Review: Lunch at Restaurante Guggenheim Bilbao

Up at the crack of dawn, walking 25-30km a day, over mountains, across valleys. And what do we do after eight days on the Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain? Get really drunk and stuff our faces full of bread in San Sebastian and Bilbao, two major Basque cities.

Our visit to Bilbao was brief: just long enough to visit a couple of museums and catch a flight back to Dublin. We noticed a lot of Irish accents wandering around the city and, of course, on the plane home. They all stood at the check-in queue talking about text messages they’d received on Ireland’s weather.

One of our readers, Joanne from the Stitch and Bear blog, recommended the sit-down restaurant in the Guggenheim, so we decided to check out the lunch. This was nothing like the usual museum cafe with dodgy quiche and overpriced “Death by Chocolate” cake; the Guggenheim’s Restaurant is all well-dressed waiters, silver service, and small things served on giant, oddly shaped plates.

I opted for the Tasting Menu (four courses, two little appetisers, plus wine and bread for €23 plus VAT), while my friend Snack Box went for the A La Carte (€18.40 plus VAT). And despite slightly shaky starters and the inability of the waiter to figure out which of us was eating what, both were excellent value. I had a hankering for – at last! – some vegetables, but I wasn’t mad keen on my salad of Marinated Anchovy Pieces, Basil, and Various Types of Lettuce. It was a bit mish-mash and the anchovy pieces just tasted raw and slimy. Snack Box’s Green Beans “Au Jus” with Boiled Potato and a Touch of Paprika from La Vera were very ordinary and a triumph of style over substance.

From here in, it got much, much better. Tomatoey goodness rolled down my greedy face as I tucked into my second taster: Crunchy Biscuit with Sauteed Tomatoes, Herb Shoots and Olive Emulsion – very good indeed. Snack Box’s Grilled Iberian Pork Burger on a Bed of Onions and Idiazabal Cheese was mouth-watering and gave the lie to all those places in Ireland that claim to serve gourmet gurgers. My main event of Salmon with a Roast Vegetable Cream and Hazelnuts was perfectly cooked, although the inclusion of a dollop of the same sauteed tomatoes I had just eaten seemed unnecessarily lazy.

Both desserts were nice and light with a good balance of flavours : Mint Sponge Cake with Chocolate Ice Cream and Coconut Foam and a Pippin Apple and Bitter Almond Creme Caramel with Cheese Ice Cream.

We left this restaurant well-fed by top-class food in an outstanding restaurant and wandered around the museum slightly tipsy – all for less than €50. Well worth checking out for lunch if you’re in Bilbao. Thanks for the tip, Joanne!