7,5

Baserri Maitea

Juan Antonio Zaldua
Juan Antonio Zaldua
País: Spain
Localidad: 48393 Forua (Vizcaya)
Dirección: B. Atxondoa, s/n.
mapa
(+34) 946253408
Cierra: Sunday and Monday night all year, every night except Friday and Saturday from November 1 to April 30, and 15 days over Christmas
Precio: 60/75 €
Precio menú degustación: 45 €


  • Bacalao en contrastes
  • Bacalao en contrastes
  • Chipirones a la plancha con cebolla confitada y su caldo con aceitunas negras
  • Chipirones a la plancha con cebolla confitada y su caldo con aceitunas negras

What changed in Juan Antonio Zaldua’s restaurant to merit the higher rating? As a rule, the basic philosophy that has distinguished the establishment for years still remains intact, originally inspired by the owner. In other words, magnificent raw product, precise preparations and doneness, reflective articulations, and flavors deeply rooted in traditions… the sum of which produces immense satisfaction on the part of the client. Constructing modern sketches from traditional outlines or, similarly, creating modern, imaginative haute cuisine from popular inspiration.



7,5

Aizian

José Miguel Olazabalaga
José Miguel Olazabalaga
País: Spain
Localidad: 48001 Bilbao ( Vizcaya)
Dirección: Avda. Lehendakari Leizaola, 29
mapa
(+34) 944280039
Cierra: Sundays, Easter week and August 1–15.
Precio: 60/ 80 €
Precio menú degustación: 42, 48 y 65 €


  • Chipirones salteados sobre crema de calabaza y almendras
  • Chipirones salteados sobre crema de calabaza y almendras
  • Mollejas con milhojas de idiazabal y otros
  • Mollejas con milhojas de idiazabal y otros

This restaurant has consolidated itself as one of the most unique establishments in Bilbao, and all in a very short amount of time. José Miguel Olazabalaga, the chef of the project, which also includes Andra Mari, offers complex haute cuisine created to convince any palate. Distinct and very elaborate proposals abound. It’s not surprising when you consider they must constantly be thinking of the diverse clientele they attract in this establishment, located in the luxurious Sheraton hotel, although evidence shows this is no typical hotel restaurant.



9

The Fat Duck

Heston Blumenthal
Heston Blumenthal
País: United Kingdom
Localidad: SL62AQ Berkshire
Dirección: High Street Bray
mapa
(+44) 1628580333
Cierra: Mondays and from December 22 through January 9
Precio: 100/170 €
Precio menú degustación: 88 y 120 €


  • Merengue nitro de vodka y limón verde
  • Merengue nitro de vodka y limón verde
  • Homenaje a Alain Chapel
  • Homenaje a Alain Chapel
  • Foie gras sobre lecho de alga kombu
  • Foie gras sobre lecho de alga kombu
  • Falsa sopa de tortuga
  • Falsa sopa de tortuga
  • Salmón en gelatina de regaliz
  • Salmón en gelatina de regaliz
  • Sorbete de whisky flambeado
  • Sorbete de whisky flambeado

Heston Blumenthal is a gastronomic legend. His contribution includes, among other things, the importance he has given to the culinary form, its appearance as well as its content. Different influences and passions coexist in his work: French erudition, reinventing traditional English recipes, investigating avant-garde techniques, demystifying values… he communicates his entire message in a spectacular manner. “Oh!” are the constant exclamations and expressions flowing from the clientele. Using provocation as one of his tools, he achieves an omnipresent, astonishing scene. This is a cuisine that needs complicity on the part of the guest: called upon to live, more than just passively participate, the great feast of senses in front of them. A feast of all the senses. The staging goes far beyond the reaches of imagination, creating a truly magical atmosphere.
Heston has an atomic mind. A testimony to this is the fragile, exquisite and incredibly refreshing nitrogen-frozen vodka and lime meringue perfumed with tea powder–genius. Expressive, contrasted, balanced and highly colorful, the mustard seed ice cream with liquid cabbage gazpacho. The homage to Alain Chapel is academically Gallic and very impressive: a bowl containing layers of pea puree, quail jelly, Norway lobster cream and a quenelle of chicken liver parfait, accompanied by another plate with black truffle canapé and further adorned by a third space that expresses a misty, mossy character reminiscent of the forest at dawn. Traditional and gourmand flavors, but elegant and velvety, the escargot porridge: parsley emulsion, strips of Joselito cured ham and fennel bulb julienne. Product and doneness deserve a perfect 10 in clever harmony: foie gras over a bed of al dente kombu seaweed with redcurrant puree, specks of balsamic vinegar and a crispy sponge cake. Alice in Wonderland, or the fantastical false turtle soup: a broth created from homemade meat extract wrapped in thin gold leaf, which takes the shape of a coin before it falls apart, to then cover a parallelepiped formation on the plate created by slices of beef and pork and a false egg made of turnip jelly and saffron. The baroque resolution and incredible precision are astounding: salmon filet wrapped in licorice jelly, salmon roe, vanilla mayonnaise, grapefruit and artichokes. The mental and material effort is always titanic. Nobility and meticulousness are demonstrated yet again in the lamb and squab dishes, more solid and restrained than other constructions. More playfulness is found in the search and attainment of the impossible: sorbet flambéed with whisky presented at the table inside a bowl immersed in liquid nitrogen surrounded by wood; thanks to this system of service, the sorbet never melts even though it is surrounded by flames. The most recent trick from the magician from Bray: the concept of hot/cold taken to the extreme. French toast with egg ice cream and crispy bacon… leaving the guest with an irresolvable doubt: is fiction now reality, or the other way around? Blumenthal is a craftsman of one of the finest gastronomic spectacles in the world.
In any case, we must be so bold as to list, and with good reason, the names of Michel Guérard, Alain Chapel, Freddy Girardet, Joël Robuchon, Michel Bras, Ferran Adrià ... and Heston Blumenthal as those chefs who have left us impressed, moved and speechless… in contemporary cuisine. Heston is a transcendent character that is in the process of making history. He has an atomic mind. His intelligence is summed up with one word: nuclear. His imagination is even greater, breaking all boundaries, like a Jules Verne of cuisine. He demonstrates a permanent dedication with emotions, stirring them through his craft. He involves the guest this way, establishing complicity via childlike, magical games. The spectacle, the culinary circus, is guaranteed. Death defying leaps in the dining room alongside constant ironies that evoke smiles and admiration. He creates a dreamy ambience. The apex of the show comes with the nitrogen scrambled egg ice cream with smoked bacon, French toast and tea jelly. The maître d’ acts as chief conjurer. He takes a petal from the white rose that adorns the table. With his hand he starts twisting it up until converting it into an egg. Next, he breaks the egg and from the interior a kind of egg cream comes forth within which a uniform yolk and white appear. He throws it in the pan and beats the egg, over the nitrogen, into a scramble that is placed on top of a slice of French toast, accompanied to the side by a tea jelly. More detail than this is impossible to ascertain, even seeing the spectacle many times over. Clearly the chef steals the hearts of his clientele, who cannot help but be carried away by so much and such entertaining seduction. The dish is just simply enchanting. A Harry Potter novel in the kitchen.
Like any good dieting gourmand, he knows the precise moments when the gourmet appreciates being refreshed and having the meal lightened in order to continue with the gastronomic orgy. He manages the temperatures, spaces, quantities, intensities and flavors with intelligence and precision. And how important is this: Mother Nature has given Blumenthal an infallible palate. Regardless of how lively the elements used in a dish, wisdom of flavor always prevails: elegance, subtlety, compensation, harmony… words that are repeated time and time again during the feast. Such refinement! And this is captured as much in the innovative compositions as in those of more classical inspiration. It is interesting to observe how he alternates in the menu constructions with galactic formats and techniques alongside others that are talented reinterpretations of ancestral recipes where he ensures that a good part of the sapid memory is preserved.That defines the lucid nature of his mind, knowing how to go beyond epochal, time-bound cuisine, combining diverse styles yet always expressing his imprint and non-conformist spirit. Let there be no doubt, Heston is a brilliant creator.
There is no room to say no. At The Fat Duck, you just have to absorb the designs of the artist, but the open-mindedness is compensated with innumerable stellar moments. Aside from one or two exceptions in the 15-course menu, everything is superb. The oyster with passion fruit jelly and lavender-perfumed radish cream represents an archangelic junction of happy nuances. The mustard ice cream with cabbage gazpacho reaffirms the velvety character of the contrasts while expressing sapid purity. The oak moss film with truffle butter toast is a mind-boggling staging of the forest with aromas of daybreak on a foggy morning; the greatest homage ever paid to Alain Chapel. Any gourmand desires are highly satisfied with the traditional escargot porridge served with Joselito cured ham and fennel strips; it incites gluttony. Honorability of the product, 10. Preparation skill and exaltation of delicacy, both in flavor and feel, has a name: foie gras with liquid almond jelly, cherry puree and chamomile jelly. The sardine toast sorbet with deboned mackerel ballotine and seaweed and fish salad is a daring, infallible capturing of humble yearnings. Colossal for its delicacy and roasting time, the lamb carré, offered with an ethereal onion jelly and a generous dish of potatoes, neck, sweetbreads and oysters. Another trick up his sleeve: the interlude of Whisky-flavored jellies. And so it continued, one “bravo!” after another, until we reached the final madness of this solid star of wise insolence: wine with chocolate.
Heston Blumenthal is a prodigy child with the heart of an elephant who is in the habit of making gourmets very happy. And let it be known that The Fat Duck is wasting no time in debuting many new items on their menu. The long-awaited Fat Duck Cookbook, which recaps ten years of Heston Blumenthal’s work, is set to come out soon and before the end of 2008 the tasting menu replaced the à la carte menu, completely renovated, multi-sensorial and dedicated to the reinterpreted contemporary British tradition.
We tried two dishes off the new menu, which are still in the research phase. The first is a false turtle soup: a broth created from homemade meat extract wrapped in thin gold leaf, which takes the shape of a coin before it falls apart, to then cover a parallelepiped formation on the plate created by slices of beef and Colonnata pork and a false egg made of turnip jelly and saffron. The second is a sorbet flambéed with whisky presented at the table inside a bowl immersed in liquid nitrogen, then surrounded by wood; thanks to this system, the sorbet never melts even though it is surrounded by flames.The most recent trick from the magician from Bray: the concept of hot/cold taken to the extreme. Brilliant!
 



7

Combarro

Diego Domínguez
Diego Domínguez
País: Spain
Localidad: 28020 Madrid
Dirección: Reina Mercedes, 12
mapa
(+34) 915547784
Cierra: Sunday nights, Easter week and August
Precio: 100/170 €


  • Percebes
  • Percebes
  • Rape con salsa de erizos
  • Rape con salsa de erizos

This sumptuous seafood restaurant offers the largest, freshest products that the ocean can produce to satisfy our predatory, depraved carnal passions. One needs only a little luck to come across what might be considered marine dinosaurs. Lobsters weighing 3.5 kilos, for example. Who’s jealous now! They only let us look at it, while tempting us with the 11 kilo turbot that we were unable to refuse. It was served with memorable potatoes and ajada sauce (garlic, bread and salt), of which not a single drop was left. Gelatinous splendor! Such delicacy! Unbelievably juicy!



7,5

DOM

Alex Atala
Alex Atala
País: Brasil
Localidad: 014411-011 Jardins (Sao Paulo)
Dirección: Rua Barão de Capanema, 549
mapa
(+55) 1130880761
Cierra: Midday Saturdays and Sundays
Precio: 120/180 €
Precio menú degustación: 100 €


  • Ensalada de Jambo y flores
  • Ensalada de Jambo y flores
  • Ensalada de calabacín y cigalas con vinagreta de pimienta de Cheiro
  • Ensalada de calabacín y cigalas con vinagreta de pimienta de Cheiro
  • Consomé de setas con perfume de la Amazonia
  • Consomé de setas con perfume de la Amazonia
  • Foie gras con crocante de arroz salvaje con consome de bonito
  • Foie gras con crocante de arroz salvaje con consome de bonito

Alex Atala is a name written in gold letters in the history of Brazilian cuisine. The reason? He is the first chef in Brazil to attain international recognition. He has two immense honors to attach to his career: to have begun the development of modern haute cuisine in Brazil and to identify it clearly with its “terroir”. And a third, which is derived from the first two: to lead an innovative movement to which several young chefs have adhered, as well as possibly kick-starting a sharply idiosyncratic gastronomic power. This last goal, if we are realistic, has yet to be accomplished.



8,5

Le Cerf

Carlo Crisci
Carlo Crisci
País: Switzerland
Localidad: 1304 Cossonay-Ville
Dirección: Rue du Temple, 2
mapa
+(41) 0218612608
Cierra: Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays midday
Precio: 100/200 €
Precio menú degustación: 160 €


  • Mozzarela de coco en curry d'encre de seiche
  • Mozzarela de coco en curry d'encre de seiche
  • L'oeuf mou et son cannelloni de caviar en velours de choux fleur
  • L'oeuf mou et son cannelloni de caviar en velours de choux fleur

What might we expect from one of the great chefs of Switzerland? Deluxe timepieces, of course. This and much more is what personifies Carlo Crisci. An evolutionist chef in his classicism, distinguished by elegance, wisdom, precision and an enormous sense of professionalism. A refined, erudite, technical and stylistic chef whose dishes burst with identity, exceeding himself, little by little, in accordance with the times. Everything he does and proposes is studied and re-studied, tested and re-tested. Everyone’s feast is insured.



7,5

Vintage 1997

Pier Luigi Consonni
Pier Luigi Consonni
País: Italy
Localidad: 10121 Torino
Dirección: Piazza Solferino 16
mapa
(+39) 011535948
Cierra: January 1-7, August 6-31, Saturdays midday and Sundays
Precio: 60 - 100 €
Precio menú degustación: 45, 65 y 75 €


  • Penne de farro con salmonetes al pesto, calabacín y albahaca
  • Penne de farro con salmonetes al pesto, calabacín y albahaca
  • Pequeños macarrones con tomate y albahaca
  • Pequeños macarrones con tomate y albahaca

“Vintage 1997 is a sure bet: you’re never disappointed”, confirms Ferran Adrià who, when passing through Turin with enough free time on his hands, always comes to this restaurant to be pampered. He’s not wrong: in less than ten years the establishment of Umberto Chiodi Latini (in the dining room) and Pier Luigi Consonni (in the kitchen) has become a culinary institution of the city. Professionals, politicians, gourmets and gourmands alike flock to this “luxurious” abode.



7,5

Villa Crespi

Tonino Cannavacciuolo
Tonino Cannavacciuolo
País: Italy
Localidad: 28016 Orta San Giulio (NO)
Dirección: Via Fava, 8-10
mapa
(+39) 0322911902
Cierra: Tuesdays and Wednesdays midday
Precio: 100/200 €
Precio menú degustación: 65 y 80 €


  • Risotto con gambas
  • Risotto con gambas
  • Crema de Burrata con anchoas en vinagre
  • Crema de Burrata con anchoas en vinagre

It is impossible to say who is more enthusiastic about the cuisine at Tonino Cannavacciuolo, whether it is he or his wife Cinzia Primatesta. Together, they make a perfect couple, completely engrossed in their work. He occupies himself with the cooking while she manages the palace-like establishment on Lake Orta, where originally the last maharaja spent his days. Grandeur, passion and ambition have taken them far in life; they play a winning game.



7,5

Locanda nel Borgo Antico

Massimo Camia
Massimo Camia
País: Italy
Localidad: 28018 Barolo (NO)
Dirección: Via Boschetti, 4
mapa
(+39) 017356355
Cierra: Tuesdays and Wednesdays midday
Precio: 80/100 €
Precio menú degustación: 50 y 60 €


  • Plin con tartufo
  • Plin con tartufo
  • Pequeños bocados de cochinillo con echalotes al barolo y pure de manzana al curr
  • Pequeños bocados de cochinillo con echalotes al barolo y pure de manzana al curry

A precious, fashionable restaurant located in the middle of a vineyard with a charming, rural landscape. In front of the rings we find Massimo Camia, an intelligent chef who measures his proposals and executions to the millimeter, a pragmatic man who knows what he must do and how to do it. As a consequence, he offers a fundamentally Piemontese cuisine, rejuvenated by his own approach. It is infused with refinement, technique, modernity and a certain complexity, all while preserving the essence of the traditional cuisine. Distinguished, modernized traditional flavors.



8

Casa Vicina

Claudio y Anna Vicina
Claudio y Anna Vicina
País: Italy
Localidad: 10126 Torino
Dirección: Via Nizza, 224
mapa
(+39) 01119506840
Cierra: Sundays, Mondays and middays
Precio: 100/140 €
Precio menú degustación: 60 - 70 €


  • Batsua en ensalada con vinagreta de mostaza
  • Batsua en ensalada con vinagreta de mostaza
  • Pequeña lasaña abierta con ragú de conejo
  • Pequeña lasaña abierta con ragú de conejo

Traditional, refined Piemontese cuisine prepared by the Vicina family who has been in the business for four generations with the parents and children working side by side in the venture. Under the attentive eye of Bruna (Mamma mia, what a stewer!), Claudio and Anna prepare traditional recipes of the region with a markedly renewed vitality. In many cases they are ingenious, always with sensitivity and a respect for their culinary history. The popular customary proposals are infused with knowledge and, above all, refinement. In short, culinary traditionalism with touches of modern haute cuisine in a symbiosis created to satisfy every taste. And if the style is infallible, their practice confirms it: unerringly meticulous, dish after dish. The results here are insured. Perhaps the best approach is to follow the suggestions of one of the other members of the family, Stéfano, who attends to the dining room with silent, stunning diligence. In any case, they offer two tasting menus that are clearly explained, and to diffuse any doubt you might have, the menu adorns the most unique specialties of the house with 7 hearts: batsuà in insalata all´agro di senape; girello di fassone in salsa tonnata, agnolotti vecchia eporedia pizzicati a mano al sugo d´arrosto; lasagnette aperte al ragout di coniglio al rosmarino; potato gnocchi al filo; rognone “à la coque” con vellutata di senape e aglio in carmicia; faraona novella az. agrícola greppi disossata e composta in salmi y dolce y dolcezze. The truth is that all these are little gastronomic jewels created originally to figure into the tasting menu. Let’s explain a few. The first, for example, consists of a few slices of pig’s feet marinated in vinegar, lightly infused with the flavor of the vinegar, then breaded and served with a varied salad – beautiful and gourmet at the same time, which can be said for most all of the dishes here. The agnolotti joins together two textures in an impeccable way, al dente pasta and a creamy filling, with a uniform, unquestionable flavor of the meat juices over which they are served. The gnocchi utterly melt in your mouth with the enhancing accompaniment of two cheeses, a cream that lacquers them and crispy Parmegiano-reggiano with herbs that beautifies the dish, both visually and flavorfully. The lasagnette arrives as a bed of pasta supporting an infinity of small morsels of rabbit prepared with an unusual flavor, perfumed with rosemary – to indulge! The guinea hen, sublime in its own right (a true 10 for its genre), is offered as salmis, both the breast and the wings. And the desserts are pure, decadent artisanship: bonbons, meringues… dangerous temptations. The restaurant is markedly modern, boasting a somewhat rock and roll atmosphere, with the stars of the Juventus football club at the table next to us. What more can you ask for?