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NAFARROLA HOTEL
The loving rooms
The Rola Restaurant
From the vegetable garden, dishes
emerge such as lemon thyme foam
with lemon gelée and cauliflower
cream, or artichoke with Iberian pork
jowl and truffle emulsion; the waters
of the Artika bring to the table an an-
chovy served on talo with exquisite
txakoli butter, while the farmhouse
delights diners with a foie royale pai-
red with late-harvest txakoli, and the
forest offers an organic egg with con-
fit mushroom, crisps and foie emul-
sion. The ice creams are also inspi-
red by the woodland and, under the
curious name ‘Three Falls in the Fo-
rests’, capture its arboreal essence.
From the estuary comes a baked
scallop with crustacean cream and
fennel emulsion; and from the coast,
a roasted sea bass with its collagen
and a vigianado sauce. The port of
Bermeo, one of the most outstan-
ding—if not the most—when it comes
to tuna fishing, contributes a specta-
cular bonito cooked a la marinera,
simmered in seawater. It is difficult
to convey the skill and mastery of
Gaizka—for whom his time at Zube-
roa under Hilario Arbelaitz was de-
cisive, revealing to him the world of
haute cuisine—when preparing roast
pigeon with turnip stuffed with its li-
vers, pine nuts and potato cream. An
exclusive selection of cheeses from
Urdaibai and Navarre, titled ‘The
Hypothesis of Our Name’, together
with pineapple marinated and served
with lemon verbena ice cream and
fermented coconut milk, brings the
culinary interpretation of the Urdaibai
Reserve to a close.
A brief aside must be made to highli-
ght the beauty and uniqueness of the
crockery that holds the flavours of Ur-
daibai. Its shape—perfectly suited to
each bite—its texture and its colour
are extraordinary. When asked about
its origin, Josu explains that the pot-
ter responsible for these exceptional
pieces is Vicente Alcaide, who works
in his workshop barely a kilometre
from Nafarrola. And, says Josu, gi-
ven the success of his work, they are
considering offering some pieces for
sale at the hotel.
Anchovy on talo and txakolí butter
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