During
our two night stay at the utterly gorgeous Eguren Ugarte hotel, we enjoyed a
memorable five course dinner in the restaurant. Also included was an aperitif
and a half bottle of wine per person. And it was truly special, not least
because of the location and the gorgeous views, even at night.
We
had to make a reservation when we checked in – and although there are 10 rooms
at the hotel, the restaurant only seated about 14. Unfortunately this meant we
were too late to book a table the day we arrived, but thankfully we were okay
for our second and final night. The tables for two are all around the edge, so
offer amazing views on the vineyards and landscapes. We sat in the middle of
the restaurant and while we could still have a view, a drink out on the terrace
afterwards is definitely a must.
There
was only one waitress serving the tables – Corrine – and this allowed for a
great level of personal service. Although she spoke in Spanish throughout, she
was friendly and enthusiastic. On a whole, the staff at the hotel were great;
from the receptionist, to the breakfast team, nothing was ever too much
trouble.
We
began the meal with an amuse bouche – bonbon de foie – a small ball of foie
gras, covered in hazelnuts, with a sticky balsamic glaze. This was truly divine
and unlike anything I’d had before. I really loved the idea of tasting spoons
too, this was a small morsel designed to eat in one mouthful.
Before
the starter came out, the aperitif was brought out: a glass of white muscat
wine. We’d previously tried this on the wine tasting tour of the bodega and I’d
really liked it. It was sweet, with notes of peach and grapefruit and while it
went well with the starter, it would have equally complemented the amuse
bouche. I actually wish I had bought a bottle to bring home. Wine from the
supermarket simply does not compare. The starter consisted of white asparagus
on a bed of aioli, with halved tomatoes and cress. Despite being such a simple
dish, it looked and tasted fantastic – it was fresh, light and the aioli wasn’t
too heavy.
We
then ordered the wine and it was another we were lucky enough to sample on the
tour. It was a bottle of Crianza, a blend of tempranillo and garnacha – and it
complemented both the fish and meat courses. I would never have dreamed of
ordering a red wine to go with fish, always opting for a white wine, but I was
pleasantly surprised.
The
fish was pan-fried hake, on a bed of caramelised onions, a rioja sauce and
basil oil. The fish was perfectly cooked, the skin crisp and the flesh, almost
meat-like, simply flaked off the fork. The onions were soft and subtle in
flavour. The meat course soon followed and was Iberian pork cheek with apple
cream and a tempranillo reduction. I had never had pig’s cheek – or any other
cheek for that matter – before and it’s definitely not something I would choose
to order in a restaurant, or the butchers. But it was nice. The meat was
tender, like it had been braised – and it was definitely an experience trying
it.
After
a brief break and a couple more glasses of wine as we finished off bottle two
between us, dessert was served and it contained more wine! The red wine sorbet
was the perfect ending to the meal. In Spain, I love nothing more than a vodka
or cava sorbet and the lemon wine mixture hit the spot nicely. It made a change
from stodgy cakes or flans and it was lovely to try one of the Eguren Ugarte
wines in a dessert, having drunk it by the glass and within sauces throughout
the meal.
Everything
about the evening was beautiful and once we had finished, we retired to the
terrace for large glasses of Pacharán (or in my case, Irish cream) over ice. It
was so peaceful, with the stars out and literally no noise at all. Everything
about the stay was special, but that meal was definitely one I’ll remember for
a long time.
Love,
Lucy xx
No comments
Post a Comment
Enjoyed this post? Let me know. Leave a comment, or find me on social!
Love, Lucy xx