u/PlanktonFantastic672

TL;DR (extremely lengthy review / recap below this for anyone interested): Azurmendi is simply impressive on nearly all levels. There were a few misses and hiccups throughout, but I found these pretty easy to overlook when I considered the experience as a whole, the sheer amount of different bites and dishes, and how much fun I had.

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Entrance / “Welcome Picnic”

The space speaks for itself from the moment you walk in - the meal starts in this indoor greeting area with high vaulted glass ceilings and is lined with greenery. It’s particularly beautiful during the day as the light shines down on the trees and these wooden tables where groups intimately circle around the picnic basket opening course. It almost did feel like an escape to being in a park having a picnic with loved ones, but the fancy glasses of sparkling wine and intricate tweezer work on the bites that followed definitely served as reminders that you were in fact at a three star fine dining restaurant.

The picnic basket consisted of (i) a mushroom roll filled with beef tartare and a rich, melted butter and topped with caviar, (ii) a pintxo with shrimp, egg, and anchovies, (iii) a hollowed lime filled with a foie gras mousse, lemongrass, and topped with carrot flowers, and (iv) a marianito drink that is like a take on a negroni but made with tequila in this case.

The foie gras mousse was the clear star here - creamy, bright with the citrus, and a sweetness that just brings a smile to your face. It’s a playful and brilliant take on familiar ingredients that reminded me of one of my favorite courses ever - a foie gras creme brulee at L’Abeille in NYC. I was actually most excited for the shrimp and egg bite hoping for a unique take on a familiar pintxo, but it wasn’t all that different from many similar bites I had in San Sebastian. The beef tartare bite had a nice light smokiness but would’ve preferred if the mushroom flavor came through more strongly. The marianito was just a fresh, nice closer to the basket. The picnic may have leaned a bit more style over substance in my opinion, but I was already having a blast.

“The Kitchen Table”

Following this course, they lead you into the kitchen, where the whole kitchen staff greets you in unison as you enter. Definitely a bit over-the-top but also made me chuckle and made sense when you watch how all the chefs operate in the kitchen. The whole kitchen comes across as a well-oiled machine, with tons of chefs all meticulous in their stations and movements. The chefs were actually so loud in their unified responses to orders that it did make it a bit hard to hear the presentation of the course we ate in the kitchen - the “tomato” course.

This started with a tomato cracker sandwich with a freezing tomato ice-cream like filling, which was fun temperature-wise but a bit bland flavor-wise. Next was a tomato tartlet that was unbelievably crisp and packed such an awesome assortment of tomato flavors and textures. The tart had a great snap to it, and I’m still wondering how they got such deep tomato flavor in such a small bite. This was followed by a bloody mary-like juice and a tomato water gelee that were more interesting in texture and temperature than flavor.

“The Garden”

For the next part of the journey, we were led to a new room that I found to be the most memorable space yet. The room was really naturally bright from the tall windows, and everything about the room just exuded warmth - the hand-crafted yellow paper flowers that filled the space to make it look like a garden, the wood chips neatly arranged in the center of the room, and of course, the next few bites that were all warm yellow and brown colors and scattered around the room on various oddly shaped wooden structures that resembled tree stumps.

We started with a delicious apple cider-like beverage, followed by an “ice cream cone” that I believe was sweet potato and pumpkin. The next two bites kept with this whimsical energy, as one looked like a sugared filled donut, but it was actually a savory white asparagus cream in the middle, and then there was a bite that looked like a bon bon in the center of an intricate yellow flower, and it just exploded with passion fruit flavor. The whole room just felt like a childhood happy dream.

“Viewpoint” - Seafood Openers

We were then led to our table in the dining room for the more fulsome courses. This started with the “seafood platter” that was really several more small bites.

First was a preparation of small pieces of squid with caramelized onions, which surprisingly did not overpower the delicate squid and was a great combination.

Then, we had this crisp with anchovies and a sardine emulsion. I was worried about this having a metallic taste as I struggle with anchovies and sardines sometimes, but this felt nicely balanced, not overly oily, and was simply delicious.

The clam was next in this progression, and it was just buttery perfection. Tasted like it had notes of honey and lemon, and can say with certainty it was the best clam I’ve ever had. I wish they gave me 10 more.

Then, there was nori filled with salmon roe. The crisp on the seaweed was nice, but this was just far too salty for me and I couldn’t enjoy it.

This course ended with a drink that was a take on txakoli (a sparkling Basque white wine) with a blue spirulina foam that turns the drink blue.

The next course had two components - (i) a bluefin tuna tartare in a mushroom tart with Spanish green peppers and (ii) a fishermen’s stew. The stew had a nice fishy flavor from the bonito, and the potatoes in it reminded me of a New England clam chowder. The tuna tartare tasted really fresh, but I didn’t find it particularly special.

“Viewpoint” - Heavier Courses

The following course was one of my favorites: a “sea granita” with these colossal oysters and fifteen kinds of seaweed. There was so much depth of flavor in the granita alone, and when you got a spoonful with all the juices at the bottom of the dish, it was just perfect. The dish made my mouth pucker from how intensely cold it was but not in a dissatisfying way. It was more in a make you laugh out of happy shock kinda way, and then the array of briny sea flavors brought it all back home. One of the best oyster dishes I’ve ever had - whereas Per Se’s oysters and pearls is an oyster dish of creamy decadence at its best, this one almost felt like the opposite as an oyster dish of cold, refreshing sea flavors at their best.

For the next two courses, I got two different dishes than my two friends I was dining with due to my allergies. My friends were served a shrimp dish with an emulsion of the shrimp heads and a spider crab dish with sea crisps and olives. Unfortunately, neither of them enjoyed these two courses. Fortunately, I was blown away by mine (as were they when I gave them a few bites of each). My dishes were each vegetable dishes, starting with several variations of beets - beet tartare with beet powder topped with beet sorbet. This dish showed again how good the chefs here are at playing with different temperatures and textures. The tartare was so finely chopped yet felt so meaty, and the cold sorbet just countered it so well.

Then came the mushroom noodles in a garlic mushroom emulsion with mushroom butter. I took one bite, laughed, and let out an audible “f*ck” before I could stop myself. How did they roll the mushroom noodles up so beautifully? How did they make umami on umami on umami taste refined? Was it fair game to slurp mushroom noodles in this establishment the way that I was? Doesn’t matter, I scarfed it all down.

I didn’t love the following course, which consisted of confit leek slices with onion-braised cod and pil pil sauce. Leeks are one of my favorite vegetables, but everything about this dish felt a bit boring.

The next few courses got them right back on track and made for one of my favorite three course progressions in a menu I’ve ever had.

First - a charcoal grilled red pepper and its juice fermented in a Spanish sausage paste and topped with caviar. I used to make fun of my dad for eating these meat stuffed cabbages with peppers growing up because I thought they looked gross until I tried them and realized how warm and comforting the dish tasted. This dish took me right back home and captured the hominess of those stuffed cabbages but then leveled them up tenfold.

Second - another replacement course for me due to allergies where I got hake in a broth of legumes including chickpeas and an orange foam. This was so buttery, the fish just melted, and the orange notes were so wonderful to the point I wish there was even more citrus to counter the butteriness of the fish, but this is me nitpicking. This course was a replacement for a lobster course that seemed similarly prepared. This time, my friends said it was close when they tried mine, but they preferred their lobster course (I’m going to choose not to believe them based on how good mine was).

Third - the course of the night, which was the Iberian pork castañeta (the staff waited to see our reactions of how much we liked it before revealing these were the salivary glands of a pig) stewed, fried in a tempura-like batter, glazed on duxelles, and topped with black truffle. This was accompanied by blackcurrant, black pudding, and some other purees and emulsions. Undebatably one of the best courses I’ve ever had. The way the plate was set up reminded me of having banchan in Korean meals where you’re surrounded with a bunch of components and can keep creating new combinations. This had elements of comfort food and elements of luxury, and together, it just blew my mind.

The last savory bite was a chocolate covered partridge bon bon. It was as confusing as it sounds at first and then much more delicious than it was confusing as the flavor developed. This gaminess sits with you for a bit and it’s really fun to debate if it’s more disgusting or genius.

Desserts

The desserts here were a bit of a mixed bag, and I was frankly pretty stuffed at this point. I almost wish it ended at the chocolate covered partridge bite because of how polarizing and provocative that would be, but I know you can’t leave a tasting menu without letting them show off some sweets. Dessert started with this chocolate cone with a honey ice cream surrounded by flowers. This was solid but this dessert that they served after was like a take on a creme brulee and blew that dessert and all the other desserts out of the water. The pistachio and citrus dessert that followed wasn’t bad by any means, but I often don’t love very nutty desserts, and the citrus was muted here. The last dessert was this strawberry and rose dessert where they created some fruit roll up like component from rose water. This was by far the worst course of the night, and I couldn’t get past a few bites as it tasted borderline soapy and then that flavor would just sit on your tongue due to the fruit roll up like texture. Thankfully the bon bons came shortly thereafter.

Closing Thoughts

Despite the rougher finish in desserts, this meal consisted of 30+ bites / courses, very few of which missed the mark. It’s not often you have a meal where some bites make you laugh of joy, some bites make you feel like a kid again, and some bites just make your eyes roll back into your head out of sheer pleasure and brilliance. By no means was this the best meal of my life, but it’s hard not to have fun here. I have absolutely no regrets making the journey here and would recommend it heartily.

TL;DR: One of my favorite places, let alone restaurants I’ve experienced in my life. A must visit.

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Txispa is located on a farm in the Basque country just up the road from Asador Extebarri, where the head chef used to work. The property is breathtaking, consisting of an isolated farmhouse next to an expansive garden with rows and rows of fruits and vegetables and open fields. We were lucky enough to go on a day of clear skies and sunshine, which made the greenery and mountains in the background all the more beautiful.

The dining room is rustic, supported by old stone walls and wooden beams, and the sleek wooden tables are extremely spaced out. This gives each table more privacy, but more importantly, I just loved how airy and relaxed the space made me feel. The kitchen in the back is a bit more modern with a mix of high-tech equipment the chef proudly showed off alongside a blazing wood fire. The fire alone is pretty mesmerizing, as it almost didn’t seem real how bright it was burning. The chef bounced between speaking English, Spanish, and Japanese, and got most excited when talking about the long windows spanning the entire kitchen. He explained how the windows allow the chefs to look out onto the farm and feel the seasons every day and appreciate the land they are part of. Everything here felt warm and full of love, which translated so clearly in the food.

The meal started with a few bites in the kitchen, which included corn from the garden topped with corn salt, miso, and various other spices. Crunchy, fresh, and fun to eat. Next was their “sushi course” of bonito tuna and fermented tomato paste on a sushi rice cracker. Haven’t stopped thinking about this. The tuna and tomato paste just melt but then blend with the crisp cracker to prolong the bite a bit, and it’s just perfect. Ended with the richest one of the bunch which was their “chori-bao” that is a fluffy bao bun filled with iberian pig chorizo in a red pepper sauce and then layered with an egg yolk sauce. Every bite exploded like if you were eating a porky soup dumpling over and over again but the broth was egg yolk in this case. I loved it.

We then moved to the dining room for the rest of the courses that started with a razor clam tartare with red sea salt and chopped up vegetables from the garden. Loved the ginger and light briny flavor that came through in this dish. Next came the dish several chefs were locked in on plating in the kitchen during the first few bites. This consisted of five bites + tomato leaves from the garden. First one was an anchovy with goat’s milk, followed by a courgette with pesto and sheep’s milk cheese, then Japanese aubergine with miso and chicken fat, a dim sum bite of red prawn wrapped in a leaf from the garden, and lastly a grilled unagi with grilled leek. The progression here was unreal. Each bite hit, but my favorites were the aubergine and dim sum. I still don’t understand how they made such a small bite of prawn wrapped in a thin leaf so juicy and capture such deep flavor. I closed my eyes and it tasted like the best dim sum bite I’ve ever had.

Next course was a tofu made from chickpeas with caviar and a kombu grilled jus. The saltiness that came from the caviar was a bit restrained which I appreciated, and I was obsessed with how custardy the chickpea tofu was. Then came the biggest oyster I’ve ever seen in a juice from the oyster and cucumber and ume. I’d never had to cut an oyster with a knife for multiple bites as it was so large, and each bite was better than the next as it soaked in the juice even more.

Then came a wood-fired beef tongue served with wild garlic. I originally thought this was char siu but was pleased it was a beef tongue which was wonderfully tender. The soy, sake, shiso, and garlic flavors here all sang. I liked that the wild garlic was a star of the dish as it’s a bit more mild than garlic I’m used to and didn’t overshadow the beef tongue’s flavor. This was followed by a palate cleanser of zucchini flower in a ponzu soup with lemon verbena before the next course: two enormous red prawns. The simple plating was perfect as these prawns did not need much else beyond the flawless cook. Juicy, meaty, messy, and just right.

Next course was a bowl of green beans, spinach, and chanterelles in a jamon stock. Smoky and deep flavor in the stock helped the veggies shine. It looked simple but had delicious earthy flavors coming from every direction. This was followed by a grilled kinmedai (goldeneye snapper) that they said was refrigerated for 5 days first to dry age it and ensure they could get the skin crispy (can confirm that the skin was ridiculously crispy). This came with mustard greens, rhubarb, and a sauce from the fish bones and nasturtium. This and the sushi course were two of the best fish courses I’ve had in a while.

Last savory course was the famous txuleta (basque style bone-in ribeye). The chef brings you back in the kitchen to watch your steak be finished on the grill. I think chef was smiling cheek-to-cheek the whole meal, which was infectious. I wish I could engrave the image of the big salt crystals on top of this perfect fatty, medium rare, tender steak in my brain permanently because it is just heavenly. What a top notch steak. And yes, I destroyed the bone that came with it.

There were three desserts to close out the meal, all of which showed off the versatility of the garden. First one consisted of pimiento, oxalis leaf, creme fraiche, and strawberry. Just go try the strawberries in the garden after the meal, and you’ll realize even more why this dessert is so good. Next one was roasted peaches where they burn the skin so it caramelizes and then add oregano, lavender ice cream, and basil oil. I always love a peach dessert, and the basil oil here really took it to the next level. Last one was my favorite which was a cherry flan where they cured the flowers from a sakura cherry blossom tree. My guilty pleasure is a cherry dip cone from an ice cream truck on a hot day, and I’ll admit, this one wins the cherry dessert battle.

Overall, this was one of my favorite experiences I’ve had a restaurant. I walked throughout the garden after the meal, roaming around the quiet property and just could not feel more content. The meal was so consistently delicious, and the staff’s excitement about what they’re doing made it even more special. At one point, a younger chef came out from the kitchen to bring us more bread after seeing us scarf down our third piece and asked with a sheepish grin if we liked the bread (we loved the bread) before smiling even wider and proclaiming that he made it. Cannot recommend making the excursion to Txispa enough.