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On a recent trip to the Basque region of Northern Spain, I spent the day eating my way through Bilbao. Aside from the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao is famous for its pintxos bars. Pintxos are small snacks usually served on bread and pierced with a cocktail stick. Pintxos are a great way to try many different flavors and food combinations, which is exactly what we did at each stop.
We began in the Old Town (Casco Viejo) at Victor Montes in Plaza Nueva, widely known as the Harry's Bar of Bilbao. You can eat inside at the bar, in the restaurant, or outside in the piazza. I love the black and gold old-world facade of their building.
Also located in a corner of Plaza Nueva is Zuga. This is a popular tiny little spot that focuses on more inventive pintxos. Among the highlights are goat’s cheese with manzanilla sherry, dried fruit vinaigrette and honey; liver with red fruits and Modena vinegar.
One of my favorites that we visited was La Vina Del Ensanche, just off the main shopping street. This large restaurant has outside seating, a restaurant and a long bar (carved from a single tree). The oldest bar in the city (1927), this wood-paneled spot is famous for its ham and chorizo. There is even a shop attached to it so you can buy some of their products to take home.
Our last stop of the day was a bar that serves only oysters called El Puertito (Poza Lizentziatuaren Kalea, 22). There are dozens of different varieties you can choose from, many of them local, which we paired with some delicious champagne. This is a must-visit for serious oyster lovers!
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Last Friday, when the sun finally came out after work, I headed to Fitzrovia with a friend for some outdoor drinks at the Charlotte Street Hotel. As the sun disappeared into the evening sky we slipped into Fino (sister restaurant to Barrafina and Quo Vadis) for some authentic Spanish tapas.
The head chef, Nieves Barragán Mohacho, a female who hails from the Basque country, uses only the freshest ingredients, so the menu is always changing and evolving depending on what is in season.
We sat at the bar and peeped through, behind a pork leg, to all of the action in the kitchen. The staff are all Spanish imports, which adds to the authenticity of the place, and the feeling that you might well be in the Basque region itself.
The food was deliciously flavorful and each individual dish arrived as it was prepared.
Ham croquetas:
Piquillo pepper croquetas:
Potato and chorizo chips:
Classic tortilla with caramelized onions and soft liquid center, cooked to perfection:
Battered pollock with a saffron garlic allioli:
Arroz negro: black rice with octopus infused with garlic:
Donuts and vanilla ice cream:
For classic tapas, and those with a twist, the purity of the ingredients and the care with which they are presented at Fino makes it a spot on the London dining scene not to be missed.
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