7,5

Aizian

José Miguel Olazabalaga
José Miguel Olazabalaga
Country: Spain
City: 48001 Bilbao ( Vizcaya)
Address: Avda. Lehendakari Leizaola, 29
mapa
(+34) 944280039
Closed: Sundays, Easter week and August 1–15.
Price: 60/ 80 €
Tasting menu:: 42, 48 y 65 €


  • Chipirones salteados sobre crema de calabaza y almendras
  • Chipirones salteados sobre crema de calabaza y almendras
  • Mollejas con milhojas de idiazabal y otros
  • Mollejas con milhojas de idiazabal y otros

This restaurant has consolidated itself as one of the most unique establishments in Bilbao, and all in a very short amount of time. José Miguel Olazabalaga, the chef of the project, which also includes Andra Mari, offers complex haute cuisine created to convince any palate. Distinct and very elaborate proposals abound. It’s not surprising when you consider they must constantly be thinking of the diverse clientele they attract in this establishment, located in the luxurious Sheraton hotel, although evidence shows this is no typical hotel restaurant. Total autonomy determines the process here, focusing on diversity without losing sight of the individual importance of each dish. Well thought-out, complex and important creations from start to finish, with an impact that is both accessible and delicious. The guest can feel the work behind every bite, accumulating a high level of satisfaction along the way.

There have been many important new additions in 2007. The cockles over cucumber slices impregnated with vinegar, served with oil yoghurt and tomato-celery foam is a proposal that expresses–even confronts–new flavors with a clean, fresh, light and effective approach. The lamb sweetbreads in the shape of a mille-feuille with Idiazabal cream, wild mushrooms and spring garlic caviar combines wisdom of traditional flavors with modern forms, with beauty as the common denominator. The star dish, both for the intrinsic quality of the product as well as its deeply reflected conception and finish–impeccable–was the squid ring: large, tender and wild, served over a pumpkin-almond cream with citrus butter then crowned by the most ethereal foam we’ve ever tried, expressing all the flavor of the cephalopod with drops of its ink… colossal. The squab: fat, tender, juicy and bursting with flavor, confirms the commitment to product and the norm here of producing excellent compositions resolved with precision; in this case, an almond-truffle risotto, a smoked chestnut cream and a balsamic vinegar jelly.

Among the more famous dishes of the house, we must highlight the baby squid stew – a deconstruction where sautéed pieces of the cephalopod are inserted into the dish, al dente, almost supernaturally so, accompanied by potato soufflés which hides them – a creation that bursts and floods the mouth, adorned with salsa negra from the ink, a few drops of chive oil and a dash of the sliced raw herb. Daring and virtuosic are adjectives to describe the tepid marinated bonito with tomato crumbs, spring onion sauce and herb oil. The bacon-crusted monkfish over tomato marmalade with octopus medallions and paprika was nuanced and succulent, and the cod dishes were truly masterful, acquiring excellence through the magnificent sauces that accompany them – the pil pil and Basque versions confirmed and even furthered their already established fame.