Camping & Caviar

How much are you willing to pay for an incredible meal? Answers to that question vary. My father-in-law, for example, said $50 maximum, including tax and tip. And while I firmly believe that you can have an amazing meal at any price point, I am also willing to spend much more that $50. I’ve always loved food and thoroughly enjoy dining at a good restaurant. Even as a poor college student many, many years ago, I would happily spend the little money I had on a good meal. And as a working adult, I am more than willing to shell out a fair sum to eat well (or more accurately, let my husband shell out the fair sum – very generous of me, I know). That said, I hate paying a lot for a mediocre meal… I mean, I really hate it. If the meal is going to be expensive, it better be worth it. So that brings me to Azurmendi – a 3 Michelin Star restaurant just outside of Bilbao in the Basque region of Spain. This meal was… uhh… very expensive, so the question is: was it worth it?

While I will certainly talk about the food, I should make it clear that I am not a food writer. Actually, let’s back up a bit further… I am not a writer. Period. My background is in STEM, and collectively, we are not known for our writing ability. So I’ll tell you right now that all the food was delicious and amazing. I genuinely don’t know how to describe it any differently so I’m not going to try. I’ll highlight a few dishes, but overall, I will focus on the experience. This will save me the trouble of trying to look up other words for “delicious” and “amazing”.

I’ll start by saying that you do not want to be late to Azurmendi. They tell you that when you make the reservation months in advance: Do. Not. Be. Late. However… uh, don’t be early. It is still Spain, after all, and if you arrive at 12:45pm for a 1pm reservation (opening time for the restaurant), you’ll find yourself wandering around outside for 15 minutes until you can enter. Am I speaking from personal experience? …maybe. But wandering around the beautiful property, even in a light, misty rain, was totally fine because it meant we weren’t late. I felt like we really maximized our meal time, and the “meal” starts as soon as you walk in the door. You’ll see why I thought it was appropriate to put “meal” in quotes shortly, hang tight. After being greeted, we were immediately handed a glass of white wine (we did need to ask for water because, again, it’s Spain). Then we were directed to a high top table in what I can only describe as a conservatory. Trees and greenery surrounded us in the slightly humid glass room. Feeling as though we were outside, it was only appropriate for our first few bites to arrive in a picnic basket. And this is why I wrote “meal” earlier… you start eating right away at Azurmendi but none of this counts as part of the 10 course meal you reserved. This is just the warm-up, the preamble if you will, to the actual meal. 

As I mentioned previously, everything was incredible. There wasn’t a single thing I ate at Azurmendi that I didn’t like or even thought was remotely mediocre. But there were some standout dishes overall and, from the picnic, that dish had to be the Lemon Grass (see menu posted below – don’t ask too many questions about it, it legitimately reads like nonsense to me). The Lemon Grass dish consisted of a hollowed out lemon full of a smooth custard, topped with a tangy-citrus syrup, and decorated with small white flowers around the rim. This dish packed a punch and seemed to hit all the tastebuds. It was sweet and tangy and creamy, and then you’d get a mouthful with some of the flowers which added a touch of bitterness to the bite (in the very best way). The dish was complex and interesting; every bite offered a different experience depending on the different components included in each spoonful. I honestly think I would have been happy if the meal ended after the picnic. I would have still been hungry, it was only 4 small dishes, but I would have been happy. But then, we were brought into the kitchen. 

We were greeted with a synchronized “kaixo” (“hello” in Basque) by the kitchen staff with the almost militarized precision you would imagine happens behind the scenes at a fine-dining restaurant. Even while greeting us, the staff never paused their work. They moved quickly and efficiently about their tasks while never appearing hurried or rushed. For the “kitchen” part of the meal/tour we were directed to a table which embodied the theme “from the sea.” My favorite dish at the kitchen table had to be the Nori and Roe. Why? Because I don’t particularly like fish roe. Now caviar… that’s a different story. If I ever have the opportunity to add caviar to a dish, I will (and I will likely be earning a sigh and eye roll from my husband right after he reads that line). But roe… I don’t love it. I’ll tolerate the small roe on sushi, but the large eggs that burst and pop when you bite them? Disgusting. So imagine my surprise when I tried the Nori and Roe and found it delightful. Inside the roll of nori was some kind of cream/custard. I couldn’t tell you exactly what it was, but I can tell you that it provided the perfect balance to the salty seaweed and the burstiness (is that a word?) of the fish roe. It tasted as if it was “from the sea” without feeling like you just got a mouthful of seawater. As with the standout dish from the picnic, this tasty little morsel was all about balance – a balance of flavors, of textures, that all worked together in perfect harmony.

If you’re thinking, it must be time for the actual meal by now, you’d be wrong. We had one final room to visit before being led to our table. The final room we visited was called The Garden. The room wasn’t lush like the entrance to the restaurant. In fact, the color palette of dusty roses, light peaches, and warm taupes contrasted sharply with the rich greens in the entry. The Garden’s only decor was “flowers”. Again, I’m using quotes for a reason because these were no ordinary flowers. The chef made the flowers for each staff member from drying puréed food waste and then folding them into “flowers”. The varying shades indicated the age of the flower with older flowers (corresponding to more tenured staff) being lighter in color, more like a faded peach, and the newer flowers (representing recent hires) taking on a richer, darker hue (more pink and mauve). The food in The Garden was spread throughout the room, almost hidden among the flowers; and just as The Garden itself was more abstract and conceptual in its decor, the food in the room seemed more abstract. For example, I ate a branch with flowers on it. I don’t think it was an actual tree branch, but honestly, who’s to say? I enjoyed all the “leaves” and “flowers” and “branches” I ate in The Garden. I’ll happily munch on any twig or bark that Azurmendi puts in front of me.

Can you believe we haven’t even made it to the main part of the meal yet? I was feeling the same way at this point in our visit. Between the different rooms, the different dishes, I genuinely thought that the meal should have been over by this point. Let’s be clear, I was thrilled it wasn’t. But you know when you’re watching the Eras Tour (you’ve all seen it, in person or on tv, admit it) and you think, “surely a normal concert would be over by now,” and yet Taylor keeps on singing? You feel happy and satisfied with how much you’ve already seen and yet giddy that you still have more eras to enjoy. That’s the feeling I had at Azurmendi; it was the Eras Tour of meals and we were only halfway through. 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I will never be able to describe the 10 course meal in such a way to do it justice so I won’t bother. Instead, I’ll just share my major takeaways from the official meal. First, let me talk about the service… it was unreal, impeccable from start to finish. Totally top notch service, best I’ve ever experienced at a restaurant. When we arrived, we were immediately asked if we would need a cab at the end of the meal (this was in conjunction with being handed a glass of wine). As we had no car and planned to partake in the drink pairing, we definitely needed a cab back to Bilbao. The staff knew exactly when to call the cab so it would be there waiting for us when we were ready to leave. I should be clear, they never made me feel rushed or like I was being pushed out the door. We were just able to conveniently leave the restaurant when we were done without any awkward waiting outside. The staff was also incredibly attentive during the entire meal (preamble and all), without ever being overbearing. We were essentially provided our own personal tour guide to walk us through each of the rooms and describe the corresponding food. A different staff member took over once we were in the dining room to describe each of the main courses and associated drink pairing. Descriptions of every course were necessary as, again, you can see by the menu that not much was provided in that regard. But the craziest part about the service was how it seemed like each staff member in the dining room had been told that the nearest patron to them was their sole focus and responsibility. What do I mean? Well if you got up to go to the restroom, whichever staff member found themselves nearest to you would stop what they were doing to direct you to the restroom. Seriously, they would stop their current task to focus on you. When you returned, whoever saw you walk back into the dining room would walk you back to your seat (how did they know where I was sitting when they weren’t even my server? HOW??). And they never failed to pull out your seat for you because… well, it’s a classy joint and that’s just expected. If a staff member did have to stop in the middle of a task to assist a guest, another staff member would immediately fill their vacated role. Talk about teamwork! The entire staff worked together seamlessly to make sure everyone’s dining experience was first rate. I don’t think my dining needs have ever been so well attended.

As the menu frequently changes, I did not know exactly what I would be eating (trusting that anything they put out would be good), but being that it was Spain I expected to be eating a lot of meat. Surprisingly, the majority of the dishes were vegetarian or contained seafood. The only meat-heavy dish in the whole meal was essentially just a single meatball. The ravioli that contained Iberian pork was rich, but not a dish I would describe as “meaty”. And what surprised me was… I didn’t miss it. I didn’t once feel short changed because I ate mostly vegetables during my fancy dinner. Now, maybe I expected more meat because, growing up in Columbus, Ohio, a fancy dinner often meant going to a steakhouse of sorts. So when I think “expensive” or “fancy”, I think of meat. It’s quite possible that fine-dining restaurants are not typically serving meat-heavy, multi-course meals. Eating 10 courses of red meat would likely make me feel pretty sick. Maybe no one else would have been surprised by the lack of meat during the meal, but I don’t regularly find myself dining at Michelin starred restaurants so it was a surprise to me (and don’t feel bad for me – I still eat quite well).

The last thing I want to mention is the drink pairing. Assuming that you decide it is worth visiting Azurmendi, should you partake in the drink pairing? We opted for the, uh, cheaper pairing (still not “cheap”) and personally, I really enjoyed it. I liked that it was a drink pairing and not just a wine pairing. So for example, vodka was paired with the caviar course. I don’t particularly like vodka (too many bad experiences in college), but I thought it paired really well with the caviar (which I do love). Other drinks included mead, saki, and… of course… wine. I really enjoyed the variety of drinks and how well each drink paired with the food. While my husband liked the drink pairing, he said he wasn’t blown away by any of the drinks. On that point, I have to agree. I feel like I would often take a bite of food and think, “This is the best thing I ever ate.” I can’t say I thought that about the booze. I thought the drinks were nice and paired beautifully with the food, but I never had a sip of something and thought, “Wow, this is the best vodka/mead/saki/wine that I ever drank.” Would I do the drink pairing again if I am ever lucky enough to find myself back at Azurmendi? Absolutely, 100%. But if you’re more interested in simply wine, consider just getting a bottle (or two…). Or possibly consider the higher-end drink pairing. I can’t speak to that one having not indulged in it myself, but I would guess you’d more likely be wowed with each drink in that pairing. 

I’ll conclude my recount of Azurmendi the same way any good meal should conclude… with dessert. How many “desserts” did I have? I don’t know. It’s the same as the meal. I keep describing it as a 10 course meal, but I’m really just taking a guess at that number. It’s an educated guess, sure, based on looking at the menu and the photos I took… but it’s still just a guess. Dessert was the same way. It started with Honey and a Thousand Flowers. Don’t know what that is? Don’t worry, I didn’t either. It was a spoonful of honey and pollen that acted as a palate cleanser. Then came the main dessert (couldn’t tell you what that was, just trust me, it was fantastic) followed by espresso and a pinecone (it was actually some sort of chocolate and peanut treat, but I’m going to call it a pinecone since it looked like a pinecone). That should have been the end. My sweet tooth would have been satisfied had that been the end. But nope. The server walked over with a box filled with 7 different types of beautiful, little treats ranging from macarons to chocolates. These small, farewell bites all looked like they belonged behind the counter at some fancy shop in Paris. The server described each treat and then asked us which ones we’d like to have while they brought us our check (smart because it does soften the blow of the bill when you’re nibbling a tasty macaron). It seemed like such a silly question to me. You want me to pick just a few items when everything I’ve tried here has been so good? So I asked the logical questions, “How many can I try? Is there a limit? Can I try them all?” The server seemed a little surprised by my question, apparently most people who visit Azurmendi exhibit a bit more self control, but she ultimately smiled and said, “Of course you can try them all.” And that’s how my husband and I each ended up with 7 different post-dessert desserts (because why just stop at dessert?).

And this brings me back to my original question: was it worth it? My father-in-law would say “no”. In fact, I think after reading this description of the experience, he would be even more resolute in that decision. I, however, find myself in the other camp – I definitely think it was worth the hefty price. Not only did I have what is, hands down, the best meal of my life, it was just an unforgettable experience overall. I still dream about that meal and salivate when I think about it (no lie – I’m salivating right now). At some point, I’m going to forget the details about everything I ate (it’s already happening – there was so much food), but I won’t forget the general experience at Azurmendi and how it was one of the best days ever (right up there with my wedding and the Taylor Swift Eras concert… I won’t say which of those was #1…). I left the restaurant feeling full, happy, and possibly a little drunk. There are so many amazing restaurants around Bilbao, a city I hope to return to someday, but it’ll be hard to pick a different, Michelin starred restaurant over Azurmendi. Dining at Azurmendi won’t be worth it for everyone, but for me, someone who spends a good part of her day looking forward to and excited about her next meal, well, I can personally say, yes, it’s absolutely worth it.

Azurmendi Menu (typed verbatim from the menu provided)

~ WELCOME PICNIC ~

Truffled meringue

Smoked fish brioche

Bean broth

“Lemon Grass”

~ THE KITCHEN TABLE ~

FROM THE SEA:

“Bloody sea”

Nori and roe

Cod in tempura

Sea tartar

~ THE GARDEN ~

Flowers, Branches, Leaves and Nectars

Almond flower

Unpublished Branch

Shiso leaf

Rose nectar

~ VIEWPOINT ~

Harvest:

Frozen orchard

Flower fossil

Green asparagus

Dew water

~ MENU ~

Butter and caviar

OYSTER and sea granita and seaweed

SHRIMP, herbal essence and emulsion of their heads

~ FROM THE ORCHARD ~

ASPARAGUS in different textures

Teardrop PEAS, Iberian gel, farm-fresh egg and veil of Joselito

~ A CLASSIC ~

Roasted and peeled LOBSTER on carcass juice and pickles

~ FIELD ~

IBERIAN PORK:

TROTTERS ravioli, txakinarto and coffee and citrus butter air

stewed castañeta glazed in juice of rabito, Iberian pate and Idiazabal pesto

PARTRIDGE in chocolate

~ DESSERTS ~

Representing a landscape: HONEY AND A THOUSAND FLOWERS

PISTACHIO and Bakio lemon

CHOCOLATE and PEANUT

Petits fours