Akelare, a three Michelin star restaurant in Igeldo, San Sebastian.

Being part of a food lover’s paradise, much is at stake for Chef Pedro. He shares the illustrious three star distinction along with Arzak and Berasategui. As the city that captures the most michelin rated restaurants per capita, there is tremendous pressure to uphold the beacons of prestige. Visitors look forward to this destination, anticipating that the rumors are as good as what reality is when one mentions about the gastronomy of this region.

Make Reservations for Lunch instead of Dinner

Akelare is about a twenty-minute drive from Donostia. Depending on where you are, the road will lead you to an uphill drive, with narrow roads around the mountain. Driving at night was a bit concerning since you cannot see what’s on the other side of the steep road. It doesn’t help that you will frequent cars driving on the opposite direction, causing a possible collision if one is careless. By the time you reach the restaurant, you can feel that you are at a much elevated area. In the day time, the hotel and restaurant overlook a breathtaking coastal view. This is what you will miss out on if you choose to have dinner—the views will be nothing but pitch black.

The Interior and Overall Atmosphere

Akelare’s interior is mostly composed of medium dark wood. The design is minimal, which is pleasing to the eyes. You are surrounded by glass windows that give you a glimpse of some parts of the hotel and the view of the coast. Chandeliers are sleek, nothing over the top. Tables are set with well-ironed white cloths, with the emblem R, running all throughout.

After we sat, it wasn’t that long before all the people started flocking in. It became too loud that I couldn’t even hear my friends talk. There was no music being played and the A/C was set comfortably.

The Menu

The menu came in the form of a folded paper. Upon opening, it reads two tasting menus to choose from—both showcasing San Sebastian’s best The menu acts a souvenir that you take home with you, as mentioned by the server. I find it a bit cheap for a three star restaurant to give out menus that are printed on paper that doesn’t feel substantial.

Both tasting menu lasts nine courses with two dessert courses, a total of eleven. I was observing how the servers move and act. At the hostess stand, the chef came out from the kitchen and checked the bookings. He seemed to be very down to earth and presented himself appropriately. It is a good sign to see the chef being present in a three star restaurant.

The wine menu is accessible through an Ipad that they leave on your table so you can choose. While some people like this idea for visual ease, since you can literally see how the bottle looks like on screen, I find that having a booklet still feels more classy and elegant. It doesn’t matter how the bottle looks as long as you know where it’s coming from and the vintage is written.

We got our bottle and picked our menu. One of the FOH staff came and not even mention a word, nor did he strike a conversation. He just did what he had to do, showed us our wine, opened and transferred it to a decanter and left. We chose something local, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take a photo of it.

Canapes

*Please be advised that I just copied all the words that were printed on the menu.

To start the show, they gave us a very colorful toasted bread with three different flavors. I cannot remember the black part, what stood out was the middle (red) part because it gave off the smell and taste of chorizo. You pair this up with the goat cheese butter below.

While being wonderfully presented, I must say that this didn’t do anything to enhance the taste of the toast.

This bite is made out of pork. It reminded me of lechon in the Philippines, it was pleasantly crunchy and packed a lot of flavor.

These bites were chewy, reminiscent of mochi. It tasted mostly of green olives.

This is probably the best bite out of all the canapes. French macarons with an anchovy filling in the middle. The flavor pops out of nowhere and you get this in-your-face surprise.

Consomé Gelée With Curry Chicken

I didn’t understand the concept of this. It was as if you were eating a bland gelatin with some crispy cereals on top. This was the start of my disappointment.

The Bekarki Tasting Menu

**Pure Red Prawn Essence & Pink Grapefruit**
Raw seasoned prawn with grilled head juice and a touch of Pink Grapefruit
Some people like to eat raw shrimp but others find it way too extreme. After presenting, they pour a sauce made out of the shrimp head’s essence. At the bottom is a crunchy hollow bed of what I assume to be rice cracker. Nonetheless, the texture of the prawn to me was too much, also the taste was in your face fishy. It in fact delivers the idea of having the flavors of the sea on a plate. Although, the sauce had a very “raw” taste to it that got my friends and I taken off guard, it was just too strong even for seafood lovers. Once they pour the sauce, time is your enemy, you have to eat it as fast as you can or the cracker will get soggy.

**Kiskilla, Crunchy of their Head with Rice Venere and Salpicon Sorbet**
Quisquillas de Huelva raw marinated and presented under a cover of Venere rice with the of the heads
They advise you to take a bite of the main dish and sip the broth alternately. The rice covering tasted burnt and stale on some parts. After breaking the top, you get to scoop a piece of prawn covered in sauce and the sorbet, which was tasty. Although, the broth made out of the essence of rice and the prawn was puzzling. I didn’t find the harmony of what they are trying to express in the dish. It was unnecessary to sip the broth as it didn’t do anything.

**White Tuna Tartare, Pickled Cherries Chutney**
Thin cubes of tuna, marinated and seasoned with onion, Shiso and Piment d’Espelette. The crispy skin of the tuna. Solid cubes of Marmitako broth and cherry chutney
Pretty underwhelming as well. Underseasoned and just didn’t really have any ***ooomfff*** to make you jump out of your chair and go crazy.

Sautéed Fresh Foie Gras with “Salt Flakes and Grain Pepper”

Sautéed Foie Gras with a lot of “Salt & Pepper”

It was an interesting and funny moment when they presented the salt flakes and pepper. I thought I was going to the hospital for consuming copious amounts of salt. The salt was actually made of sugar, and the pepper was like a crunchy wafer. The clear sauce or chutney made of apple didn’t have enough flavor to it. Again, the course was fun but bland.

**Tranche of Grilled Turbot**
Turbot with its bone and its fish bones, more juicy. Candied first and cooked in the josper after. Potato, onion and garlic.
I didn’t think that the turbot was fresh or I might have gotten a piece that was close to the belly and it just tasted a little fishy and old. It was overcooked as well. The accompaniments were forgetful.

**Cephalopods (Cuttlefish, Squid and Octopus) in different types of Cooking**
Squid, Cuttlefish and Octopus in different flavors and cooking, on traditional stew

**Carved Beef, Mushroom Roll. Apple Sauce and Mead. “Poivrade” Roast Juice**
Grilled beef, accompanied by the mycological products of the season and two contrasting sauces

The beef was not as tender as I was expecting it. The contrast in the sauce didn’t work together. Overall, it was edible, but nothing to remember.

What saved the dinner for me were the desserts. These were two fantastic desserts that had the right flavors, intentions and harmony. They were well seasoned but not too sweet.

Chocolate, Hibiscus and Hazelnut

Chocolate dessert with a refreshing hibiscus flower ice cream and hazelnut

**Fried “Frantxineta”, Rhubarb Cream**
Pantxineta and Frangipane, one or the other. French or Donostiarra origin. But inspiration, above all.

Summary
I’m sorry to say, but Akelare didn’t live up to the expectations of being a gastronomic destination worthy of the trip. Out of all the two or three michelin star restaurants that I’ve been to in europe, this ranks the lowest. While they showcased the best products of what San Sebastian is known for, they failed to capture the taste, execution and the surprise. To me, the overall tasting felt bland and flat, monotone. Thank goodness for the desserts because at least we left with something to remember.

The timing of food coming out is spectacular though, every course came out between the ten to fifteen minute mark. FOH staff were a little bit rattled and weeded, some of them were not synchronized and you can see their frustration. Empty dishes are left on the side working tables that everyone can see. Courses were coming out without the tables being set up, they leave them hanging way too long on the side tables.

Food: 6/10 As mentioned, Akelare failed to deliver the wow factor

Service: 8/10 Service had some faults: Tables were not set before food arrived. Food taking too long to be served when it’s just hanging on the side table. Some key associates were not engaging.

Price: 10/10 Akelare’s price point is reasonable compared to other restaurants of the same status. Although, the value for money is not perfect.

Ambience: 8/10 It gets too loud when the restaurant is full.

Unfortunate to say that I will not come back. When in San Sebastian, it’s better to enjoy the local food scene of pintxos bars.

Akelare, San Sebastian

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