Mugaritz

The essentiality and sobriety of Andoni Luis Aduriz ‘s culinary work is definitely amazing. The excessive calligraphy that used to characterize some dishes has disappeared in favour of some formal clearance. There is neither excess nor lack; everything is in the right place. The proposals are equally soaked with balance, measure and audacity. They all reflect an unquestionable argumentation. Every appetizer or small starter always contains palatal subtleties and astonishing taste parameters that could –should– be a bit more expressive.
The edible stone, a small potato wrapped into kaolin, accompanied with an extremely refined cream of toasted garlic, is frankly impressive. The same can be said about the pumpkin spaghetti, served with clams and lemon, almonds and fresh hazelnut. The mix of tender leaves, fresh herbs and fried duck tongues is all gentleness, sensitivity and exquisiteness. The sediments of toasted wheat with hermit crab coral and salicornia cuttings offer a stunning game of analogies that can be compared to the previous dish. The guest discovers one of the secrets of this cuisine’s grandeur once he/she tastes the vegetal symphony, truly moving and memorable: cooked and raw vegetable stew with herbs, wild and cultivated sprouts and sweet dressing of purple carrot. The emotion and the intense pleasure goes on with the blanched Camus artichoke proposed onto a layer of fleshy artichoke leaves and flowers seasoned with Iberian pork fat. And the show continues, as astonishing as before, with the glutinous cod accompanied by mastic and gelatinous pine kernel creams, or with the unctuous bread soup covered with crab meat and perfumed with rose geranium leaves. The parade of magnificent dishes goes on and on: longueirones (small razor-shells), seasoned with black bean juice and aromatized with cinnamon oil; grilled lobster proposed with sautéed herbs and dried peaches; cockerel with amaranth “roe”, marinated herbs and sautéed baby carrots; browned ray fibres with toasted butter glaze and creamy hint of pork; duck sirloin with iodized accompaniments and summer truffle chips… The final apotheosis arrives with some red fruits soaked in decooked orange blossom leaves and with the grilled and salted walnuts served with milk ice cream and armagnac jelly.