It’s no coincidence that San Sebastián (aka Donostia) boasts more Michelin-star restaurants than almost anywhere else in the world. The fertile Basque Country is well known for its exceptional produce and imaginative cuisine. Pintxos, a genius combination of simple ingredients piled onto a slice of crusty bread, skewered and then served barside in heaving quantities, are their best-loved export.
Donostia-born Iker believes food is one of the greatest cultural transmitters, which is why he studied Basque cuisine in San Sebastián before deciding to create a home-away-from-home restaurant in the Gràcia district here. “Basque dishes need to use real Basque ingredients to taste the way they should,” he says. “If you’re cooking Basque cuisine then you should support Euskadi producers.”
That’s why most ingredients are imported from the region. Star dishes include croquettes, freshly made tortillas, in-season mushrooms, tomatoes and asparagus, as well as juicy, grass-fed chuletón (ribeye steak), washed down with a glass of Txakoli, the region’s favorite wine.