Nobody questions that Hilario Arbelaitz, 65, is one of the greatest chefs in Basque cuisine. The kitchens of Zuberoa, his restaurant in Oiartzun —where he’s still hard at work although gradually passing on the baton to his younger brother Joxemari— have witnessed the initial work of a handful of chefs who are now starred and famous.
It’s the case of David de Jorge, an irreverent chef who regularly appears on TV and praises the present and future of this great restaurant near San Sebastian: “If the quality of the ingredients is maintained, future generations will be able to enjoy Zuberoa’s classic dishes and its essence will prevail. This essence is the art of being avant-garde making everyday dishes, a double somersault that few others can manage”.
Having their family restaurant in a beautiful 15th century Basque homestead or caserío, Arbelaitz’s approach makes full sense. Recipes are based on traditional dishes with Basque roots and first-class ingredients. Hilario, who learnt to cook with his mother and opened Zuberoa in 1965, adds the final refinement.
As well as the à la carte menú, which includes classic Arbelaitz dishes like foie-gras sautéed with chick peas, cabbage and fried bread or the delicious suckling pig confit, Zuberoa offers a tasting menu (€130) with seven dishes and two desserts that change according to the seasons and are a testimony to the precision and skill of Arbelaitz. Regardless of the season, game is usually on the menu (in winter the choice usually hovers between venison loin and roasted wood pigeon), but there are some interesting dishes like warm salad with artichokes, smoked mackerel and cheese portions with fine herbs or the wild mushrooms with veal’s tongue and thyme oil. The cheese cake is their most famous dessert, but the roasted apple pie or the traditional teja biscuit are not to be ignored.
To pair with the menu, Eusebio Arbelaitz and his wife Arantxa at the front of house offer a wine list —or rather wine book, like in the old days— with 60-odd pages of wines and handwritten notes with new additions. Rioja classics stand out with library vintages at tremendously reasonable prices (some even cheaper than in collectors’ stores).The famous Bordeaux maisons are also present (at higher prices) as well as a decent list of international wines, but Zuberoa is not really a place to discover new producers or rare varieties.
There isn’t a large dining room in Zuberoa; instead, guests eat at the rooms in the caserío —two main dining rooms with wooden beams, stone walls and French decor- and a beautiful outdoor terrace for the warmer days. Along with Eusebio and his wife, the rest of the staff is kind and warm, with old-school professionalism. Y.O.A
