
Our first stop was the deservedly lauded La Cuchara de San Telmo. They have been around since the early noughties with a mission is to be innovative through their made to order dishes. My god are they bloody good. I’d go as far as to say it would be a culinary crime not to go.
First up was a risotto which had a luscious consistency with a right amount of bite in the grains and blasted our palates with flavour.
Fork tender veal cheeks with a viscous full bodied jus was dredged over chickpea hummus, a herby salsa verde provided a peppy freshness. It is the sort food I yearn for regardless of weather, and I wouldn’t have any qualms about bathing in it, or wolfing it down, sauce dripping from my chin!
Foie gras seared to a golden brown, served with its own pan juices, a dash of honey, mustard and orange peel was mouth-watering and healthy (cough!). Forgive me if you’re vegetarian – pretend I never mentioned it.
Pan roasted octopus with a melange of stewed peppers and onions (escabeche style) was wonderful too. There was a lovely caramelised sear on the octopus and a nice acidic zing from the vegetables.
There are happy faces all round in the tight quarters – it does get packed but service is brisk and the food arrives piping hot. Don’t be afraid to rub shoulders with other diners who will be standing just like you, although there is alfresco seating available. If you’re claustrophobic don’t be put off as respite will be had with the swaggeringly good food here, your phobia will soon be forgotten about.
Open kitchen theatrics never cease to entertain.
Round 2 – we couldn’t resist coming back…
This was the txakoli I mentioned. The freshness and bright nature of the wine was a delight with the rich food and bold flavours.
One of us decided to take on the txakoli pouring duty.
Salamanca suckling pig was left to linger in an oven with beer until it was yielding an unctuous. It was accessorised with creamy potato perfumed with lemon grass. The fat rendered crispy skin gave this snap and crunch that echoed in my ears. They’d sold out the first night we went so we couldn’t leave the country until we had it! I can earnestly say that it was the star of the show. If they have sold out when you get there, go earlier the next day otherwise you’ll be depressed with regret like how I momentarily was. This was also EASILY one of the best dishes of the holiday.
Cod ravioli with tomato confit and Aragón black olive oil. This dish was dull in comparison but the pasta cookery was faultless, the filling was akin to creamed bacalao from what I could gather.
Grubstance rating 5/5
20003 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain












































Grubstance rating 3/5
31 7, 31 de Agosto Kalea, 5







20003 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
Leave a Reply