Elite Traveler March-April 2015

JUAN MARI AND ELENA ARZAK MASTER CHEFS

elite traveler MAR/APR 2015 ISSUE 2 67

Basque cooking is some of the most inventive in the world. Here, Juan Mari and Elena Arzak, the father-and-daughter team behind Arzak in San Sebastián, tell Joe Warwick about their favorite eating spots

01 Akelarre

02 Alameda

03 El Celler de Can Roca

04 Elkano The philosophy at Elkano on the seafront at Getaria, an hour west of San Sebastián, is simple: fresh fish, chargrilled. Yet some strange alchemy seems to occur when the produce meets Pedro Arregui’s coals in the open air. Superlative turbot and hake are delivered unadorned to clothed tables in an old-fashioned dining room. Lobster, clams, baby squid and coral pink shrimp receive the same treatment, partnered by choice Spanish wines, including the region’s own dry sparkling Chacolí. Herrerieta Kalea 2, Getaria, Basque Country, +34 943 140024 restauranteelkano.com Should you tire of San Sebastián’s abundant pintxos (Basque tapas), a more ethereal and quirky demonstration of Basque hospitality can be found out of town. Pedro Subijana of the three-Michelin-starred Akelarre is one of the founding fathers of New Basque cuisine. His restaurant, high above the Bay of Biscay, has pursued culinary and technical perfection with tongue firmly in cheek for over 30 years. Two tasting menus, one based on aranori (fish) and one on bekarki (meat) are pleasingly playful. Paseo Padre Orkolaga 56, San Sebastián, +34 943 311209 akelarre.net

05 Mugaritz The smell of barbecue greets visitors to this cutting-edge restaurant in the hills outside San Sebastián, where head chef Andoni Luis Aduriz thinks it’s a universal childhood aroma. However, everything you’re served is unrecognizable, designed to startle, amaze and challenge your ideas. The techno-emotional cooking approach means a succession of wildly-creative dishes such as “edible stones”. There are no Basque favorites on the menu. In fact, there isn’t a menu. You simply put yourself at the kitchen’s mercy. Otazulueta Baserria, Aldura Aldea 20, Errenteria, Basque Country, +34 943 522455 mugaritz.com This third-generation restaurant, run by the three Txapartegi brothers, lies in a tiny seaside hamlet seven minutes from France by ferry, and it’s stealing some of nearby San Sebastián’s limelight. Chef Gorka, who trained under Martin Berasategui, is a rising star thanks to his contemporary Basque cuisine – tuna in citrus paired with liquefied tomato and sprouts, scallop ravioli with wild mushrooms and asparagus – which is more about respecting local produce than experimental high jinks. Minasoroeta Kalea 1, Hondarribia, +34 943 642789 restaurantealameda.net

The pioneering trio of brothers at El Celler de Can Roca in Girona have remained Spain’s little secret. In a clean-cut Scandi-style dining room, they play with memory and mood. Traditional Catalonian ingredients are transformed into caramelized olives hanging from a bonsai tree or the famous Journey to Havana – a tobacco- flavored “cigar” on an “ashtray” – or desserts that replicate Calvin Klein or Lancôme scents. Having achieved a third star in 2007, the $181 seven-course menu looks like very good value. Can Sunyer 48, Girona, Catalonia, +34 972 222157 cellercanroca.com

The striking Journey to Havana, served at El Cellar de Can Roca cellarcanroca.com

Pal Hansen / Guardian News & Media Ltd