DINING IMPOSSIBLE 8 – SAN SEBASTIÁN
The globetrotting dinner party enters Europe’s top culinary destination.
With the finest restaurants that Copenhagen, Barcelona and New York have to offer already stamped in our gastro-passports, we enter the next destination in pursuit of culinary perfection; San Sebastián.
The lusciously green Basque landscape and deep, swimming seas offer an abundance of fresh natural produce, and has until very recently, been the place with the highest concentration of Michelin stars per capita in the world.
By Spaniards it is considered not only as the most elegant dining location in the Basque country, but in the whole of Spain; we offer “the world’s most coveted dinner tickets” to pleasure aficionados, flying in from around the globe.
3 days – 3 unique dining venues – 1 great dinner party.
Tuesday, Sept 16th – Wednesday, Sept 17th – Thursday, Sept 18th.
20 notabilities only.
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THE MENU
Tuesday, September 16th.
Chapter 1 – The Game Changer
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Azurmendi is not simply a world class restaurant; it is a vineyard, a winery, a green house, a herb and vegetable garden and most notably, a science lab.
The building has been recognized as one of the most sustainable restaurants in Europe due to its irrefutable attention to the product, the process and the environment in which it is created.
In possession of three Michelin stars since 2012 and recognised as twenty-six and rising on the World’s 50 Best List, there is no doubt that Azurmendi is one of the flagships for future modernist cuisine.
The chef behind it all, Eneko Atxa, started his culinary career from the ripe age of 15, first at the local Leioa School of Catering and Hospitality and later training at some of Spain’s most celebrated restaurants, such as Martin Berasategui in Lasarte, Etxebarri in Atxondo and Mugaritz in Errenteria.
Now, at Azurmendi, Atxa uses the most advanced techniques in molecular gastronomy. Among other things, he has discovered ways to use ultrasound to infuse oil in 45 minutes instead of months and to bring the scent of the sea to the table where he pairs it with his seafood dishes.
Though the food is what it’s all about, the building in itself is quite remarkable. During the building process sustainability was central to the design. Solar panels generate much of the power used in the restaurant and rain water is recycled for water needs.
Not only his restaurant, Atxa proudly welcomes you into his home when you enter Azurmendi. Everything is up close, personal and unlike any other gastro-experience. “New dishes are always linked to our personality, the environment and how we understand gastronomy,” Eneko Atxa states.
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“The ultimate dinner party” – Forbes Magazine (2012)
Wednesday, September 17th.
Chapter 2 – The Masters
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Serving traditional yet modern cuisine, Arzak‘s style is anything but static.
With owner and head chef Juan Mari Arzak‘s lifetime of experience as the man who revolutionised Basque cooking, and his daughter Elena Arzak Espina‘s incandescent ideas as “2012’s Top Female Chef in The World”, this duo is one of the main reasons why San Sebastián is pin-pointed on the glorious globe of gluttony.
Number eight on the World’s 50 Best List, Arzak has been holding its own for 11 years strong – the entire lifespan of W50B. In addition to this, in 1989, Arzak became the first Spanish restaurant to earn three Michelin stars, still maintaining a full set to this day.
Opened in 1897 by Juan Mari’s grandparents as a humble village tavern, the restaurant has continued to flourish under the management of four generations of Arzaks.
Juan Mari was among the first to open a culinary research lab and was arguably one of the world’s first chefs to adopt a scientific and experimental approach to cooking. He continues to champion techniques he helped to develop in the 1970s, including freeze-drying, dehydration and distillation.
Elena is a formidable chef in her own right, having studied at the prestigious Swiss Hotel Management School, later working at the legendary El Bulli. “We’re always searching for extremely good taste and flavour,” Elena says. “We strive for balance between a good product and technique. If the technique doesn’t bring something better to the product, don’t use it.”
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“The most coveted dinner ticket in the world.” – Huffington Post (2013)
Thursday, September 18th.
Chapter 3 – The Adventurer
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Mugaritz is all about transcendence; they are challenging preconceptions and breaking boundaries. There is nothing chef Andoni Luis Aduriz won’t try.
Founded in 1998 amongst ancient oak trees in the beautiful Basque country, Mugaritz now sits at number six on the World’s 50 Best List. In fact, they have their very own oak which, like their success, continues to soar sky high.
Their lush, leafy setting 20 minutes drive from central Sant Sebastián boasts an expansive kitchen, spacious dining area, bountiful herb garden and paved courtyard. Nestled comfortably amongst nature’s offerings, it is the perfect location for innovation.
Andoni Luis Aduriz is well known for his interest and knowledge of nature, his embracing of new techniques, and his collaborations. As he himself says: “We strive to transcend the customs that curtail our freedom.” A prime example of this are his culinary tricks to the eye, one of which being his notorious edible ‘stones’ which are cleverly disguised potatoes.
In recent years, Andoni has won the “Chefs’ Choice Award” – most prestigious because it’s picked by all notable chefs in the field – and “The International Eckart Witzigmann Prize”. Aduriz has been called a “genius” by Food and Wine Magazine and “a cult figure among Europe’s young avant-garde Chefs.”
Ferran Adrià calls Andoni one of the planet’s two great chefs, the other being Ferran’s brother, Albert.
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“Plenty of people throw good dinner parties; few hosts are so successful they take their soirees around the world.”
– The Wall Street Journal (2014)
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DETAILS
Dining Impossible 8 – San Sebastián is the full experience. Besides the extraordinaire dinners, it also includes receptions, selected transport and after parties at exclusive spots with a range of drinks, beverages and canapés.
All dinners include full wine/beer/cocktail menus predetermined with the respectful sommeliers, as well as mineral water, various taxes and gratuity.
As always the guest list remains a secret to the public and will only be shared in detail among the participants. Menus and wines will be served découverte, meaning presented and discovered on the night of the dinner parties as a part of the full-blown Basque storytelling.
Price per cover is confidential. Please contact Kristian Brask Thomsen at ambassador@bon-vivant.dk for further information.
Thank you.
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“Billed by Forbes Magazine as “the ultimate dinner party” and by Huffington Post as “the world’s most coveted dinner tickets”; Dining Impossible is a three-day gastronomic bender organized by culinary ambassador Kristian Brask Thomsen.”
– Sydney Morning Herald.
The lusciously, alluring San Sebastián seen from above.