Martín Berasategui

Simply perfect

Charcoal-roasted young pigeon with red endive and olive bites

Out of the three 3 Michelin starred restaurants in San Sebastian, Martín Berasategui was the one I was looking forward to the most. I dined at his restaurant in Barcelona called Lasarte a few years ago, and that wonderful memory still remained strong in my head. My dinner experience at Lasarte was one of the very best meals ever in my life, exceptional cooking, stunning presentation, world class service. The resturant had everything, so it was well deserved to see it has been promoted to the 3 Michelin stars club in the latest edition. If Martin Berasategui's outpost can be such a beast, surely his flagship restaurant can only be even better?

Mille-feuille of smoked eel, foie-gras

Lightly marinated oyster with iced cucumber slush

Tarama with beetroot and sour horseradish

Crayfish over an aniseed sea-bed and coral mayonnaise

Vegetable hearts salad with seafood, cream of lettuce

We opted for the tasting menu, which contained a range of canapes followed by 10 courses. Where do I ever start? Every dishes were top notch and it was a truly special. Some of the highlights include the great house classic, vegetable hearts salad, a dish that turned a humble salad dish into something that took my breath away. It was light but packed with fresh and floral flavours, totally sensational. The crayfish dish had an interesting mixture of smoky and grassy aroma from the aniseed and coral mayonnaise, it had a very high contrast taste of light and bold flavours at the same time, which was odd but happened to work! The last main course of charcoal-roasted young pigeon was just as good, if not better. Perfectly seasoned, moist and hidden with some unexpected fruity and robust flavours from the "fake" olive bites, it was a very clever and well executed dish.

“The Truffle” with fermented wild mushrooms

“Gallo Celta Galician” egg and citrus chicken stock

Grilled hake loin, coconut, red curry and liquid and crunchy razor-shells

Lemon with basil juice, green bean and almond

Almond honeycomb with brittle bits and iced cinnamon

Mr Martín Berasategui has done it again, it was such an amazing meal and totally faultless. From start to finish, from a tiny appetizer to petit four, everything was just perfect. The meal was just as good as Lasarte, but on top of that, the stylish and spacey decor of the venue is something Lasarte can not match. The menu might be expensive, but it was totally value considering the state of the art quality you are getting from both the food and services. If you don't have the luxury to dine out often but would like to save up for one special meal, this is the restaurant you should do it for, you will not regret it. 


Food 5/5

What I paid: 
250 Euro per person with wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
215 Euro

Loidi Kalea, 4, 20160 Lasarte-Oria, Gipuzkoa, Spain

https://www.martinberasategui.com/en/inicio