The Magic of Mugaritz
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By Mario Bermeo Jr.
My travels have led me to some amazing dinner tables, but from the moment I sat down to dine at Mugaritz in Rentería, Guipúzcoa (Spain), I knew this was something completely unique. Hidden away from the main city, about a twenty minute drive through the beautiful scenery of San Sebastian, lays a restaurant like no other. The name means “the oak at the frontier.”
Famed Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, is like a child in a large playground with all the best toys available—and his food laboratory as I like to call it, has been producing some of the best food in all of Spain, as well as the world. Currently Mugaritz holds the #6 spot on S. Pellegrino's "The World’s 50 Best Restaurants" and holds firmly to its number #2 spot as the best in Spain.
As my parents and I sat down for lunch, which lasted about five hours and twenty plus dishes, we noticed it completely empty with only a small decoration to its side. The decoration as the layout of the restaurant was simple yet elegan—two plates intricately joined together, a small mysterious art piece paving the journey ahead for its food compatriots.
There once was a time at Mugaritz that diners had a choice to either “Rebel” or “Surrender” for 150 minutes and depending on which you choose, a different tasting would be offered. Today all this has changed, and when I asked Chef Anduriz why, he simple said “150 minutes is too short for the diner to experience the essence of Mugaritz.” With that said we embarked on what still is one of the best meals I have ever had the privilege of eating.
The first round was all finger foods, with no silverware placed on the table—a means to go back to your childhood where eating with your hands was acceptable and where at this Michelin Star restaurant it was too. We began with the iconic “stones.” No, not literally stones, although they looked so real my father second guessed himself before taking the first bite. These “stones” were actually potatoes playfully covered and colored to look like actual stones. For the first stage of our meal we opted for Jerez, a beautiful Jerez that was specifically produced for Mugaritz and only for Mugaritz. As we got near to the end of the first stage of our meal, one of the sommeliers came to suggest the appropriate wine for the following stage.
The following stage would be seafood and vegetables including shredded Crab with dehydrated pink peppercorn, sous vide Hake with a creamy Macadamia nut sauce, a perfect seared Red Mullet with seafood wafers and cream, and a beautiful Marrow with fresh spinach. These were just a few dishes that were delivered to us, all perfect and all excellently pairing with the wine our sommelier recommended. Mid way through our second stage, we were invited into the kitchen to meet Chef Anduriz and watch his team at work. The kitchen/food laboratory was impeccable. Stainless steel everywhere, a perfectly synchronized team and a peculiar black wall with all the writings of the dishes to be served that day—almost as if you transformed into a kitchen classroom. All this was overseen by the one and only Chef Anduriz, which unlike some Michelin Starred Chefs, he was hands on and helping his Chefs.
One of the aspects that truly left my parents and I mesmerized was the view that these chefs had. The whole left side of the kitchen had huge windows looking out onto their gardens, something that very few if perhaps no chefs here in New York City have. As we talked with Chef Anduriz about the menu we have been enjoying and his inspiration, one of the Chefs brought along a strange looking ball. This was completely made from seaweed, and as soon as we put it in our mouth, it melted and made us all smile. The intricate mind of Chef Anduriz knows no bounds, even having a Chemist on staff which my mother so happily befriend as she is a chemist herself. Our experience inside the kitchen was beautiful, simple and elegant and gave us a glimpse to the reality of true Avant Garde cooking.
As we returned to our table, a notion came upon us—what will be served next? The following stage of our meal was incredible, starting with a playful caviar game, where everyone at the table had dice and whoever guessed the right number won the small mountain of caviar. The sommelier returned to our table to suggest the next wine, and like the previous time, we received his suggestion with arms wide open. The dishes began coming out and included a perfectly cooked Veal Sweetbreads with small onion flowers and small seasonal mushrooms which as we found out later are only in season for two to three months of the year. A lusciously cooked lamb filet with pork crackle and a slowly braised pork tail with wild vegetables were a few of the final dishes. The meat stage of our meal was over, and the desserts would shortly begin being delivered to our table.
The desert portion of our meal was just as mysterious and peculiar as the rest. This stage proved to be precarious while containing candied celery, a life changing sweet carrot on top of a fluffy white cheese, sweet chocolate, and the best of the best—the seven deadly sins in dessert form. Perhaps you might be thinking about the last dessert, an inspiring seven deadly sin in the form of a dessert, well that is the point, to make you think. The dessert is broken down to represent each sin, but I would not like to spoil the surprise as to the order of the sins. You will just have to visit to have this experience, but beware, the truth indeed comes out in each stage.
As my experience drew to an unfortunate end, a few thoughts drew to my mind. What was my opinion from this journey through the mind of this Chef, when will I find myself back here, and of course, what new dishes will await on my return? The kitchen here at Mugaritz is but a Laboratory, filled with intrigue and mystery. Although this mystery has kept Mugaritz at a high level of gastronomy and world fame, I’d like to think that in the mind of Chef Anduiz, a deeper meaning lives on. As Chef Aduriz described his journey through food, a small quote jumped to mind—“Perfection is not just about control, it’s also about letting go.” With those final words in my mind I believe I have not only captured the experience that was Mugaritz, but the future. In this laboratory perfection is strived for, but error and innovation from that error, is praised even more.
As we said goodbye after a most unbelievable meal, a sense of accomplishment drew to my mind. This sense was not a cocky or precarious feeling, but one of humility and total satisfaction. I finally found a place in the world where you can let your guard down, not worry as to what will come out of the kitchen and still find a sense of excitement in each and every bite. Mugaritz will indeed transform your mind but in doing so will open it to a whole new world of not only fine dining but of fine appreciation to the product and emotion of food. One thing is certain after dining at Mugaritz—your mind will never be the same, and your vision of food and of a singular ingredient will change forever. I am thankful my experience at Mugaritz for it opened my eyes to the possible and the improbable that derives from a single ingredient, for this and for much more I say- Thank you Chef Aduriz.
My travels have led me to some amazing dinner tables, but from the moment I sat down to dine at Mugaritz in Rentería, Guipúzcoa (Spain), I knew this was something completely unique. Hidden away from the main city, about a twenty minute drive through the beautiful scenery of San Sebastian, lays a restaurant like no other. The name means “the oak at the frontier.”
Famed Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, is like a child in a large playground with all the best toys available—and his food laboratory as I like to call it, has been producing some of the best food in all of Spain, as well as the world. Currently Mugaritz holds the #6 spot on S. Pellegrino's "The World’s 50 Best Restaurants" and holds firmly to its number #2 spot as the best in Spain.
As my parents and I sat down for lunch, which lasted about five hours and twenty plus dishes, we noticed it completely empty with only a small decoration to its side. The decoration as the layout of the restaurant was simple yet elegan—two plates intricately joined together, a small mysterious art piece paving the journey ahead for its food compatriots.
There once was a time at Mugaritz that diners had a choice to either “Rebel” or “Surrender” for 150 minutes and depending on which you choose, a different tasting would be offered. Today all this has changed, and when I asked Chef Anduriz why, he simple said “150 minutes is too short for the diner to experience the essence of Mugaritz.” With that said we embarked on what still is one of the best meals I have ever had the privilege of eating.
The first round was all finger foods, with no silverware placed on the table—a means to go back to your childhood where eating with your hands was acceptable and where at this Michelin Star restaurant it was too. We began with the iconic “stones.” No, not literally stones, although they looked so real my father second guessed himself before taking the first bite. These “stones” were actually potatoes playfully covered and colored to look like actual stones. For the first stage of our meal we opted for Jerez, a beautiful Jerez that was specifically produced for Mugaritz and only for Mugaritz. As we got near to the end of the first stage of our meal, one of the sommeliers came to suggest the appropriate wine for the following stage.
The following stage would be seafood and vegetables including shredded Crab with dehydrated pink peppercorn, sous vide Hake with a creamy Macadamia nut sauce, a perfect seared Red Mullet with seafood wafers and cream, and a beautiful Marrow with fresh spinach. These were just a few dishes that were delivered to us, all perfect and all excellently pairing with the wine our sommelier recommended. Mid way through our second stage, we were invited into the kitchen to meet Chef Anduriz and watch his team at work. The kitchen/food laboratory was impeccable. Stainless steel everywhere, a perfectly synchronized team and a peculiar black wall with all the writings of the dishes to be served that day—almost as if you transformed into a kitchen classroom. All this was overseen by the one and only Chef Anduriz, which unlike some Michelin Starred Chefs, he was hands on and helping his Chefs.
One of the aspects that truly left my parents and I mesmerized was the view that these chefs had. The whole left side of the kitchen had huge windows looking out onto their gardens, something that very few if perhaps no chefs here in New York City have. As we talked with Chef Anduriz about the menu we have been enjoying and his inspiration, one of the Chefs brought along a strange looking ball. This was completely made from seaweed, and as soon as we put it in our mouth, it melted and made us all smile. The intricate mind of Chef Anduriz knows no bounds, even having a Chemist on staff which my mother so happily befriend as she is a chemist herself. Our experience inside the kitchen was beautiful, simple and elegant and gave us a glimpse to the reality of true Avant Garde cooking.
As we returned to our table, a notion came upon us—what will be served next? The following stage of our meal was incredible, starting with a playful caviar game, where everyone at the table had dice and whoever guessed the right number won the small mountain of caviar. The sommelier returned to our table to suggest the next wine, and like the previous time, we received his suggestion with arms wide open. The dishes began coming out and included a perfectly cooked Veal Sweetbreads with small onion flowers and small seasonal mushrooms which as we found out later are only in season for two to three months of the year. A lusciously cooked lamb filet with pork crackle and a slowly braised pork tail with wild vegetables were a few of the final dishes. The meat stage of our meal was over, and the desserts would shortly begin being delivered to our table.
The desert portion of our meal was just as mysterious and peculiar as the rest. This stage proved to be precarious while containing candied celery, a life changing sweet carrot on top of a fluffy white cheese, sweet chocolate, and the best of the best—the seven deadly sins in dessert form. Perhaps you might be thinking about the last dessert, an inspiring seven deadly sin in the form of a dessert, well that is the point, to make you think. The dessert is broken down to represent each sin, but I would not like to spoil the surprise as to the order of the sins. You will just have to visit to have this experience, but beware, the truth indeed comes out in each stage.
As my experience drew to an unfortunate end, a few thoughts drew to my mind. What was my opinion from this journey through the mind of this Chef, when will I find myself back here, and of course, what new dishes will await on my return? The kitchen here at Mugaritz is but a Laboratory, filled with intrigue and mystery. Although this mystery has kept Mugaritz at a high level of gastronomy and world fame, I’d like to think that in the mind of Chef Anduiz, a deeper meaning lives on. As Chef Aduriz described his journey through food, a small quote jumped to mind—“Perfection is not just about control, it’s also about letting go.” With those final words in my mind I believe I have not only captured the experience that was Mugaritz, but the future. In this laboratory perfection is strived for, but error and innovation from that error, is praised even more.
As we said goodbye after a most unbelievable meal, a sense of accomplishment drew to my mind. This sense was not a cocky or precarious feeling, but one of humility and total satisfaction. I finally found a place in the world where you can let your guard down, not worry as to what will come out of the kitchen and still find a sense of excitement in each and every bite. Mugaritz will indeed transform your mind but in doing so will open it to a whole new world of not only fine dining but of fine appreciation to the product and emotion of food. One thing is certain after dining at Mugaritz—your mind will never be the same, and your vision of food and of a singular ingredient will change forever. I am thankful my experience at Mugaritz for it opened my eyes to the possible and the improbable that derives from a single ingredient, for this and for much more I say- Thank you Chef Aduriz.
