Mugaritz: Once in a Lifetime Experience

Being that I fell in love with Hondarribia which was my stop before San Sebastian, my thought while waiting for the car to pick me up was how can San Seb top this? With that in mind, I immediately set out to book a dinner at a Michelin restaurant for my first dinner. Maider, the front office personnel who handled my check-in, patiently and efficiently helped me get a last minute booking. Finally, after over thirty minutes of searching and phone calls, we settled on Mugaritz which she proudly said is actually located in her hometown of Errenteria.

What followed after that was a whirlwind of quick scan of the surrounding of Hotel Londres where I was staying, unpacking and freshening up and then waiting for the hotel car to bring me to the restaurant. I had zero expectations but I am very well aware of the polarizing effect of the place, it’s either you love it or hate it. It didn’t help that I was quite sleepy having woken up very early to maximize my last day in Hondarribia.

I don’t know if it was because of my sleepiness that I came off as very disinterested slash intensely discerning but I got asked several times if I was a Chef and I noticed how they immediately re-assigned more knowledgeable servers after a few courses into the meal. I saved up for this meal because it is really expensive and many times I wondered if it was worth it however taking the experience as a whole, I would recommend to dine here at least once in your lifetime. There is something very admirable about taking culinary risks, involving all of the senses and creating an exceptional dining experience from start to finish. If there’s one thing I would recommend though, go for the alcohol pairing. I made the mistake of opting for the non-alcohol and the drinks tasted strange for me although the inspiration in coming up with it were certainly interesting, still I wasn’t able to finish most of it.

Please enjoy the photos I took of all the creations that came out of the kitchen that evening. Sure, some of them look weird but I can assure you that each bite was satisfying. I remember not liking two but I blame it on personal preference and not the creation itself. To cap off the evening, had a lovely chat with the chap who prepared my tea from scratch.

– CJR