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26 Mar 2018

Eneko – Michelin Star Restaurant

By basque

Eneko Restaurant

Hidden away up in the hills close to Bilbao sits a restaurant that has been gaining international acclaim. The Azurmendi is a Three Michelin Star restaurant that was named as 38th best restaurant in the Worlds’ 50 Best awards in 2017  However, it has a little brother, called Eneko

This off-shoot has been created by the Azurmendi’s main chef and owner, Eneko Atxa with the intention of making the restaurant more accesible. A holder of one Michelin Star by itself, the menu is focused on local provenance.

We at Basque Experiences were delighted to be invited in early March to sample the magnificent dishes…  The visit also included a tour and tastings of txakoli wines produced at their own Bodega!

Menu

Local produce is fundamental here and the principle runs through the Menu. Wines were their own; Gorka Izagirre, G22, 42, and Arima as well as a Campillo from Rioja Alavesa. Seven courses of which some of which you can see n the photos! Can you guess what was used though? The variety of methods, ingredients and presentation was great, and everything was delicious!! I had a couple of favourites but I am not going to give the game away… You will have to come with us and try or let us reserve a table for you and your group…

Pizarro

Talking groups, we have our Pizarro ‘Basque’ Gastronomy Tour in late 2018. For our final day with Jose Pizarro we will be visiting the Azurmendi Restaurant and kitchens, a unique chance to dine and discover this superb restaurant!

  • Basque Hake
  • Egg.... and peppers and corn....
  • Foie or Chestnut
  • Olives
  • Rich beef
  • Eneko's Team
  • Eneko restaurant
  • Dessert
14 Mar 2018

Sailing with us along the Basque Coast!

By basque

Basque Coast Sailing

Come join us sailing for a fantastic perspective on our beautiful country. Rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, fishing villages, flysch and the odd film set…   Game of Thrones style

Basque Experiences and their partner arrange superb, tailored sailing trips from the port of Santurtzi, one of the historic fishing towns on the Bilbao estuary. Fully insured and using expert skippers and the best vessels you are in safe hands! Whether you are experiences sailors or beginners, the trips are special.

Bilbao and the River

Embarking from Santurtzi we can cruise inland towards Bilbao. Past the UNESCO Industrial Heritage Site of the Hanging Bridge. Incidentally the first of its kind in the world and the only such listed site in Spain. Up-river and past old steel-works and shipyards, upto San Mames stadium and the incredible Guggenheim Museum. Or cruise around the Abra, the entry to Bilbao. See Getxo Algorta, Las Arenas and Portugalete on a morning cruise.

Weekends on the Coast

Alternatively take a weekend trip along this gorgeous and rarely seen coast. Head towards Castro Urdiales for lunch or east past Plentzia, Bermeo, Lekeitio and onto the fishing villages of Zumaia and finally San Sebastián. The French coast is also close,with gorgeous harbours at Hendaye and St Jean de Luz. Want to learn? Well we can arrange courses for you with a fully qualified sail school, skippers and instructors. Is fishing your thing? Well we can put lines out for Tuna, feather for Mackerel and jig for squid... depends on your taste! Combine a morning onboard a yacht with a cycling tour on electric bikes with our friends at www.deskonecta.com… Just drop Basque Experiences a line!!

  • Sailing Bilbao
  • Hanging Bridge
  • Sailing Basque
  • Basque Experiences
10 Jul 2017

BBKLIVE2017 Bilbao Live Music Festival

By basque

BBKLive2017 Bilbao!

For the second year running Basque Experiences have the pleasure of working with the team at Last Tour! BBKLive is an annual live music festival on the Kobeta hill right in the centre of Bilbao. The three day festival celebrated it’s 10th anniversary this year as bbklive2017, and Basque Experiences were only too willing to help.

International and Basque

This year’s line up saw 80’s favourites Depeche Mode headline along with Las Vegas’ finest, The Killers and the pride of Belfast, Two Door Cinema Club. Other big bands entertaining the mixed local and European crowd were Primal Scream, Brian Wilson, !!!, 1975, Fleet Foxes, Royal Blood, Explosions In The Sky, Justice, The Parrots, Cabbage…. its a long list! Do you want me to name them all? 😉

Work was done…

Its not all watching bands you know. We had the pleasure of taking some UK music journalists around Bilbao on the Friday. A great bike tour around some of the coolest spots in Bilbao. San Francisco, Dos de Mayo, Pozas, San Mames, and of course, past the shiny Guggenheim! All of this pedalling was fuelled by regular fuelling spots at some of the best and most original bars in Bilbao. After all, its what we are good at here as well…. Here are some great photos we took of our guests. I know for a fact that they had a great time, and that some, if not all will be back next year!!

  • Basque Country Tour

 

15 May 2017

Txakoli Tours in the green Basque Country

By basque

Txakoli Tours in May…..

May is one of my favourite months here in the Basque Country. Long days, a mix of sunshine and showers, and the rolling hills and villages are bursting with spring energy! These elements add up to form a perfect excuse to visit some of our marvellous grape-growers , juice-magicians and and partake in your own , private, made-to-measure Txakoli Tours…

The Basque Country’s own wine.

Our green land and climate, so influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, is somehow ‘bottled’ by alchemists across Euskadi.  Txakoli is a fresh, minerally and sometimes almost herby, slightly acidic wine, unique to this corner of the world. Our grapes, small, and hardy, are carefully hand picked in 3 distinct zones to produce this most Basque of tipples. Hidden from the outside world for years we, Txakoli is finally appearing on some of the world’s finest tables…

Discover with us

May is a very busy time for us here at Basque Experiences and over the last 2 weeks we have been busy guiding and organising various different Txakoli Tours. All made-to-measure by listening to the client and then applying our experience and knowledge to create a personalised private tour. There are family-run business, small producers, pioneers, and Michelin starred restaurants all producing this delicious wine…. When are you coming to discover our Txakoli??

  • Basque Experiences Txakoli

    Basque Experiences Txakoli

    Basque Experiences Txakoli
  • Private Group Tours - Basque Experiences
  • Basque Experiences Txakoli

    Basque Experiences Txakoli

    Basque Experiences Txakoli
  • Basque Txakoli Tours

    Txakoli Tours in Basque Country

    Basque Experiences Txakoli
04 Apr 2017

Basque Country Food. Where is it from ? pt. 2

By basque

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Food…thats it!

Where does our amazing produce come from and how do we use this great resource. Part 2 of our quick look at Basque Country food, produce and gastronomy with the chef José Pizarro, owner of 4 restaurants in London.

Alava, Inland Basque Country

Sometimes overlooked by visitors keen to see Bilbao and San Sebastian, Alava is the 3rd province of Euskadi, Basque Country and is completely landlocked. This is wine country, and many visitors come to learn and sample our famous Rioja Alavesa wine However, it holds many surprises as Jose found out!

Salt Cheese and Txakoli

Hidden in the green valleys lies a geological gem, millions of years old but very relevant today. The Salt Pans of Añana are marvellous. A fountain (or 3) of saline liquid, used over millenia to cure, store and flavour the Basque peoples food. Today we can visit and learn about this amazing place but also taste it in our own Denominacion de Origen Idiazabal Cheese. We visited our good friend Leire who is the only producer of this most Basque of Basque cheeses who uses this salt in the production of her award winning cheeses. The surprise here though is its not only Idiazabal that one tries… 🙂

Close by and another good friend sees us visit BarraskiBide, a farm producing organic snails, a popular dish all over Spain and especially those who are fond of Biscayan Sauce…. Nestled under the Sierra Salvada mountain range, the snails are well guarded so they don’t escape….

And what would one choose to wash these delicious products down with? Well our own Txakoli Arabako. The third region with the D.O. to produce Txakoli wine in the Basque Country. Our friends at Astobiza and Beldui are perfect hosts and enable Jose to learn taste and discuss the amazing advances this wine has experienced since it became regulated in the 1980’s.

Sleeping it off….

After all these foodie gastronomic exertions, sometimes there is nothing better than a siesta… However, when staying with us here at Basque Experiences we have our own favourite places, and top of the list in Bilbao is the great Hotel Miro. Opposite the iconic Guggenheim Bilbao, the service is what you would expect from a small privately -run hotel. It never fails!!

Just a short blog extolling some of our food highlights here in the Basque Country with Basque Experiences. But keep your eyes open for a foodie surprise in the coming weeks…..

 

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