Two Michelin Menus, a Mountain of Pintxos and How to Survive a Dramatic Downpour

How do you choose your holidays? Are you someone who likes to return to a place of beloved memories or do you prefer to explore different places to make new ones? For me it depends on how adventurous or curious I am feeling. And to be fair also just how busy life has been. Whether we go for a buzzy city break in a familiar favourite like New York, or find somewhere warm with a pool, near a white sandy beach or both, there’s always one common consideration, the food.

This time, when we were planning our two-week break, we decided to try somewhere neither of us had been. My husband and I are both fans of Fred Sirieix, particularly enjoying his Remarkable Places to Eat series. Inspired by his visit to Northern Spain, with its culinary reputation beckoning, we thought why not make food the consideration. In anticipation of big birthdays on the horizon for us both this year, we went the whole hog and booked not one, but two Michelin starred restaurants for that extra special foodie experience.

Bilbao’s Skyline and Spirals

As we flew into Bilbao for our first week, I had no idea what to expect. Much like starting a new book where I ignore the blurb and dive straight into reading the story itself, I much prefer to let events unfold and views appear. Our taxi from the airport approached the city through the verdant mountains. It felt like we were at the top of a helter-skelter, spiralling down in ever decreasing circles. More and more buildings came into view, clinging to the slopes in clusters before the man-made structures dominated the skyline and lined themselves up in orderly rows on the banks of the river.

Our hotel sat on the other side of the water, near one of the many bridges close to the old town and opposite the indoor food market, the flavours of which were something we intended to savour later in the week. That first evening we headed for a Pintxos bar in the main square, one which had been highly rated on Tripadvisor. Whilst it can be a little hit and miss to rely on other people’s opinions, after a long day of travelling we were hungry and thirsty, so a popular place seemed like a good option. We rounded the corner through a pillared opening to be hit by a wall of voices bouncing round the covered cloister-like corridors. It was a Saturday evening, packed with locals and tourists alike. Inside, even more bodies jostled to order food at the bar. We nabbed a table outside, under the large parasols, which extended out and borrowed space from the cobbled square, and ordered a Pintxos selection and beers.

Pintxos 101

For the un-initiated Pintxos are a Basque speciality, a bit like a mouthful of tapas loaded onto chunky slices of baguette. We ordered far too many and as they came without labels it was a lucky dip as to what we were eating. This became a bit of a theme for the week but as we gradually became more accustomed to the traditions, ingredients and flavours we settled into this different more informal way of dining out.

Views, Downpours and Downtime

The weather was mixed; hot, humid, cooler some days. Bright blue skies then rain-laden, threatening charcoal clouds with thunder rolling in the distance. On one occasion we were almost caught by a storm, eating at another restaurant in the square. This time we were the wrong side of the parasol when the rain arrived. Our friendly fellow diners squished up so that we could shuffle under the shade and keep our spot. It was worth it; the food was delicious.

We contemplated a trip to the sea, less than 8 kilometres away beyond the mountains, but instead spent our chillout time reading books* by the rooftop pool, or sipping spritzes from the bar and drinking in the panoramic views of the city below. We took a trip up the funicular railway on one of the sunnier days for even more breathtaking views and visited the spectacular Guggenheim Museum via a short tram ride on one of the hottest days (a great way to get out of the heat, or the rain to be fair.) Photo’s of the building do not do the architecture or the permanent flower dog sculpture outside the entrance justice.

The collections inside were just as stunning, my favourite being Richard Serra’s sculptural installation, ‘A Matter of Time’. The huge freestanding pieces of weathering steel are grouped in swirls and waves and curves. In a gallery dedicated exclusively to these structures the forms invite you to walk into and through the shapes, a bit like a metal maze playing with your sense of perspective and time. Playing also with the prospect of colliding with the groups of school children racing their way in and out of the solid rust-red partitions.

 

 

Weather-washed Pavements and Culinary Deliciousness 

The other highlight of the week was our Michelin starred tasting menu at Restaurante Mina. An unassuming doorway led into a cave like entrance, up some stone steps into a tiny restaurant with maximum 25 covers. The kitchen was open to the light, unfussy dining room and seemed to be one of the calmest, well-run kitchens I’ve ever seen. Each one of the fourteen, yes you read that right, fourteen, courses on the tasting menu were lovingly placed before us and presented with a quiet pride. We didn’t always understand the descriptions, but the delicacy of the plating and the bursts of unexpected flavour sensations surprised us time and again.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, we were uncomfortably full by the tenth course and chose to go for a simple pizza the following evening. We emerged to find the pavements shimmering from a welcome heavy shower which had successfully extracted the humidity from the air leaving that fresh evening anticipation of bright day to follow. On the way back to the tram, we caught a glorious sunset putting the city to bed, and a couple in their very own Jack Vettriano moment kissing before going their separate ways.

In no time, the week had flashed by and we were saying goodbye to Bilbao ourselves, and looking ahead to our next stop, San Sebastian.

Onward by Bus

Do you typically hire a car from the airport to get you to your holiday destination? That’s us too usually, but this time we had short taxi rides to and from the centres and buses everywhere else. We were impressed, especially with the bus station at Bilbao, which was much more like an airport terminal. Clean, well-organised, secure. Not to mention the intercity busses between the two. Outward to San Sebastian our travel day was another wet one, so the rainclouds clung to the hilly terrain and obscured most of the view.

An Unforgettably Magical Meal

After a quick turnaround at the hotel, we were off out to our second Michelin starred restaurant, the Alameda, in Hondarriba. By the time we arrived the rain had eased, and we were shown through to a outdoor covered terrace. The air was warm, the setting atmospheric, with an open view of the lush gardens beside us and the forest blanketed hills in the distance. Not long after our wine had been poured, a dramatic thunderstorm played out all around us. For me it only added to the magic of the evening.

This time the tasting menu consisted of ten courses. Having learnt how to pace ourselves from the previous week, we took things slowly, savouring the food, the service and the setting. If I had to compare, this experience just had the edge. My favourite savoury dish across the two wasn’t even on the menu but had been swapped in as an alternative due to my seafood intolerance at Restaurante Mina. The best overall though was the first dessert at Alameda which was out of this world!

More Pintxos and the Call of the Sea

The rest of week stayed hot and we took advantage of the hotel pool in the peace and quiet out of the centre. We hopped on local frequent buses to get in and out of the city. Most evenings we frequented even more Pintxos bars which were in a grid of cobbled streets close to the harbour and near to the cathedral, many with queues snaking from their doors before opening time. Having not booked ahead, we took a few days to work out the best places to go. Apart from pasta one night and an arrozeria another, it was pintxos all the way. I must admit by the end, I would have been happier to eat my food off a plate rather than bread, and to seek out a place next time right on a beach. I missed falling asleep to the sound of the sea.

Reflections on Play and Possibilities

These were both great places to visit, each with a distinctive character but perhaps better suited to city breaks than a two week stay. Still don’t take my word for it, go explore for yourself and let me know what you think.
At the airport on the way home my thoughts were turning to the talk I was about to deliver on ‘play’. It made me think about how we sometimes look at newness and adventure as risky things but by embracing the uncertainty and letting go of expectations, holidays are a real opportunity to stay in the moment and play. Planning is good but not knowing what’s ahead can leave space for a whole lot of possibility and fun.

* See here for my reviews of Table for One and Much More to Come