Singapore – The Spotlight Nation at San Sebastian’s Gastronomika

Gastronomika is a major international gastronomic conference in San Sebastian, and now in its 17th year, it has gained a significant following and importance. 

Many of the big names in the culinary world flock to San Sebastian in October each year to take part in it, and the whole town, already a major destination for any foodie, becomes the place to be (or be seen).

I love San Sebastian and have written about it here (read this post for a list of Pintxos bars and their unique specialties).

San Sebastian Old Town

San Sebastian is without a doubt, my favourite European destination for food, be it for its incredibly good value and quality pintxos (the Basque tapas) or for its 3-Michelin starred restaurant experiences. I had one of the best meals of my life at Martin Berasategui, reviewed here.

The burnt Basque cheesecake by Bar La Viña in San Sebastian - not to be missed!

So what should you expect to see or do at Gastronomika? If you are a hospitality professional or a hardcore foodie, there will be plenty to keep you entertained for days – tastings, lectures, cookery demonstrations and a vast range of Basque and international exhibitors.

For the latest Gastronomika, Singapore was the spotlight nation at the congress, and so I was lucky enough to be invited by the Singapore Tourism Board to San Sebastian to attend the congress and meet 12 of the biggest names in Singaporean cuisine flown in especially for the occasion.

One of these chefs was the charming Malcolm Lee, head chef and owner of Candlenut in Singapore, a restaurant specialising in the traditional cuisine of Peranakan heritage also known as Nyonya (a cuisine created from Malayan and Chinese heritages unique to the straits of South-East Asia).

Other chefs included Justin Quek of Sky On 57, one of the most celebrated French cuisine chefs in Asia today, Andre Chiang of Restaurant Andre, currently the 37th restaurant on San Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best, and the British chef Ryan Clift of the Tippling Club in Singapore, who cooked us one of the best meals we had during the congress, but more on that later.

This extraordinary line-up of Singapore’s emerging and established culinary minds were involved in a variety of different activities during the congress ranging from high-tech cooking demonstrations and discussions in the main auditorium to preparing and feeding a hungry San Sebastian street crowd with what Singaporeans do best – street food.

Chef Wayne Liew’s “Coffee Pork Ribs” were one of these Singaporean street-foods I got to sample - tender pork on the bone, cooked in caramel and plenty of coffee, this was sweet, savoury and surprisingly addictive.

Chef Wayne Liew’s is the head chef of Keng Eng Kee Seafood (or KEK for short) in Singapore, and is known for his highly creative dishes, his Marmite Chicken being just one other example.

Chef Emmanuel Stroobant (originally from Belgium) has lived in Singapore for the last two decades where he opened his first Belgian restaurant Saint Pierre in 2000, gaining Relais & Châteaux accreditation in 2008. Chef Emmanuel Stroobant is the author of cookbooks, host of TV cookery shows and the head-chef and owner of 4 restaurants in Singapore. At Gastronomika, his “Chicken Rice Croquetas” drew a curious crowd wanting to try his modern spin on Singapore’s national dish – Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Available in every corner of Singapore from hawker centres to high-end restaurants, the chicken is steeped in boiling water until fully cooked before being soaked in cold water to ensure the tenderest of meat. The equally important rice is cooked in chicken stock, ginger and pandan leaves making it extra aromatic and delicious. Chef Stroombant’s version had succulent, juicy pieces of chicken wrapped in a ball of flavoured rice, then shallow fried for a crispy outer layer. It was very good and a really clever way to turn a classic sit-down kind of dish into a snack(able) number. I just wished I had eaten more of them!

One of the most representative dishes of Singapore’s blend of races, cultures and ethnic foods, the Singaporean “Laksa” in the hands of Chef Peter Teo, was given a complete make over specially for Gastronomika. Made from a mousse of mussels and prawns served in an intensely rich broth with squid ink noodles covered in foam of coconut milk and spices, his “Laksa Turban” was a real hit on the streets of San Sebastian.

Peter Teo is the executive chef of the French restaurant Les Amis in Singapore, part of the Les Amis Group, a collection of dozens of top-class restaurants located throughout Asia.

But one of the most memorable meals that we enjoyed during Gastronomika was the official congress dinner cooked by British born chef Ryan Clift of the Tippling Club in Singapore. Clift moved to Singapore in 2008 after training with some of the biggest names in Europe including Marco Pierre White, Peter Gordon and Emmanuel Renaut.

Chef Ryan Clift seasons his dishes using the ingredients’ natural glutamates avoiding the use of salt or pepper in any of his creations. His cooking incorporates a range of highly flavoursome, seasonal ingredients with ultra-modern techniques. Take for example his starter of clams with garlic and parsley – a delectable dish with different textures, great flavours and unique presentation.

It was great to experience a different facet of Singaporean cooking in San Sebastian. I must admit that whenever I find myself there, I tend to eat Nyonya, Hokkien Chinese or Indian but Chef Ryan Clift has shown what I am missing out on!

Singapore is one of my favourite Asian destinations for many reasons - it is the perfect place for either a busy city holiday with loads of things to do or as a place to chill and recharge your batteries. Being a major financial hub, there is a large expat community living in Singapore alongside the locals who come from a mix of Chinese, Malay and Indian heritages.

Perhaps for all these reasons, the food scene in Singapore is one of the best you will ever experience – from hawker centres to Michelin standard restaurants, the quality and variety of food are superb and with many options to fit every possible budget. 

If you are planning a visit to Singapore and would like to experience some of the best cooking in town as seen at San Sebastian’s Gastronomika, I list below all the 12 chefs who were participating in the congress and their respective restaurants. This will make for a great Singaporean restaurant list, and if my experience is anything to go by, you will not be disappointed!

The 12 Singaporean chefs at Gastronomika were:

André CHIANG - Restaurant André
http://restaurantandre.com/

Dave PYNT – Burnt Ends Restaurant
http://www.burntends.com.sg/home/

Emmanuel STROOBANT – Saint Pierre
http://www.saintpierre.com.sg/

HAN Li Guang – Labyrinth
http://labyrinth.com.sg/

Jet LO – Ding Dong
http://www.dingdong.com.sg/

Justin QUEK – Sky on 57
http://www.justinquek.com/sky57/

Malcom LEE – Candlenut
http://www.candlenut.com.sg/

Pepe MONACAYO – Bam!
http://www.bamtapassake.com/

Peter TEO – Les Amis
http://www.lesamis.com.sg/

Ryan CLIFT – Tippling Club
http://www.tipplingclub.com/

Wayne LIEW - Keng Eng Kee
http://www.kek.com.sg/

Willin LOW - Wild Rocket
http://www.wildrocket.com.sg/

About the Singapore Tourism Board

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is a leading economic development agency in tourism, one of Singapore's key service sectors. Known for partnership, innovation and excellence, STB champions tourism, making it a key economic driver for Singapore. STB aims to differentiate and market Singapore as a must-visit destination offering a concentration of user-centric and enriching experiences through the "YourSingapore" brand. 

For more information, visit www.stb.gov.sg or www.yoursingapore.com or follow the STB on Twitter @STB_sg (https://twitter.com/stb_sg).  

Many thanks to the Singapore Tourism Board for inviting me to San Sebastian's Gastronomika

Michelin Accomplished - Martin Berasategui Revisited

Name: Martin Berasategui

Where:  Loidi Kalea, 4 - 20160 Lasarte-Oria (Gipuzkoa). San Sebastian, Spain, http://www.martinberasategui.com

Cost: The 12-course Grand Tasting Menu was priced at €195 per person (not including wines).

About: Martin Berasategui is the chef at his eponymous restaurant which opened in 1993, and has held three Michelin stars since 2001. Martin Berasategui was reviewed for this site in 2012 by one of our contributors (see review here), and having read it, I could not wait to pay it a visit in person.

Berasategui has nearly 40 years experience in the industry, having trained at cookery school in France in 1977, he worked over the next four years in several prestigious kitchens, including those of Michel Guerard and Alain Ducasse in Monaco. In 1981 he took charge of his family restaurant, el Bodegon Alejandro, earning its first Michelin star in 1986.

Paying my respects to the man himself - Martin Berasategui at the end of service

The restaurant occupies a large building in a quiet suburb 20 minutes drive from the Old Town of San Sebastian. Surrounded by lush green grass and shrubs, the dining room is situated on the raised ground floor. It has an elegant and sober decor, with a tiled stone floor and widely spaced tables, each covered with a starched white linen tablecloth.

Views of Martin Berasategui's restaurant grounds

On each table was a large bowl of tall white orchids, and there was no music to distract from anything else but the food.  Service was discreet and very efficient, all the waiters dressed in black suits and speaking perfect English.  It was truly impressive that our waiter (Wander, from the Dominican Republic) noticed that I am left-handed and without prompting, reorganised my cutlery and glasses throughout the duration of the meal.

What We Ate and Drank: We opted for the 12 course Grand Tasting Menu, comprising 10 savoury items and 2 desserts. Each dish is described on the menu with the date of its first creation, giving an idea of the evolution of Berasategui's culinary style and inspirations from 1993 to the present day.

We also decided to have the 100% Spanish matched wine flight.  This started with a classic Cava - Subirats Parnet Brut Nature – crisp, with refreshing acidity, this was a really good palate refresher, and an ideal start to our lunch.

The tasting menu during our visit started with "1995 Mille-Feuille of Smoked Eel, Foie-Gras, Spring Onions and Green Apple". This was exquisite, with very fine layers including crisp caramel and microns-thick slices of bright, crisp and vibrantly green apples to contrast with the unctuous foie-gras and eel.

Next was "2001 Squid Soup" - creamy squid ink ravioli served with squid crouton.  The raviolo must be eaten whole, because it "explodes" in the mouth! This was an intensely rich and clear lobster consommé, with a ravioli filled with squid ink, and a crispy wafer of rice and squid ink that brought another layer of texture to the dish.

To follow, we had "2011 Oyster with Cucumber, Kafir and Coconut". This had the addition of chlorophyll extract for a vivid green colour. Two plump poached oysters were perched on a cucmber and oyster jelly, with a flavoursome coconut cream infused with kafir lime leaf, and a judicious scattering of shiso leaf. Magnificent.

With the oyster, we had Picarana 2011, made near Madrid from the rare Albillo grape. This grape is only used in the Madrid D.O., and this example came from 60 year old vines. It had intense stone-fruit flavours, richness and minerality, and great length.

With the following two starters, we had the Trio Infernal 2011 – a delicious blend of Garnacha Blanca and Macabeu from Priorat.

The "2013 Sautéed Black Garlic with Beet Ceviche, Ice Radish and Raifort Cream" had mounds of purple beetroot foam, set over a puree of black garlic, with horseradish cream. This was visually stunning, and delicious with earthy notes from the beetroot and black garlic, lifted by the light acidity and heat of the raifort (horseradish) cream.

The "2009 Little Pearls of Raw Fennel, Risotto and Emulsion" was a clever dish, with fennel served three ways. Fennel in tiny pearls as a risotto, finely sliced for pasta, and in an intense emulsion.

Next was the "2013 Roast Foie Gras with Seaweed”. Resting on horseradish curd, with a fermented soy broth and hazelnut salt, this resembled an intense Japanese dashi stock, spiked with a hint of ginger. It was one of my favourite dishes.

With the foie gras, we had a glass of El Rocallis 2008, made from the rare Incrozzio Manzoni grape in Penedes.

To follow, we had the "2011 Gorrotxategi Egg Resting on a Herb Liquid Salad and Dewlap Carpaccio". This paired creamy egg yolk with paper thin pork chin, and a jade green herb liquid salad - stunning both to the eye and palate.

With the Garrotxatgei, we had a glass of Pagos de Galir Crianza 2009, made from 100% Mancia - a Pinot Noir like grape from Galicia. This had intense damson-fruit characteristics, and a herbaceous nose that stood up well to the creamy egg and pork.

Next came the "2001 Warm Vegetable Hearts Salad with Seafood, Cream of Lettuce and Iodized Juice". Almost too beautiful to eat, this was like a work of art. Myriad vegetables, baby leaves, herbs and flowers of many colours were served with lobster, prawns and scallops, over an intensely flavoured, colourless tomato jelly.

The "2013 Red Mullet with Edible Scale Crystals, Soybean Sprouts, Wheat Semolina and Cuttlefish” was also a delicious dish, with varied textures and flavours that was skilfully partnered with a glass of Quinta Quietud 2005 from Toro.

Made from Tinta de Toro, this had an intense red-cherry quality on the nose and palate, with well integrated tannin and great length.  I spent a week sampling the wines of Toro over ten years ago, and judging by this wine, they have made huge improvements since then. It was an unusual but inspired choice for fish, but complemented the savoury notes of the cuttlefish very nicely, without overpowering the red mullet.

For our main course, we had the 2013 Pigeon with Mushrooms, Caperberries, Manchego Cheese and Asparagus. The ballotine of pigeon was meltingly tender, with just a hint of gaminess contrasting with the crunchy asparagus and caperberries, in a rich jus.

The first dessert was  a very refreshing "2013 Blood-Orange Ice Cream and Slush over Liquified Tubers, Muscovado Sugar Jelly, Yogurt and Pepper", partnered with a glass of Casta Diva 2009 from Alicante, made from 100% Moscatel, which worked well with the ice cream.

The second dessert and last course was a more robust "2013 Mist of Coffee and Cacao over Banana with Whisky Sorbet and Slush". This had some of my favourite flavours – coffee, chocolate and banana, and was my preferred dessert. With it, we had a glass of sweet red Olivares Dulce  2010 from Jumilla, made from the Monstrell grape.

Likes: The food is outstanding in skill of execution, presentation and flavour. An elegant and beautiful restaurant and gardens with the most impeccable service. The 100% Spanish wine flight was also exceptionally good.

Dislikes: None.

Verdict: Martin Berasategui’s grand tasting menu was one of the most memorable meals of my life. This is an outstanding restaurant near the beautiful seaside town of San Sebastian. With superb service, setting, food and wine, it is in my opinion one of the best Michelin starred restaurants in the world, and worth a trip to Spain in its own right. Very highly recommended.

The London Foodie Goes to Spain - San Sebastian

A Foodie's Pilgrimage & Pintxo Bar Crawl in San Sebastian!

San Sebastian is a fine town in Northeastern Spain, close to the border with France in the Basque Country (its Basque name is Donostia).  Small in scale, it has a medieval old town nearest the sea, with a modern area stretching into the mainland.  There is an expansive, sandy beach that fronts the city. Easy to get to from the UK given its proximity to Bilbao airport, served by several  low-cost airlines, it is an excellent place to spend a few days sampling its sights and wonderful cuisine.

For many years, I had been intending to visit the culinary beacon of San Sebastian, but finally got round to it this year.  A compact city of under 200,000 people, it has no fewer than 22 Michelin-starred restaurants, 3 of which have 3 stars, and is a must-visit place for any foodie.  But the excellence of the food stretches well beyond these iconic restaurants, and superb quality pintxos (tapas in the Basque country) are available all over the city, particularly in the old town.

Basque cuisine is famous throughout Spain, and many believe it has the best food in the country. Much of this fame comes from San Sebastian and its bars and restaurants. Although tapas were invented in Andalucía, many argue that they have been perfected in this corner of Spain. I found it to  be the perfect place for a long weekend of utter indulgence in food and wine.

Where to Stay

A modern hotel in the new town, the Astoria 7 Hotel is a converted cinema with 102 rooms, conveniently only 10 minutes walk from the beach and old town. Dedicated to the world of cinema, each room is named after a film star or director who has won an award at the San Sebastian Film Festival. The whole building is adorned with photographs of film stars, lit by cinema lighting and even has silent movies permanently on show in the reception.

A figure of Alfred Hitchcock sits on one of the cinema chairs placed in the lobby. Not a surprising homage considering that the man himself had the premiere of one of his most iconic films, Vertigo, at the San Sebastian Film Festival.
   

Our room was smart and comfortable in shades of dark brown wood, with black, white and red fabrics, classic designer furniture and sleek Scandinavian-inspired pieces. The hotel was elegant, not ostentatious, with an appealingly quirky feel about it.

The cinematic theme carried through to the public areas of the hotel, including the lobby and living room which had an extensive DVD collection, books and other movie memorabilia. If there is any time between meals, the hotel's gym is very well equipped with the latest gear.

The restaurant and bar are busy, and are also open to non-residents. In the morning, continental breakfast is taken in the restaurant. There is a generous buffet with various types of ham, cheese, fruits and pastries, and cooked breakfast items are made to order.
  

We stayed for two nights at the Astoria 7 Hotel, and were very pleased with our room, the service, food and the overall experience. I would happily return to the quirky Astoria 7 for my next eating spree in San Sebastian. 

Where to Eat

Pintxo Bar Crawl

During the three days we were there, we dined at two 3-Michelin starred restaurants, Martin Berasategui and Arzak, but I will be writing more about these in separate posts in the coming weeks. Here, I recount another gastronomic highlight of San Sebastian- a Pintxo Bar Crawl in the old town.

Pintxos, pronounced “pinchos” – are Basque-style tapas. These small, savoury canapés are presented in a myriad of colours, forms and flavour combinations, laid out on giant platters and spread along every counter in town. Twice a day, hundreds of people pour into the streets for a traditional “pintxos crawl,” moving from bar to bar: tasting, drinking and socializing.

Each bar is a specialist in a particular type of pintxos, they will be the very best in town at that one little savoury piece of heaven. So a VERY important word of advice before you set off in your Pintxo Bar Crawl is - do not be tempted to eat more than one or maybe two pintxos per location and move on. Most bars will have the most wonderful spreads laid very temptingly over their counters, but just remember - move on! The next bar is likely to have a similarly delicious spread, so make sure to have a list of every pintxo bar you want to visit and their respective specialties. Be disciplined about it, tick off those pintxos you have tried and go to the next bar, or else you will be missing out!

Most pintxo bars are to be found in the old town, particularly on the streets running parallel to Boulevard but there are masses of other places nearby in the Gros and Centro areas. Most pintxo bars are self service - so ask for a plate and select your own cold tapas by hand and show the bartender your plate, you will be charged accordingly. For hot tapas, you will need to order these to the barmen, they only take a couple of minutes to be ready. Generally a pintxo costs around €1-3, while a glass of wine will set you back a mere €1.5 - €3.

In la Parte Vieja (the Old Town), Calle 31 de Agosto is a great place to start. Some of the town’s best pintxo bars line this street, scattered between traditional Bar La Viña (C/31 de Agosto 3) and avant-garde A Fuego Nero (C/31 de Agosto 31). Other notable stops along the way include Bar Martínez (C/31 de Agosto 9) for a sleek spread of cold pintxos, and La Cuchara de San Telmo (C/31 de Agosto 28 – set back from the street next to the church) this is my favourite pintxos bar in town serving made-to-order haute pintxos. Another favourite pintxo bar on the strip is Casa Gandarias (C/31 de Agosto 23) serving up an array of classic and creative pintxos.

Another stand-out pintxo strip is Calle Pescadería, a short and somewhat difficult to find street, running between Plaza de la Constitucíon and Calle San Juan. Here you’ll find one of San Sebastian's top pintxo bar - Zeruko (C/Pescadería 10) and noteworthy neighbours Txepetxa (C/Pescadería 5) famous for their elaborate menu of marinated anchovies and Bar Tamboril (C/Pescadería 2) for crispy battered shrimp.

If you would like to drink like the locals, try txakoli (pronounced chak-o-lee) – a slightly sparkling Basque white wine – this is a light and dry wine that goes hand in hand with most pintxos. When txakoli is poured, it’s a dramatic event - the bottle is held from a height, creating an impressive two foot stream into a tall glass. This helps to aerate the wine, creating more bubbles.

Txakoli at Casa Gandarias

Our first stop was at Bar Goiz Argi for their specialty - Brocheta de gambas a la plancha or grilled prawn skewers (€2) which were nothing short of sublime. Sweet, with a delicious char-grilled flavour, they were plump and so delicious.

Brocheta de Gambas a la Plancha

I then yielded to temptation and ordered a 2nd pintxo - "Mari Juli" (€2), this was smoked salmon and anchovies and was also excellent. We also had a couple glasses of Spanish white wine at €1.5 each.

Mari Juli - Smoked Salmon and Anchovies

Tiny but busy counter at Bar Goiz Argi

We then moved on to Bar La Cepa on Calle 31 de Agosto. I had been highly recommended this place (as well as most places in this post) by Guan who writes the fantastic blog The Boy Who Ate The World. Guan was adamant we should try La Cepa's  hongos a la plancha or grilled wild mushrooms (€20). These were indeed mind-bogglingly wonderful - the combination of meaty grilled mushrooms, sea salt and egg yolk is one I will probably never forget.

Hongos a la Plancha

Then again, I gave in to temptation (you might even think I am not great at following my own advice!) and ordered a plate of Jamon de Jabugo €20.50. Jabugo is an Andalucian town where Iberian ham "de bellota" is made. When ordering Iberian ham, ensure this is "de bellota" which means that the ham come from acorn-fed pigs only (as opposed to pigs fed on grain). It is not cheap but the quality is far superior and the flavour is rich and complex, a real delicacy. We also had two glasses of Rioja Crianza (€2).

Jamon de Jabugo (de Belotta) at La Cepa

Also on Called 31 de Agosto, Casa Gandarias was our next stop. Specialising in Iberian hams and meats as well as other more traditional style pintxos, Dr G and I decided to try their grilled sirloin steak with green pepper and sea salt or pintxo de solomillo (€3.50). Another delicious pintxo which we washed down with glasses of Ribera del Duero Tinta del Pais (€3.35) and sparkling txacoli (€1.50).

Pintxo de Solomillo at Casa Gandarias

Casa Gandaria has enomatic  machines (wine dispensing machines) making it easier to decide which wines to order. Most pintxo bars are so noisy, crowded and busy, it is difficult to ask the barmen for the wine options (wine lists are not usually available), the choice in most bars being simply between white or red, and generally I drank what I was given, but luckily these were good quality and value Spanish wines.

Excellent wine choices and enomatic machines at Casa Gandarias

We then moved on to La Cuchara de San Telmo, my favourite pintxo bar in San Sebastian. La Cuchara de San Telmo serves "modern/creative pintxos", cooked to order. This is one of the busiest (and smallest) bars in town, and this is also where my advice just went out of the window as I ordered one dish after next, I just could not help it. We started with carrillera ternera guisada al vino tinto or calf cheeks in red wine (€3.2) which is what they are best known for. The meat was so tender, it melted as it passed our lips.

Slow braised calf's cheek in red wine

La Cuchara is also famous for their foie gras de las landas with apple compote (€3.80) which was what I ordered next. The foie gras was a rather generous piece, grilled and served with apple jam, it was so creamy and delicious and at €3.80, a real steal too.

Foie Gras de las Landas

The risotto cremoso de queso de cabra or goat's cheese risotto (€3.2) was also very good - creamy and cheesy but definitely the weakest link among all the meaty dishes.

Goat's cheese risotto

As Dr G begged me to move on, I saw this huge grilled scallop wrapped in Iberian bacon (vieira "toro" envuelta con tocineta bellota - €3.80) being served to a man next to me. I just had to have it there and then - this was one of the best things I tried during my trip to San Sebastian.

Grilled scallop wrapped in Iberian bacon

Next up was A Fuego Negro a few doors down on Called 31 de Agosto, for their highly creative "pintxos modernos". We started with Makcobe with txips (€3.90), this was a Kobe beef slider with banana chips followed by black rabas or deep-fried calamari (€6.50).

The ultra-hyped A Fuego Negro

The calamari were particularly good, crispy and meaty, and perfectly cooked. We also had two glasses of Ribeira del Duero for €2.60 each. I enjoyed the food here but found the nightclub-style decor and excessively loud music a tad off-putting.

By this point, Dr G and I were getting rather full, but had about 8 other bars still to visit! Had I followed my own advice and ordered 1 pintxo per bar and moved on, I would have probably had a bit more room, but since we didn't, we decided to throw the towel in, finishing the evening off at Bar La Viña.

Renowned for their Tarte de Queso or cheesecake (€5), Bar La Viña is an obligatory stop to finish any decent Pintxos Crawl. I can happily eat a slice or two of cheesecake but I am not a huge fan, particularly when they are stodgy - Bar La Viña's however was like nothing I have eaten before - creamy, light and not overpoweringly sweet, this was a very fine cheesecake. We loved the Tarte de Queso, and enjoyed it with a small glass of Pedro Ximenez (€2.5) and coffee (€1.5).

La Vina's Tarte de Queso

La Cuchara de San Telmo was my favourite pintxo bar in town, we enjoyed it so much that we returned the following day for a quick bite before heading off to the UK, with only 20 minutes to spare.

La Cuchara de San Telmo - returning to my favourite Pintxo Bar in San Sebastian

I couldn't resist the foie gras again (€3.80), and had 2 other dishes - the Pulpo "roca" a la plancha hojas de berzas or grilled rock octopus with sautéed cabbage leaves (€3.60) and the Cochinilho de Segovia asado lentamente or slow-roasted suckling pig from Segovia (€4.2). These were both outstanding, and well worth the mad dash to the bar before driving off to Bilbao for our flight.

Grilled octopus with sauteed cabbage leaves

Slow roasted suckling pig from Segovia

There are still a number of bars Dr G and I were not able to try on this visit to San Sebastian. I am planning another trip in 2014 and this time, we will try and stay for a little longer than 3 days. I have listed in the Travel Essentials section below all the bars that we were lucky enough to try, and also those still on the "Eat List". Let me know if I should add any others!

Hotel Astoria 7 Bar & Restaurant

On our first day in San Sebastian, we arrived mid-afternoon, and completely ravenous from an early flight from London to Bilbao plus a 90-minute's drive to San Sebastian. We had a delightful lunch at the Hotel Astoria 7 Bar & Restaurant, who were also very accommodating in serving us at such an awkward hour. The service at the restaurant, as in the entire hotel, was excellent.

The menu degustacion was very reasonably priced at €12 for a starter and dessert, €15 for a main and dessert, or €20 for a full blown 3-course meal. The bar, cafeteria and restaurant are open to the general public and on the day we had our meal there, it was packed with locals. Despite being very hungry, Dr G and I decided to have only a couple of main courses and some wine and save ourselves for the Pintxo Bar Crawl we were about to take on that evening. I had a delicious grilled fillet of hake with a ragout of crab and cauliflower.

Dr G opted for the cod ravioli served with onion confit and a creamy, cheese sauce. Both dishes were light and delicious, and very well made. We skipped dessert, having some strong black espresso coffee to end our meal.

What to Do 

Aside from the restaurants and bars, swimming or sunbathing on the beach, the Old Town is very picturesque, with numerous fine churches and squares. The newer part of the city also has fine boulevards with some very stylish shops.  This is a great place for walks to burn off all those newly acquired calories!

The San Telmo Museum, in a newly restored 16th-centruy Dominican convent, has a varied collection of art. Closed on Mondays, entrance is €5 for adults, except on Tuesdays when it is free for all.

It is only an hour's drive to Bilbao, and we took the opportunity to enjoy Frank Gehry's fabulous Guggenheim Museum there.  Entry is €13 including an audioguide.

Travel Essentials

Hotel Astoria 7
Sagrada Familia 1 (Corner of Sancho El Sabio)
20010 San Sebastian (Guipuzacoa)
Spain
Tel 34 943 445 000
E mail: info@astoria7hotel.com
http://www.astoria7hotel.com/en/index.html

A superior room is around £185 per night.

We flew from Stansted Airport to Bilbao with Easyjet for £110 return, and had arranged a hire car to collect at the airport.  The drive to San Sebastian takes about 90 minutes.

San Telmo Museum
Plaza Zuloaga 1
20003 Donostia – San Sebastián
Telephone: (00 34) 943 48 15 80
Fax. 943 48 15 81

E-mail. santelmo@donostia.org
http://www.santelmomuseoa.com/index.php?lang=en

Guggenheim Museum
Avenida Abandoibarra, 2
48009 Bilbao, Spain
http://www.guggenheim-bilbao.es/en/

Pintxo Bar Crawl - Tried and Tested

Bar Goiz Argi (specialised in brocheta de gambas a la plancha - grilled prawns skewers)
Calle Fermin Calbetón 4
San Sebastian - Donostia, Spain
+34 943 42 52 04

La Cepa (specialised in hongos a la plancha - grilled wild mushrooms)
Calle 31 de agosto, 7
San Sebastian - Donostia, Spain
+34 943 42 63 94
http://www.barlacepa.com/

Casa Gandarias (specialised in Iberian hams and meats)
Calle 31 de Agosto, 23
+34 943 42 63 62
http://www.restaurantegandarias.com/en/

La Cuchara de San Telmo (specialised in Basque nouvelle cuisine - best known for carrílera de ternera al vino tinto - calf cheeks in red wine)
Calle 31 de Agosto, 28 (off the main road, up a small hill by the Church of San Telmo)
+34 943 42 08 40
http://www.lacucharadesantelmo.com/lacucharademadera.swf

A Fuego Negro (specialised in modern/creative pintxos)
Calle 31 de Agosto, 23
+34 650 13 53 73
http://www.afuegonegro.com/

Bar La Viña (specialised in cheesecake)
Calle 31 de Agosto, 3
San Sebastian - Donostia, Spain
+34 943 42 74 95
http://www.santiagorivera.com/inicio.htm

Pintxo Bars - Highly Recommended But Still to Be Visited

Bar Zeruko (specialised in modern/creative pintxos - best known for ‘La Hoguera’ (‘the bonfire’), a smoked cod pintxo)
Calle Pescadería 10
+34 943 42 34 51
http://www.barzeruko.com/

Txepetxa (specialised in marinated anchovies)
Calle Pescadería 5
+34 943 42 22 27

Bar El Tamboril (specialised in battered, deep-fried prawns and mushrooms)
Calle Pescadería 2
+34 943 42 35 07

Bar Ganbara (specialised in Txangurro - a local crab)
Calle San Jerónimo, 21
+34 943 42 25 75

Bar Martínez (specialised in cold pintxos)
Calle 31 de Agosto 9
+34 943 42 49 65

Bar Bordi Berri (specialised in rice dishes - best known for arroz bomba con chipirón - rice with baby cuttlefish)
Fermín Calbetón 12

Bar Bergara (specialised in bacalao a la Vizcaina - salted cod)
Calle General Arteche 8
+34 943 27 50 26