Ibai (Calle de Getaria, 15, 20005 San Sebastián, Spain; tel. +34 943 42 87 64 ) is one of those little known, “gem” restaurants, foodies dream to discover one day. With no Michelin stars and hard to book, Ibai is considered by some, as one the best, if not the…

Just arrived to San Sebastian film festival to attend the official Foodies documentary screening this evening. I am trying to squeeze in some meals during the very short time I am here and yesterday’s visit to Kaia Kaipe was more than worth the thirty minutes drive from San Sebastian. It…

Below is the “Local Universe” tasting menu at Quique Dacosta in Denia, Spain (Carretera de las Marinas a Denia, Km 3 03700 Denia, Alicante, Spain; tel. +34 965 78 41 79). Some describe this 3 Michelin starred restaurant as “avant-garde”, but for me, it’s the least avant-garde dishes that are most…

When Albert Adrià closed his legendary El Bulli ( where I had a chance to dine in 2010 ) everyone was guessing what he and his brother Ferran were going to do next. Their answer – a tapas bar called Tickets (Avinguda Parallel, 164 08015 Barcelona, Spain; tel.+34 932 92 42…

El Quim tapas bar ( Mercado de La Boqueria La Rambla 91, 08002 Barcelona, Spain;tel.+34 933 01 98 10) in the middle of the emblematic la Boqueria market embodies all what a good tapas bar is about – no reservations, conviviality and great energy, lots of wine and delicious yet simple…

La Rosa (Av de Neptuno 70, Valencia, Spain,tel. +34 963 712 076 ) is an old, traditional restaurant located on the seaside promenade of Valencia. At first glance, it might look like just another touristy place on a Spanish beach, but once you try their paellas you understand that La…

Two green olives hanging from a branch of a well-manicured olive tree… Beautiful, poetic and unexpected as the naturally bitter olives are covered in a thin layer of sweet crunchy caramel and filled with salted anchovies. When I travel alone I usually dine quite early, but as we all know…

Andoni Luis Aduriz belongs to a generation of chefs who have a story to tell through their cooking. The story of Mugaritz is a story of Nature. The restaurant’s name in Basque means “oak” (“haritza” ) and “frontier” (“muga”). It is literally situated on a frontier of two villages 15…

Tapas ( or rather pintxos ) at Txepetxa ( 5 Pescaderie, San Sebastian) in San Sebastian.

Dinner at El Bulli was like a dream come true and I am not exaggerating. How did I manage to get a reservation when there are only 8000 places available per year versus to one million ( or two million according to some sources) requests? Well, I didn’t. I’ve never…