Hitting the ground running at San Sebastian

NOT a minute was wasted after JetMoney's arrival at San Sabastian yesterday. Never mind that we were at the tail end of 30 hours of travel, including the long haul from Sydney to London, an hour's drive from Heathrow to Luton, then having our jet redirected from San Sabastian to Biarritz, on the French side of the Basque region, due to poor weather.

On our arrival, Mugaritz chef Andoni Aduriz took us under his wing, having organised an informal but delightful way to get our culinary tour started. Restaurant Yalde, a 15-minute circuitous drive from the centre of town to a semi-industrial area, is close to his own Michelin two-starred restaurant at Gipuzkoa.

Aduriz hosted the lunch in Yalde's rustic rooms, explaining that although diners could choose from a menu, those in the know always ordered the same things.

He got things started with crusty white bread and a mixed plate of hams, salamis and chorizo hailing from Spain's south-west, and local sheeps' milk cheeze. Ranging from delicate to robust, the flavours worked well with an elegant, fruit-filled and spicy Bierzo "Cepas Viejas", by Dominio de Tares from Castilla y Leon, on the Atlantic Coast.

Next came generous portions of a local delicacy - cod fish "breathing bladder". Served battered and fried with onion strips, green capsicum and a fresh tomato sauce, its gelatinous texture coated the mouth and lingered long - a bit too long, perhaps, for a couple of us who were grateful for the powerful Bierzo's palate-cleansing properties.

Things picked up, though, with the next course, a unique but wonderful combination of mushrooms and "scrambled egg", the former sourced from regional hill mountains. The flat, flavoursome, tattered-edged mushrooms were pan fried in olive oil and garlic then sprinkled with finely chopped parsley. When topped with the egg mix, their slightly fatty texture was decadent and delicious.

The grand finale arrived with instructions that fingers only, please, were to be used to eat the glistening lamb cutlets and chops if the best tastes were to be enjoyed.

The steaming meat came stacked on a table-top grill under which coals of smouldering grape vines still smoked. A simple salad was the perfect accompaniment to the rich flavours of the tender and aromatic lamb, and a refreshing way to end a terrific lunch.

It's clear why Yalde is a favourite among local chefs. Its honest and produce-focused approach to food definately makes it worth a visit by foodies in the region in search of more illustrious fare.