Guggenheim Bilbao

[Txacoli]

Curious about any recent experiences at the Guggenheim in Bilbao. My new Michelin 2010 shows no stars....two forks...while Lomejordelagastronmia puts the place right behind Quique, Akelarre, Michel Bras, etc. Michelin stubbornly keeps Andra Mari with a star, even after the quality has plunged after the chef took on the Bilbao Hilton. I also know that Lomejor is famously capricious....with Arzak banished from his rankings, for instance.

We always eat at Zortziko on our one night in Bilbao...any input greatly appreciated!

[JimDG]

I ate there in November and thoroughly enjoyed the food. Definitely close to, or in-line with other 1* Michelin restaurants i have eaten in. Perhaps its the style or layout of the restaurant itself, which isn't so typical of a Michelin level restaurant, that is putting off the Michelin inspectors. I had the tasting menu and all dishes were of high quality. I found many of the dishes thought provoking, with each dish almost stark in its minimalist appearance, yet opening on eating into layers of unexpected flavours. Some better judged than others, perhaps the chef is trying slightly too hard to present unusual visual/taste juxtapositions? Not classical in any sense, and neither is it a molecular gastronomy experience. A strange middle-ground, where perhaps the chef is still trying to find his final position for the restaurant. I think that because i'm finding it difficult to explain, its as much a cerebral experience as it is a taste-bud experience. I suppose therefore that it is somewhere that an 'average' restaurant customer may not enjoy as much as someone with a passionate interest in food.

[Txacoli]

Perfect! Many thanks. We will give it a whirl...assuming we can get in! Apparently the recession is over in Spain high end restaurants. We are actually flying from Bilbao to Barca, having lunch at Sant Pau...and flying back. Only one table was open in March....

Thanks again.