L'Auberge Basque

A lovely restaurant located in a refurbished country inn with 11 rooms, 7 km from Saint Jean de Luz (south of Biarritz), in the middle of the countryside–a rustic setting with charming views of the surrounding area, in which we find Cédric Béchade, a young chef forged alongside the famous Alain Ducasse, for whom he held the highest responsibilities.
Cédric is a great chef. Béchade is a great French chef. Cédric Béchade is an incredible chef in the world of progressive classical cuisine. And, moreover, he is refined; refined, very sophisticated, perhaps a little Baroque, maybe too much so, but a master of ornate cuisine, impregnating it with an unmistakable personality. He has his own style and knows how to project neoclassical cuisine to new worldly frontiers, which in the near future could produce unforeseen results. In short, the guests who visit this magnificent establishment are astonished by the knowledge of this doctoral artisan, so gifted with talent and artistic vocation. Soon this will be considered the finest restaurant in the French Basque region, if it isn’t already – almost certainly so with regard to the food, being one of the newest innovations to have debuted here. Be on the lookout! Cédric Béchade and L’Auberge Basque: two names called on to make history.
The menu is conceived from a perspective of rationality and “possibilist” theory. They offer a copious menu of two courses and dessert for only 39 €, or the option to choose from just 6 or 7 savory alternatives and 2 or 3 sweet ones for approximately 70 €, prices to which you must then add any complements and wine. Success is absolutely guaranteed thanks to the nobility of the products used. Moreover, the dishes are prepared with a precise doneness and the complements, whether sauces or side dishes, stand out for their elegance and balance, proffering culture and gifts.
The starters, whether it be the fresh cheese with powdered Espelette pepper and grated lime zest, or the sardine terrine with citrus jelly and brunoise of zucchini and radish, express the exhaustive work put into each formula. On to the main dishes: the vacherin cheese with peas, a pureed quenelle of the same with sweet onion marmalade, acidulated carrot juice and pine sap represents exquisiteness while releasing sweet, acidic and creamy sensations… yet another demonstration of exuberance. He reaches the culinary zenith with the dish of sliced Bilbao cod dressed with artichokes, guacamole, celery, cucumber, red pepper, mango cubes, curry marmalade, txakoli (sparkling white wine) vinaigrette, squid-ink croutons… Tremendous was the poached egg yolk wrapped in green pepper jelly layered with piquillo pepper slices, swimming in piperrada sauce, with pieces of smoked eel, onion bread crust… a lucid, inarguable, fashionable interpretation of the traditional food of the region. The grilled bonito of Saint Jean de Luz could be neither more immaculate nor juicier, served with an exciting zucchini-caper puree, parsley gnocchi, onion and red pepper broth–it harks back to traditional flavors from a point of purity, preserving the idiosyncrasy in its entirety. Complex but delicious, the wild Adour salmon, served almost raw over a bed of boiled quinoa as if it were a paella, with apple emulsion and a wasabi puree with spices. Along similar lines, the roast lamb with reduction juices aromatized with saffron, pistachio-crusted polenta, sautéed chard, julienned chorizo, tempura anchovies… the limit of all the senses. The guinea hen, bacon-wrapped breast and thigh, with almonds, pumpkin puree, flowers and a side of potatoes with chard, cheese and pumpkin constitutes another reaffirmation of the values that distinguish Cédric… with the common denominator of technical precision. And the chocolate pizza reaffirms the gourmand tendency, projecting the French culture and savoir-faire onto the most mundane of pleasures.
This is a cuisine and an establishment to keep our eyes on.