Lost in a small magical village in the Basque country, you will find a rustic stone country house, inside a typical and simple decoration. This is a reflection of Extebarri's food...translating what someone once said "best things in life are simple".
I do not know if I will be able to be completely fair to Extebarri in this review as this visit followed our travel through the wonders of the Roca brother's universe. Our mind was still trying to find our way back to the real world (already in the middle of the naked nature and green mountains of the Basque country) when we arrived at Plaza San Juan in Atxondo.
Service: 16/20
Simplicity makes a perfect combination with great hospitality. At Extebarri, you are not sitting at a restaurant, you are invited by the owners of the restaurant to their "home" to share a family meal. Do not expect formal service or silver cutlery, but a proud and impeccable treatment.
Ambiance and décor: 12/20
It is a shame that the breathtaking view and intense daylight is hidden behind Extebarri's small windows.The resturant is in a rustic and typical stone country house with some incoherent decoration. I believe the Michelin star has "forced" its owners to make some changes to the place...the decoration now is a schizophrenic mix of a traditional country restaurant and a "chic" establishment. Why not keep it simple, traditional and faithful to its origins?
This restaurant is famous for its wonderfully simple and smokey food. We had a tasting menu and few dishes picked from the "à la carte" menu to share. Overall I would say that it is really worth visiting Extebarri, but I recommend to choose a few dishes à la carte and share (avoid the tasting menu - which looks a thing for the tourists - and is incredible expensive and contains a few unpleasant surprises).
From the dishes we tried, we definitely recommend the "Gambas Palamos" buttery and meaty large prawns, with sea and smokey aroma and flavourful heads (photo above). The "Foie" extremely smooth in a classical contrast with a sweet fruit jam The "Cod" cooked to perfection with peppers, spinach and onions (photo left). Finally, the "Chuletón", probably the best I ever had, the meat was rare but not chewy, well grilled on the outside (photo below).
However, there were a few dishes that should not have come out of the kitchen. Had not been for these and the 17 mark for "Food" would probably had been different. The "peas with eggs and mushroom carpaccio", the carpaccion shows a great technique from the cooks, but the whole dish is unbalanced and the experience a major let down. The same for both desserts "Milk ice-cream with berries infusion" (the berries were sour and completed well the milk ice-cream, which tasted awkardly smokey...not good, at least for me) and the "biscuit with vanilla ice-cream" (ice-cream again, better this time, but all the mixture was full of alcohol, soggy and unpleaseant).
Other that these, a few remarkable but not outstanding dishes such as the barnacles (the largest I have ever seen), the mozzarella or the anchovies.
Overall: 16/20
Pros: service, simplicity and quality of the food, the place
Cons: the décor, price
Asador Extebarri
Plaza San Juan, 1
48291 Atxondo-Bizkaya
www.asadorextebarri.com
Genre: Grilled specialities
Price: Tasting Menu no drinks included (€120); à la carte average dish price (€25-€40)
Michelin: 1* (2012: 31st S. Pellegrino world's best restaurants)
Date of visit: Spring 2012
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