San Sebastián (Donostia)---not the "usual suspects".

[Maribel]

Because we’ve been lucky to have dined for business/pleasure at the Michelin-starred San Sebastián area temples (except for Amelia, moving in March to the Hotel María Cristina), while attending the Tamborrada festival in January, we chose to dine instead at those restaurants sporting Repsol suns, Michelin recommendations and a brand new spot for its Tamborrada Eve special menu.

These “not the usual suspects”:

Artean Barra Abierta, also discovered here by Ziggy and 787sea, is a comfy, 12-seat gastronomic counter eatery in the Gros neighborhood, housed in a sleek former cocktail bar with background jazz on the stereo, run by a delightful Peruvian couple, Germán Berrocal and Anali Paytan. Germán, the chef, trained at El Celler de Can Roca, and his hostess wife trained at Bailara, and who puts the masterful finishing touches in front of the diners for his creative dishes prepared in a diminutive kitchen. “Artean” in Basque means “between”, a nod to the connection between the kitchen and the small barra and to its Peruvian-Basque origins.

Here we enjoyed a double Cantabrian anchovy with smoked butter atop a grilled brioche, a smoked sirloin tartar decorated with buttons of low temperature egg yolk accompanied by pan de cristal, grilled octopus (pulpo a la brasa), rice with a Martiko duck magret (a splendid dish!), and for dessert, a chocolate ganache served in a white shell, topped with a hazelnut ice cream quenelle, hazelnuts and drops of olive oil. We shared a bottle of Gaba do Xil godello by Telmo Rodríguez from the Valdeorras D.O.

We plan to return soon to sample the dishes for which we didn’t have room: the grilled carabinero (scarlet prawn), the Peruvian causa and the txuletón of Almadraba caught blue fin tuna (ventresca). But the menu changes often so you may not find one of these dishes available.

A Michelin, Macarfi and Repsol recommendation. Closed Sunday/Monday.

Astelena, by chef Ander González, whose EITB cooking show, “A Bocados”, we enjoy. (Ander is no longer the supervising chef at the Hotel Lasala Plaza).
We chose Astelena for our Jan. 20 San Sebastián Day dinner, tucked away in a less touristed street of the Old Quarter. We loved our dishes here, the warm welcome, well-spaced tablecloth-decked tables and the charming female wait staff service.
Here the menu is very traditionally Basque: creamy Iberian ham croquettes, fish soup, hake in green sauce with clams, monkfish and turbot for two, leg of baby lamb, filet of venison, grilled foie atop an apple purée, etc. And desserts include warm apple tart and molten chocolate cake with passion fruit sorbet.
We washed down our excellent traditional meal with a Navarran Viña Zorzal chardonnay and a Navarran patxaran digestif.

We shall make Astelena a regular part of our Old Quarter dining rotation.
One Repsol sun and a Macarfi guide recommendation (don’t know why it’s been neglected by Michelin!). Closed Sunday/Monday.

Villano Bistró is the new kid in town, housed in the former space of Casa 887 (moving to the Villa Favorita) in the Hotel Intur Villa Katalina. We chose it because of 1. its well priced €90 Tamborrada Eve set menu, 2. its proximity to our Hotel Arbaso in the center, in case of a downpour (which did come but later subsided) and 3. because the chef hailed from Sébastian Gravé’s La Table in Baiona, Pays Basque, which is a personal favorite.

After an aperitivo of txistorra at the Narru Bar inside our hotel, we headed down 2 blocks for our Víspera de Tamborrada dinner.

The menu: an aperitivo of rich fish broth and an Idiazábal cookie, marinated salmon tartar with citron ice-cream and praliné of sesame/alga nori, truffled mushroom ravioli with Iraty cheese sauce, cod and spider crab in a fresh fennel velouté, braised veal cheeks in a Pays Basque foie gras cream and potato purée. For dessert, a torrija (pain perdu), ice cream and peach confiture.

Include in the feast: bottles of Basque red and white wine, a glass of cava to toast at midnight and our drum kit to drum the night away and a chef’s toque blanche.

On Mondays through Fridays Villano offers a bargain priced lunch Ondarreta menu for €27 and a chef’s Zurriola menu for €57. One to keep in mind in this pricey dining city.

Recommended by Tapas Magazine. Open daily.

We were introduced by our friend Gabriella of Tenedor Tours to Bells Bar in the Old Quarter, housed in a former mattress shop with a somewhat British pub feel, owned by Englishman Lancelot Bell Crafer and lovely Colombian partner Sara Quinchia. Here we had a pintxo of seasonal artichokes and an unusual small bucket of “KFC” fried frog’s legs. While the latter wasn’t a great hit (and we weren’t charged), the artichokes were one of the best renditions we sampled, along with Urola’s.

We did return to our “usual” Old Quarter suspects: the unmissable Casa Urola for 2 special pintxos: a squab breast with duxelles and straw potatoes and a pintxo of artichokes & chard in a pumpkin cream and an almond praliné. Both outstanding creations by Pablo Loureiro, who mans the downstairs kitchen while his team of young chefs staff the upstairs dining room kitchen and his wife, Begoña Arenas, serves as the dining room hostess.
Plus Borda Berri for its Idiazábal risotto, the bar at Ibai for battered artichokes topped with gossamer slices of Iberian ham, Tambo for its veal stuffed red pepper and SSua Arde (formerly A Fuego Negro) for its oxtail lasagne.

In Gros we headed to Bar Desy for their acclaimed txuleta burger on a brioche bun and layered with cream cheese. Utterly delicious and inimitable. And our usual stop at Bodega Donostiarra for their special and messy “Completo”.

Photos to follow.

[Maribel]

Artean photos:
Add images here

Astelana photos

Villano photos

Bells Bar

The messy Bodega Donostiarra Completo and the scrumptious Bar Desy txuleta burger

[Maribel]

Tamborrada festival photos

[Ziggy]

Amazing! Big thanks as usual.

[Maribel]

Thanks, Ziggy

I forgot to mention that the upstairs Ibai bar (counter seating only) is open exclusively Monday through Friday from 10 am to 4 pm.
One can have a full pintxos based lunch here or just have an aperitivo of pintxos. One can indulge in their tempting ensaladilla rusa, their txuleta from the downstairs restaurant for 80 euros, an all Basque cheese platter or a plate of pricey!!! angulas. The Eurotoques headed by Andoni Aduriz of Mugaritz banded together to try to boycott during the winter season the purchasing/serving of elvers, which are in danger of extinction but they weren’t completely successful, as we saw them for sale in the Mercado de San Martin at Pescadería Coro Sotero, the city’s most exclusive fishmonger.

Our battered artichokes topped with thin slices of Iberian bellota, the menu on the mirror, the exterior of Ibai looking exactly the same as when Alicio was the downstairs host, with the addition of their stickers and 2 outside tables for two.

At Ibai during the pre lunch hour you’ll usually find multiple Michelin starred chef, Paulo Airaido, sitting at the end of the bar at its only circular table, along with his business partner, crunching the numbers on their computers. He’s an interesting character and a very astute restauranteur with now 15 restaurants (and counting) in his group in 3 different continents.

[Maribel]

For those who love food shopping or just wandering through Spain’s fine indoor markets, and while waiting, waiting, waiting for the long overdue renovation of the Old Quarter’s La Bretxa market, I highly recommend a stroll through the Mercado de San Martin (San Martin Merkatua) in the center.

On the ground floor you´ll find Abatza, an all Basque cheese and wine stand, a superb bakery, Panadería el Talo, the best selection of Iberian hams at the Maribel stand, beautiful fresh flower, fruit and vegetable stands, a sushi bar and even a txuleta eatery, Maun Grill Bar. In the center of the market there are wooden tables to enjoy one’s food/drink purchases.

In the basement (Planta -1) you’ll find a stand dedicated in its entirely to frozen croquettes, the Kroketxea, a stand selling only foie gras, the aforementioned Coro Sotero fishmonger, the terrific bread shop, JA San Martin, owned by Joseba Arguiñao (son of television star chef Karlos Arguiñano of Zarautz), and a handy Super Amara supermarket, bursting at the seams the day before the eve of Tamborrada for those last minute purchases.

And outside, 2 places for coffee and snacks, Zuka and SM Kate and which are also packed to the rafters.

Some random market photos:

[jangita (Jan Keshen)]

Thanks for makiing my mouth water!

[ninkat]

Definitely time for a return visit! Thanks so much again @Maribel !

[erica1]

I’m thrilled that IBAI is open. My lunch there was one of the best I’ve ever had. A great reward after the ordeal of making a reservation! It was more difficult to book that table than it was to book ETXEBARRI, which back then required only a quick phone call a couple of months out. I also remember that not all of the front desk staff knew IBAI and the one who did, and who finally snagged a table for us, seemed surprised that we had heard of the restaurant.

Looking back, I think we enjoyed both restaurants about equally, although the one in Axpe was much longer, of course, involved many more courses and was more technically elaborate.

But I’m guessing that this was back about 2012 or so..give or take. Maribel, is this the chef who would have been in the kitchen during my lunch so long ago? I see that the same sign hangs outdoors, or a facsimile of the original sign.

[Maribel]

I remember that I secured a lunch reservation for you and your partner at Ibai through the AmEx Platinum Desk, while you were staying in Getaria then moving on to the M.C. in San Sebastián. Securing a reservation was, back then, a chore. You dined there a few months before we did, as we used the same AmEx Platinum Desk to make our reservations.

Please note that Ibai now is an entirely different experience. No longer are Alicio (the former chef/owner), his spouse and his brother at Ibai. They sold the place to Paulo Airaudo, from Argentina, who owns a restaurant empire in 3 continents with multiple Michelin stars, now in charge and has established a tasting menu only experience, at a price of 210 euros, much pricier than before. And the chef is Italian. Apparently no San Sebastián chef wanted to take over the reins of the kitchen.
And Alicio is no where to be seen.

Long IBai Menu – IBAI

What remains of the original Ibai is the original sign outdoors, minus the stickers and the two outdoor high tables. The downstairs dining area will look similar to you, as all that Paulo did to it, as he told us, was to improve the lighting, change the dishware and add serving tables to each of the 6 existing tables for the wine or cheese service. And one can easily book online, not go through a hotel concierge or the AmEx Platinum desk.

We have visited several times, during SS Gastronomika and recently during Tamborrada, along with Gabriella of Tenedor Tours, who organizes lunches-dinners for her clients downstairs.
Andy Hayler wrote a review of his experience here. Gabriella was a participant in that dining experience.

The beauty of the bar now, is that it is open for pintxos or for making a full meal (even txuleta), , as we did recently, and during Tamborrada, the kitchen served angulas (despite the campaign of the Eurotoque chefs). But Ibai is still only only for lunch Monday-Friday and remains shuttered on Sat/Sun.

Ibai is simply a different dining experience these days.

[erica1]

Maribel, thank you for reminding me that it was YOU who secured the table for us at IBAI. NOT the front’ desk person at the MC. But I´m disappointed, though not surprised, that the restaurant is almost totally different than it was when we had our spectacular lunch there.

[Maribel]

It may still be spectacular but we haven’t dined yet downstairs as we’ve found plenty on the upstairs bar menu for a hearty lunch, albeit dining at the counter. That said, we personally just shy away from long tasting menus these days, with some great exceptions (Desde 1911 in Madrid, Iván Cerdeño in Toledo most recently, both which were truly spectacular…). However, we shall return to Artean Barra Abierta for its tasting menu, as everything these lovely people serve is exceptional, we feel, and well priced.

(As an aside, there was a major theme at Madrid Fusion this January about “the client taking control…”, “el cliente toma el mando”… in other words that the client decides whether or not to submit to a long tasting menu or to prefer to dining a la carte…). Some chefs fully support this, some don’t. We have signed up for a special Menú de San Valentín on Feb 14 because many of our favorite Madrid restaurants will offer one.

But now Ibai does sport a Michelin star, as do several of Paulo Airaudo’s restaurants. Paulo is now in the process of moving his starred Amelia to the María Cristina from the Villa Favorita (in the MC in the former space of Restaurante Saigon), supposedly open in March, and in its place in the Villa Favorita, Casa 887 will take its place.

iBAi by Paulo Airaudo – Donostia / San Sebastián - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant