and having a crustacean sort of taste. Inside, was some vegetables accompagnied by an herbed salad. I'm a bit sad but I can't remember this one too much. And I know why...

The next dish was just so extraordinary that it completely drowned out the rest.

This is what you call a flower bomb egg. Again, another explosion of flavor! It was a soft boiled egg shaped into a flower, topped withsome crunchy things again. But the best... a chorizo, white truffled coulis... Chorizo, white truffles and egg. It seems like an unlikely combination but it made such an extraordinary bite. It was childhood memory that matured. My favorite food growing up was Marca El Rey chorizo, the kind you could only get in Cash and Carry, with scrambled egg. I must have eaten this at least once a week. The empowering taste of white truffles made for a very grown up version of my fetish food. I couldn't have been happier. Two of my favorite flavors crammed into a little egg that was cooked to perfection. The whites were very firm but the yolk was fluid and held it all together. The little crunchy things punched in some pizazz to the whole experience. Once again, simple yet ingenuous.