AMATEUR ADVENTURES ON THE WINE ROUTE

So our first adventure was to the Loire Valley, to the areas of Nicolas de Bourgueil, Bourgueil, Chinon and Savennieres. These areas of the Loire Valley are probably less known than the areas of Pouilly-Fume, Sancerre and Vouvray.

We stayed in a cute little Chambres d’Hotes (which is like a guest house) in Rigny-Usse, in a lovely little stone building. Our hosts, and elderly couple, were so lovely and accommodating. The accommodation was gorgeous and breakfasts they provided were fantastic – each morning 4 or 5 different breads (that the lady had made herself) as well as home made jams and locally made apple juice. So charming.

But anyway, back to the wine. We really knew nothing about these areas of the Loire and had no idea how expansive the Loire Valley is – we only covered a very minute portion. However, now we know a little more about the region, but there is so much more to learn. The main grape variety for red wine in the areas we visited is Cabernet Franc. When made badly it tastes like alcoholic Ribena with a splash of phemaldehyde. But when it’s good, it’s spicy and peppery, with ripe blackcurrant and cherry and a little aniseed, and with a light palate weight. If well made these wines age beautifully, most are ready for drinking within a few years.

Savennieres is a beautiful area, cute little town with some amazing chateaux. We visited the Clos de la Coulee de Serrant to taste Nicolas Joly’s biodynamic Savennieres. Firstly their chateau is amazing, and secondly, so is their wine. Two friends of ours in Australia had introduced us to Savennieres and we fell in love with it. Savennieres produces extremely minerally, long-lived white wines from Chenin Blanc grapes, and all producers are biodynamic. Nicolas Joly’s wines are fantastic; we only wish that we could bring more back to Australia.

Ahh, Bourgogne. We had really been hanging out to visit Bourgogne – we love Pinor Noir and Chardonnay, and here you will find the best (and the biggest prices!). Buuut, it is not easy. Understanding all the wines of Bourgogne from all the different producers and areas is very complicated, and we are only just beginning to grasp it.

We arrived during the middle of harvest, so the chance of tasting some wines from small producers at their vineyard was pretty much zero. We were lucky enough to stumble across some great caves (bottle shops) that provided tastings of some wines from the area. The one most of note was a small shop we found in Puligny-Montrachet, run by a young passionate guy who took us through a tasting of some Mersault and Puligny-Montrachet. We ended up hanging around with him for about 2 hours, as when he realised our level of interest in the wines, he kept bringing out more wines for us to try. He was a really interesting guy with fantastic knowledge of Bourgogne, and from just sitting there with him and trying different wines and talking about the areas we really learnt a lot. He even called "nu nu" (short for arnaud ), a young winemaker to come on down for a drink and try some of his Puligny - Montrachet. He's only been making wine for 2 years, prior to that he was helping his father grow fruit for wine makers. His father died suddenly and he was left with a vineyard and a shitload of responsibility. Apparently he's in the vineyard 7 days a week, day and night and you can taste it in the wine. he's definitely one to watch!

The area of Bourgogne is quite pretty, especially during autumn with all the different coloured leaves. It is great driving through all the small towns (which are really cute) and along the small roads next to the walled vineyards. Just driving around one begins to get a bit of an understanding of how complex this area of wine making is. Vineyards here are passed down through each generation, and are divided up according to how many children it is shared amongst each time it is passed on. So some producers have extremely small plots, and it is amazing to think that two producers whose vineyards are in the same parcelle make two totally different wines. The French talk about terroir in relation to wine, but in Bourgogne, it is really more than that.

THE CITY OF LIGHTS

We had a good time in Paris, but we also felt a little under whelmed initially. We hit the ground running once we arrived with so many things on our list to see, eat and drink. However, after the first few days we realised that the restaurant and bistro food that we were eating was much the same place to place. Although we love foie gras, terrine, pate, rillettes and slow braised meat, we felt “bistro-ed out’ after our first few meals. To us Paris did not have the same vibrancy, innovation, lightness and variety in food that we found in Spain and Japan. However, we found great enjoyment in the variety of French cheese and wine at our disposal. Also, we were staying with friends, which meant we had somewhere to cook, so we made the most of the produce available at the markets around Paris.

One thing that Paris definitely did for us was to contribute greatly to our expanding waistlines. Here are a few of our favourite experiences that assisted in doing so:

Racines – a "cave a manger" (this is a wine shop that sells wine to take away, but you can also have something to eat and drink there) selling all natural wines, which really challenge the palate and the mind. The meals are simple and delicious using high quality ingredients. One of the highlights of eating here is siting down to a very generous serve of Lardo di Colonnata. Oh yeah, and if you want a good espresso in Paris, this is the only place to go.

La Cremerie – another "cave a manger" selling only natural wines. The building used to be an old dairy, and many of the original features, including the marble benches and walls, and hand-painted silk-lined ceiling still remain. Here you can enjoy a plate of saucisson, and the highlight for us was the very generous serving (could probably serve 6 people, but we managed to eat it all without too much trouble) of burrata (an amazing cows milk mozzarella, enriched with cream).

Le Verre Vole – this cave a manger is also selling natural wines (seems to be the big theme in Paris currently). The menu is a meat-fest, including foie gras, terrine, boudin noir and andouillette (intestines stuffed in intestines….mentally challenging, but tasty).

Pierre Herme – if you want to taste the perfect macaroon or the most perfect cake, you must come to Pierre Herme. Everything he makes looks like a piece of art and everything we tasted was incredible. We went back here 3 times – I think that says it all!

Spring – is a cute little 16-seat restaurant, which does a set menu, changing daily. We enjoyed this place more for the concept than the food. The entrée of escargot and foie gras ravioli in a broth with fresh radish and carrot was lovely. The main course of lamb with celeriac puree and eggplant was nice. But the dessert of baked apple was appalling. However, we did enjoy ourselves, as the service was very attentive and professional, but relaxed and we drank a lovely bottle of 2000 Corbieres.

By far the best thing for us in Paris was staying with friends – we felt like we were really living in Paris. And it also gave us the opportunity to go to the markets and buy local produce (Luke went particularly crazy for the wild mushrooms – girolles, trompets, pied de mouton, chanterelle and ceps), local meats such as wild shot duck and guinea fowl and cheeses from small producers. It has been fantastic to see the variety of cheeses available and to taste the difference between the industrial French cheeses that we get in Australia and the artisinal cheeses made from raw milk that are so abundant in France. Although we are a little cheesed out at the moment (due to over indulgence) it is one thing that we will definitely miss once we return home.

PINTXO BAR HOPPING IN SAN SEBASTIAN

This is the thing to do in San Sebastian. Pintxos started out as a small snack before dinner, with bars lining up their offering along the counter. Now bars have a more substantial offering with blackboard menus as well, and you can make a whole night of going to various bars and having a small taste at each. Some might call it carnage, some might call it fun, but whichever way you look at it, it is definitely an experience. These small bars are packed to the rafters, and it is every man for himself. You really have to muscle your way in to get served (not so easy when you have limited Spanish, but Luke did a great job), and how they keep track of what food goes where, I don’t really know. And the bills are worked out on an honesty system of you telling the staff what you ate and drank – too bad (for them) if you’d had a bit too much to drink!

What we enjoyed the most:
La Chuchara de San Telmo – everything we ate here was fantastic, from the grilled octopus with salted cabbage, to the Iberico pork ribs glazed with balsamic and honey, to the seared foie gras with apple.

El Lagar – for the amontillado sherry and the fried egg served with ratatouille and morcilla.

Bar Ganbara – for the sautéed wild mushrooms and the bacalao croquetta.

Patio de Ramuntxo – try the razor clams and a nice glass of Manzanilla sherry.

ETXEBARRI - A WONDERFUL PLACE

the most photographed restaurant entrance in the world?

the view from where we sat, great weather for just sitting and eating

smoked butter - fantastic!

turtledove, beetroots, girolles + silverbeet

the chuleta - tasty and extremely tender

apple tart + smoked milk ice cream - another please?

another day, another meal or perhaps not?

this was another place we'd heard so much about, had booked before we left australia, this meal has us brimming with excitement and anticipation. the mystique surrounding etxebarri is one of foraging, self sufficiency and nature. a restaurant that cooks solely from heat derived from wood and charcoal, gathers vegetables and fruits and serves only what is best that day or season is something all lovers of food wish they could experience at some point in their pursuit of all things gustatory. in some ways the story sounds too good to be true,but in reality etxebarri delivers in the one way that so many other places of repute fail, you eat food that tastes so clean, so pure that you don't need any tricks, wizzbang machinery or "inverted commas" to complement whats on the plate. the ingredients really do speak for themselves, an aid to our ability to appreciate this was the culmination of a year of eating from other peoples gardens, picking and gathering food to be consumed at it's peak in flavour and texture. which sadly was never a feature of our life in sydney.
etxebarri does this with brilliant execution, it's easy to see why people may feel that it's a case of emperors new clothes, some plates arrive with nothing more than a grilled prawn or a ball of smoked butter, but it takes restraint and confidence in your produce and it's ability to captivate the diner. equally the textures derived are amazing, many restaurants we've eaten in aim for the texture and mouthfeel of the many dishes we ate and they employ modern techniques including sous vide, LTLT (long time, low temp) to do so, but the kitchen at etxebarri is producing these sublime results from charcoal grills and wood fired ovens, which is a testament to great cooking skill.

what we had:

1. housemade chorizo
2.smoked butter
3.seared tuna belly + heirloom tomato
4.grilled gamba (prawn) extremely flavoursome!
5.cigala (langoustine)
6.grilled oysters + seaweed
7.mussels in carrot juice
8.smoked beans with jamon
9.baby squid with caramalized onion
10.turtledove, silverbeet, beetroot + girolles
11. chuleta + salad
12.apple tart + smoked milk ice cream


to sum it up we had a brilliant meal, contrasts in flavours, textures and local ingredients cooked simply but with care and passion. it lasted quite a few hours and when you look out the window, you wonder if you want to leave? the only negative point and it was the case with every table, the service leaves alot to be desired.
you don't need to be pampered nor do you want to be,but you'd hope that the floor staff would share the enthusiasm that the diner conveys with a 12 course meal, it's a long time to be seated eating and long time to look at drab faces projecting the impression that they'd rather be some where else.

to finish we had a lovely drive through the basque countryside, winding roads and a continuously recalculating GPS!

MUGARITZ - intentional porkfest

caolin potatoes + alioli

marinated + pressed cucumber, tomato essense

crab + walnuts in a clear citrus consomme

buttery idiaziabal gnocci + iberian pork consomme

sardine broth, langoustine tail + amaranth

roasted iberian pork, quinoa + fermented leaves

iberian pork tails, langoustines + braising juices

select euskal herria cheeses + pairings

caramelized french toast + fig leaf ice cream

frozen white chocolate sphere, nut brittle........

distilled cocoa

logo on wooden tray

petit four tray

hazelnut dragees

should we? shouldn't we? indecisive, definitely indecisive about this place. why? well we'd heard so much about mugaritz in the last 3 years, all of it good,but recently i'd read some bits that planted the seeds of doubt in my mind. couple that with our average meal at the royal mail, run by the former chef de cuisine at mugaritz and we weren't getting our hopes up. a recent conversation with a equally mad lover of all things foody and winey,said "well if you're in the neighbourhood?" mugaritz isn’t the kind of restaurant you just drop into or is it? It shouldn’t be, but that’s exactly what they encourage if not fully booked, so we made a 1.30 booking at 11.00am.

I won’t go into too much detail, nor do I have to. The meal was faultless, simple and thoroughly delicious. Entwined with charming,
Friendly and professional service we enjoyed a 5 hr lunch that we satisfied you all on levels and the best part……it was real food!

So if you're in the neighbourhood, drop in, have a bite or two and take in the beauty and tranquility that is mugaritz and the basque
Country.

HAVE WHEELS, WILL TRAVEL

our trusty vehicle with me and the GPS, god bless navsat sally!

The night train from barcelona is good thing and a not so good thing to do. it leaves at 10.00pm from sants - barcelona and arrives in san sebastian at 7.43am. good - you travel at night, you don't lose any day time and you can sleep. well you would think so since we booked beds in the sleeping car. bad - spanish trains are crap. bad - you share a room the size of a meat safe with 5 other people, how many bunks can you fit on top of each other? as many as possible. why not? so it was my brilliant idea to catch this train and arrive with an hour to spare before we picked up the car.
i had forgotten however that in europe they drive on the otherside of the road, drive quite fast and are not accommodating towards nervous or conscientous drivers, so to say i was tired, worried and anxious would be put mildly. what was i worried about? the trip went extremely well, the only hitch being our GPS having a bout of tourettes, recalculating and more recalculating, we'd soon discovered she was set for pedestrian mode! it seemed impossible that a 13km journey could take 3.5 hrs, but if we'd been walking it would have been more!

so here's san sebastian and the place that wills you to eat, eat,eat

CAVA-ING IT UP IN BARCELONA

a paella pan for when a few friends drop in!

can paxiano - cava bar

these guys do fantastic pulpo (octopus), but not much else!

jamon label and wrapping

iberico sobredsada - sensational!

tortita de barros - washed rind sheep milk cheese made with dandelion rennet

a selection of wild mushrooms we fried up for dinner!

foie gras montadito from bar mut - i could eat a dozen no sweat!

a ham tester made from horse bone (i've been eyeing one for a while now)

presa iberico ( cured neck)

iberico chorizo - easily the best we've tasted

jamon de andalucia - words escape me!

our passionate, friendly slicer at jamonisimo

jamon de salamanca - once again.........

Well we’ve been enjoying the Spanish lifestyle – sleeping in, eating, drinking and staying out late. Oh yeah, and having the afternoon siesta as well. We’ve found the food so far in Spain to be very enjoyable, but we’ll just recount a few of our favourite experiences.

Comerc 24
We walked in to Comerc 24 at about 1.25pm to see if they had any space for lunch. We were told “yes”, but they did not open until 1.30pm. (So we walked around the block until they were opened!). It pretty much sums up Comerc 24 – precision and professionalism. Everything is done by the rules. We had an enjoyable experience here – the staff were so professional, if not a little stiff (all spoke perfect English, mind you). We had a great wine suggestion from the sommelier. We had a local chenin blanc from a biodynamic wine producer, El Bassots. It was smokey and rubbery on the nose, with a beautiful tang of citrus on the palate.

When you sit down they give you some bread (delicious) with a box of four different olive oils, all local, to try with the bread. A nice touch, we thought. We had a tasting menu of about 7 courses, including “snacks” and dessert. The highlights from the menu were:
* Tuna tartar with egg yolk vinaigrette
* Squid ravioli with ceps, pinenuts and emulsion (the intensity and lingering flavour of the ceps was amazing)
* Black rice with squid (subtle “sea-salty’ flavour and beautiful, fine, tender squid)
* Oxtail with truffle and cauliflower puree (this was an intense flavoured dish, but perfectly balanced)

It was the height of professionalism in Comerc 24 (apart from the hissy fit Luke saw one of the waiters throwing because the food runner – who looked extremely stressed – kept stuffing up). Although the food was enjoyable, it was not particularly regional as we felt we could have been sitting anywhere in the world eating this food. However, it is good to see how the high end restaurants operate in different parts of the world. We've decided after this meal and looking online that we'll give the modern restaurants a miss on the trip, although mostly well regarded, you really could be anywhere when eating the food that's served. also quite a few places that are highly spoken of have changed (pricing and experience). a few locals who we've spoken to have said that because of the reputation of spanish chefs in the last 5 years the prices are now sky high in relation to what you get. we'll just try our luck i guess!

Jamonisimo
There are many shops in Barcelona selling jamon, however, this shop is the crème de la crème. The amount of jamon displayed is minimal, but the quality is exemplary. All the jamon must be Bellota (the pigs finish their feeding regime on acorns) and tiered by quality within the Dehesa (this is the area where the pigs finish their feeding regime). We decided to sample two different areas of production – Salamanca and Andalucia. It’s amazing the difference these hams displayed - this is a truly regional product. We also decided that we should try the other cured goods produced form Iberian pigs, and they were also fantastic. These products really are in a class of their own.

Inopia
This place was so fun! The Spanish really know how to do it. This tapas bar is owned by Ferran Adria’s (from El Bulli) brother. It has a really cool fit out, and is basically all seating around the counter surrounding the kitchen and bar, with a few other stools around the back and side walls. The walls are lined with white tiles that have been written all over with customer praise. The staff are cool. They are just there having fun, mucking around when there is not much to do, but when it kicks off, everyone assumes their position and it just works. We got there at 7pm, and really nothing happens in Barcelona until about 8.30pm. The food is traditional, and done well. We ate so much – croquetas, olives stuffed with anchovies, bombas, boquerones, eggplant with sugar cane honey, fried lemon anchovies, mojama with salted almonds, and for dessert flan and chocolate ice cream. And of course, what else to drink at a tapas bar, but sherry. We downed our fair share of manzanilla and amontillado, which made for a very enjoyable night. It would be so fun to have places like this in Australia. We need to have a more relaxed dining culture for places like this to take off.

Breakfast at Tapas 24
We only write of this place, which serves traditional tapas, because we had a great breakfast there. We had chopped fried egg, chips and chorizo, which was good, but the thing that really got us going was the rabo de toro (slow cooked ox tail). It was delicious – unctuous, sweet, spicy, and the meat so tender. Not what you would normally think about having for breakfast, but it was well worth it.

Cheap and cheerful
Can Paixano, which we call the cava bar is a tiny place serving cava (Spanish sparkling) and bocadillos (Spanish rolls). The place is packed – we went twice, at different times of the day and it was packed both times. There is standing area only surrounding the area where they cook (you couldn’t really call it a kitchen) and serve. You wait patiently to get served, and that doesn’t work, so you have to flap around and make a bit of noise to be noticed. Your order your bottle of (cheap) cava and a roll with pork and cheese and one with chorizo, or one with anchovies. You stand back from the crowds and wait for your food, and no matter where you stray to, the guy who served you, even if he served 10 people in between will find you to pass you your bocadillos! It is amazing. And then when you pay at the end they manage to know what you had, even if you pay with a different person to who you ordered with! I would love to know the system of identification that they use. So that place is a bit of fun – a bottle of cava and 2 bocadillos and it costs less than 8 euros.

Another funny little place we went to for a cheap quick meal is Bar Celta. It is famous for its octopus (which is very good), and other than that you get a variety of traditional tapas items. You sit at a bar and they guy behind there, who is working at a manic place, takes you order (and a few others along the way) a dish at a time. You’re amazed when you actually end up with the correct food and drinks. There were three staff working there, but really only this one guy doing anything, and surely he must have been on speed or something to keep the pace up.

Finally, the markets. You can get some amazingly fresh produce, and stuff that we cannot get in Australia. There are fruit and vegetable stalls, cheese shops, shops specialising in poultry or offal or cured goods, and seafood stalls. We bought a few simple ingredients to have for dinner – some cheese (Tortita de Barros – an amazing raw sheeps milk cheese that you scoop out of the rind), some beans and some wild mushrooms. We topped this off with some cured goods (we can’t get enough of them) from another nearby shop. And we found the most amazing wine shop, called Vila Vinoteca. There were some amazing wines here, stuff that we would never have the privilege of seeing in Australia from all over the world. There were also some amazing sherries from 1965 and some Armagnac from 1922. It was pretty incredible. So we bought a bottle of wine to have with our market dinner.