To see food beyond what it is, explore all its possibilities and execute the vision on a plate, defines dining at Akelarre Restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain.

Akelarre is where the 3-Michelin-star, San Sebastián-born chef Pedro Subijana and his team create a multisensorial experience.

Touring the restaurant, which has a breathtaking view of the Cantabrian Sea, I saw firsthand how it operates.

Accompanied by chef Borja Garcia-Arguelles (of Akelarre research and development) to the test kitchen, I saw Sergio Mariscal working on customized boxes meant for customers staying in hotels.

In the boxes were food treats, a play of sweet, spicy, salty, sour and umami tastes.

The boxes were meticulously inspected. A sample of the text was mounted, the edible morsels scrutinized, the finished product awaiting chef Pedro’s approval.

Borja sat me down and talked about Akelarre’s cuisine. The food, he said, is traditional Basque, expressed in modern fashion, but mindful not to lose the essence of the dish.

Integral to Akelarre’s repertoire are its homegrown produce of prime ingredients. One by one, Borja presented videos on how the dishes I was to savor came to be.

Each course has its own story. Each plate has character. Nothing in Akelarre is ordinary.

Drizzled with ‘rain’

The Leaves and Foie Under the Rain is a beautiful plate of thin, leaf-shaped foie gras, painted in autumn hues that lay side by side with an assortment of greens like nasturtium, arugula, amaranth, mustard and beet.

The bouquet of leaves were drizzled with “rain,” an infusion of apple juice with aromatics like ginger, basil leaves and lime, and speckled with vibrant red currants, dried apples, dried beets and dried mushrooms.

While the dish was a feast for my eyes, in between bites I caught myself analyzing the various tastes and flavor combinations. Every leaf, every component, the coming together of it all, made no two bites alike.

Chef Pedro’s take on Calamar en Su Tinta is sheer genius. The dish is deconstructed and the squid transformed into calamar “risotto”—the squid cut in brunoise, marinated for eight hours and cooked lightly in its ink.

An interactive, final touch is butter piped into a flower that sits on a bed of green parmesan that resembles grass. The butter flower and parmesan are meant to be mixed in the risotto by the guest, just before partaking it.

The calamar risotto was bursting with its own flavor, made decadent by the butter and parmesan.

“Xaxu” and Coconut Ice Mousse is inspired by a traditional little cake from Tolosa. Resembling an egg, the playfully plated dessert consists of foamy coco meringue and almond praline.

Goat Cheese Butter

Have a taste of Akelarre in your home. Here is the recipe for the delicious Mantequilla Diabolica—Goat Cheese Butter.

500 g cream

125 g soft goat cheese

Process cream, goat cheese and a pinch of salt in a food processor for 5 minutes, until solid lumps form.

Pour mixture in a bowl and add ice-cold water. Stir lightly. Drain mixture well.

Wrap mixture in cheesecloth and allow to drain further. Whip butter in a mixer until smooth.

Serve with thin crisp bread.

At the restaurant, the butter is spread thinly and painted with goat images using cocoa butter. It is served with tricolor crisps.

My trip to San Sebastián was made more interesting by the recommendations of Jun Santos of the Spanish Commercial Office, Gorka Marquez of Servicios Turisticos Integrales of the Basque Country, and Vien Cortés of the Spanish Tourism Office in Singapore.

Akelarre, Padre Orcolaga, 56 (Igeldo), 20008 San Sebastián, Spain; tel. +34 943 311209; e-mail [email protected]