Mugaritz

This restaurant with two Michelin stars was not on our original itinerary. But when my father found out that it was recently listed as #3 and has the Chef's Choice Award 2012, we found a way to get tables for the group.

It's bloody hard to find this place even with GPS, but it was worth it.

They have a staff of 70 people that create 700 dishes a day.

The first course was edible paper

Grilled toast of bone marrow with herbs and horseradish ash.

Edible stones.

Fish bones with nuances of lemon, garlic and cayenne pepper.

Toasted seeds and spices served in a mortar with a paste of chopped shrimp.

Slices of foie gras cured in clay and Sichuan peppercorns. Bath of apple extract.

Grapes of melon and spiced seeds.

Ravioli of aromatic vegetables.

Lukewarm cannelloni of mollusk and milk.

Hazelnut and beans stew.

Mid-dinner, we visited the kitchen.

To be served with blue cheese with black pudding macaron.

Roasted loin of hake with clashing grains of aged mascarpone, cauliflower and almonds.

Daily catch with acidic sprouts of amaranth and vanilla.

Beef cheek with glaze of its reduction and concentrated juice of grilled red peppers.

Crunchy terrine of Iberian pig tails with a bunch of bitter leaves and red wine sediments.

Folded linen with toasted crème fraiche and crème caramel.

Small bite of milky wafer with lemon ice cream.

Traditional almond fairy cake.

I. Was. Impressed.
OK ... some people find this place pretentious.
Others prefer their chicken to look like chicken and taste like chicken.

I wanted to be entertained.
I wanted theatre, the unexpected.
I wanted surprise, intrigue, interaction with the food.
I. Must. Come. Back.