Azurmendi, Bizkaia, Spain, 8/7/15

Entrance areaExterior
This place is about a 25 minute drive from Bilbao, Spain. A large place with gardens, huge reception area and massive kitchen, the tables are well spaced and service is typical Michelin. The main dining room is surrounded by floor to ceiling windows that offer a gorgeous view of the surrounding countryside. The food is beautifully presented and it’s easy to see why they have such a huge kitchen and staff however, as a whole the food was very mildly flavored. The service was attentive but not personal and thus overall I would not be inclined to ever visit them again.
The meal begins with a picnic basket of savories to be eaten in the faux exterior of the entrance hall. After finishing you are given a tour of the kitchen where you partake of a few more snacks. An additional tour of the gardens can be requested but we were ready to be seated. There are 2 tasting menus to chose from, the traditional and the new(Adarrak menu), which was our choice. Standouts were the eel and tomato with the smokey eel being quite nice but its accompanying sorbet was weak and lacked the pepper taste, and the lobster which was nicely cooked and the crispy coronet was fun. There were a wonderful supply of beautiful and creative serving dishes but I fear the soul of the food was lost to the love of the appearance.

kitchen
kitchen
kitchen
kitchen
Homemade salted anchovy millefeulle; roe and dill (dark cracker), CaipiriTxa (green ball liquid filled)
Homemade salted anchovy millefeulle; roe and dill (dark cracker), CaipiriTxa (green ball liquid filled)
Hibiscus infusion
Hibiscus infusion
Mushroom leaf
Mushroom leaf
table set up
table set up
Adarrak menu
Adarrak menu
Classic menu
Classic menu
Frozen olive served with vermouth
Frozen olive served with vermouth
infused vermouth
infused vermouth
wine
wine
Egg from our hens, cooked inside out and truffled
Egg from our hens, cooked inside out and truffled
fried seaweed
fried seaweed
Oyster, tartar and gelee
Oyster, tartar and gelee
As plated
As plated
Natural Spider crab, emulsion and infusion
Natural Spider crab, emulsion and infusion
view
view
olive oil for bread
olive oil for bread
tomato- pepper sorbet
tomato- pepper sorbet
Tomato and eel
Tomato and eel
plated
plated
Roasted lobster out of the shell on herb oil and chives
Roasted lobster out of the shell on herb oil and chives
Stewed wheat with farmhouse milk emulsion and ox tail
Stewed wheat with farmhouse milk emulsion and ox tail
dining room
dining room
Artichokes and pesto
Artichokes and pesto
corn bread
corn bread
Roasted red mullet on vine shoots, fried eggs and broth of the bones
Roasted red mullet on vine shoots, fried eggs and broth of the bones
Foie gras, spring onion and cherries
Foie gras, spring onion and cherries

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Coconut and passion
Coconut and passion
cheese, red fruits and mint
cheese, red fruits and mint
Sheeps milk and black olive
Sheeps milk and black olive
Chef Eneko Atxa
Chef Eneko Atxa
Sheeps milk and black olive
Sheeps milk and black olive
chocolate with almond
chocolate with almond
orange cracker, macaroon with caramel, mango jelly, chocolates
orange cracker, macaroon with caramel, mango jelly, chocolates
yogurt and hazelnut (ball) covered with white chocolate, marshmallow
yogurt and hazelnut (ball) covered with white chocolate, marshmallow
table flower and the view
table flower and the view
fresh milk rolls
fresh milk rolls
Frankie thought the hands should pet her
Frankie thought the hands should pet her

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