H
Harters
New member
There can’t be too many restaurants, anywhere in the world, that have been in business since the 1940s and are still in the same family’s ownership. According to the menu, IRU means three in the Basque language and represents not only the family’s heritage but, also, there were originally three bars owned by different family members. So, with that longevity, you’d reckon that they would be pretty good at what they do. Which makes me wonder if our less than stellar meal here was a combination of poor choices and catching the kitchen on an off night. Not least, as we ate here some years back with no issues. I’d like to hope it’s something like that, rather than something more fundamental going awry with the restaurant. But I can only review the meal we had, not the meal we’d hoped to have.
Chicken croquettes tasted fine but were much too sloppy in texture, becoming a mush as you stuck a fork into them. I know a good Spanish croquette when I see one and this wasn’t right at all. Padron peppers should come fiercely hot, with the skin blistering, tasting of themselves, the oil they were cooked in and a heavy hand with sea salt. These were just undercooked and bland.
Chunks of cod (salt cod from the texture) were perfectly fried and sat on well made tumbet. A lovely dish. Iberico pork secreto has become a popular restaurant dish in recent years. It’s a steak cut from the shoulder, with a goodly amount of marbling. It needs careful cooking if it’s to cook through, yet remain tender. The version here used much thinner steaks than I’ve had elsewhere in Spain and that was probably the major reason why it was dry and tough. A shame really, as everything else on the plate was spot on – good chips, mixed veg and a quite vinegary dipping sauce, which worked much better than you might have first thought.
As for desserts, they were both pretty god. The house speciality of almond cake served with almond ice cream was an excellent use of local produce. Cheesecake wasn’t the more common American style but was baked in the Basque style – presumably a nod in the direction of IRU’s heritage. It was delish.
So, a decent meal in parts and we’d give it another try, as and when we return to the area, with fingers crossed the experience would be better.
Chicken croquettes tasted fine but were much too sloppy in texture, becoming a mush as you stuck a fork into them. I know a good Spanish croquette when I see one and this wasn’t right at all. Padron peppers should come fiercely hot, with the skin blistering, tasting of themselves, the oil they were cooked in and a heavy hand with sea salt. These were just undercooked and bland.
Chunks of cod (salt cod from the texture) were perfectly fried and sat on well made tumbet. A lovely dish. Iberico pork secreto has become a popular restaurant dish in recent years. It’s a steak cut from the shoulder, with a goodly amount of marbling. It needs careful cooking if it’s to cook through, yet remain tender. The version here used much thinner steaks than I’ve had elsewhere in Spain and that was probably the major reason why it was dry and tough. A shame really, as everything else on the plate was spot on – good chips, mixed veg and a quite vinegary dipping sauce, which worked much better than you might have first thought.
As for desserts, they were both pretty god. The house speciality of almond cake served with almond ice cream was an excellent use of local produce. Cheesecake wasn’t the more common American style but was baked in the Basque style – presumably a nod in the direction of IRU’s heritage. It was delish.
So, a decent meal in parts and we’d give it another try, as and when we return to the area, with fingers crossed the experience would be better.
