Basque Kitchen by Aitor

For his birthday dinner this year, T.H. was clear about where he wanted to dine. And this decision was made a few months ago when our dinner at @basquekitchenbyaitor left him hugely impressed.
I know many people specifically visit this restaurant to savour their Txuleta and/or Turbot that are grilled on the Josper, but we had the Tasting Menu by Chef-owner @aitortxuchef. Leaving it to chefs to decide what to feed me has always been my preferred because I believe they would want to share creations that best represent them, not to mention those they are most proud of. And that’s how we spent the evening enjoying the following:

1. A yet-to-be-launched premium pintxo of mushroom glazed uni on toast topped with freshly shaved white truffle. Outrageously yum!

2. Another incredible premium pintxo of decadently delish “egg on egg on egg” action featuring caviar on a cured Japanese egg yolk and bottarga.

3. Piping hot and crunchy truffle croquetta with a creamy core of black truffle aioli and more white truffle to finish. I’ve always liked this a lot.

4. Very tender and flavourful abalone that’d been sous vide for 48 hours served on sourdough and blanketed in a “Donastiarra” sauce.

5. Housebaked sourdough with the restaurant’s as-fab-as-ever smoky butter.

6. An exquisite creation of poached Kegani hairy crab meat with Kaluga caviar, mixed greens and chive oil.

7. Hearty course of meaty cep mushrooms with cured japanese egg yolk and marigold - I simply couldn’t believe how satisfying this was.

8. An interesting dish starring sea anemone rice with plankton aioli and sea succulents - ice plant and sandfire.

9. Very flavourful pan-fried red mullet smothered in beef tendon crackling puffs and a sauce of its own bones, liver and such.

10. Tasting of the sea, a mussel consommé with creamy bouchot mussels and goose barnacles hidden under the foaminess.

11. For the meat course, T.H. had his favourite A5 Miyazaki Wagyu tenderloin with foie gras, autumn truffle, pumpkin purée and jus, while I got the incredible lamb that had bowled me over the last time. It was every bit as mind-blowing as I remembered.

12. To enjoy with our meats, we had what T.H. christened the “King Of Chips”. I must concur as the heap of huge and chunky, triple-cooked chips were perfection - mealy inside, crispy out. The white truffle shaved on was lovely but not necessary because frankly, the chips were outstanding on their own.

13. “Heaven on Wheels” rolled up next and Sham prepared for us a selection. By selection, I mean nearly every cheese on that trolley, including those from the Basque Country. You could probably have spotted my beaming smile from outer space. So great was my happiness.

14. Palate cleanser was a yellow-on-yellow vibrance of mango ice-cream, tangerine sorbet and marigold petals.

15. For dessert, Chef Aitor served a flan with the most luxurious mouthfeel, and it had the excellent company of housemade chamomile ice-cream and yuzu dust.

16. Petit fours were thoughtfully packed by Chef @ippinn_ for us to take home because after that cheesapalooza and desserts, we could not imagine taking another bite.

To pair with the parade of seafood and red meats throughout the night, @jaureguiberryvincent recommended an atypical red which we found really lovely.

Thank you Team @basquekitchenbyaitor for a most memorable dinner.

The entire restaurant pulls its inspiration from Basque Country, so no surprise that you'll find a Basque-style burnt cheesecake here. Each slice goes for $16 but you can also get a whole cake at $78. Baked with both cream cheese and native Idiazabal cheese, the result is sublime, "so sublime I didn't want to share it", says Burppler Veronica Phua.

Photo by Burppler Ting C

The best burger I’ve had in Singapore.

This handful for a burger packs a definite punch. Within one bite of the Wagyu Txuleta Burger, I was hit with an assortment of flavours. The buns held its texture and did not get soggy despite the delivery time. And between them, they hold double patties of old cow wagyu smothered in glorious gooey melted cheese. Every order of the burger comes with a side of life-changing homemade thick fries. I’ll be counting down the days till I’ll be having this again.

1. Wagyu burger with fries ($38)
The bun is super soft and fluffy - not soggy at all after a 1 hour journey. The patties are huge, not dry and tasty. I wish they would have omit the tomatoes though and use another sauce for the burger.

The fries are chunky, nicely fried and salted and the sauce is delicious - it tasted like a slightly spicy southwest sauce. A tasty burger and fries but I wouldn’t pay $38 for it again though.

2. Cheesecake ($16 - complimentary with >$50 spent if you opt for pickup)
Not the best for me. Reminds me more of a Japanese cakey cheesecake than creamy american cheesecake. It has a savoury cheesy taste which I like but I didn’t really enjoy the texture.

G I F T E D
When Chef-owner @aitortxuchef of One-MICHELIN Starred @basquekitchenbyaitor slides into your DMs whispering the magic words to the effect of “let me feed you”, you whoop out loud and give praise.
And when the feast arrives, your jaw meets floor because it exceeds your expectations.
This godsend of a meal comprised of:

1. Basque Charcuterie Platter - The Txorizo and Bayonne Ham (100gms for $25 nett) made the journey without a slice out of place.

2. Artisanal Cheese Platter ($25 nett for 100gms) - There were four: French-Basque Ossau Iraty, Basque Idiazabal, French Sante Maure and South-Central French Bleu D’Auvergne. They came with quince jelly and slices of fruit bread.

3. Iberico Pork Ribs ($38 nett for 500gms) - THE must-have. Coated in a sticky honey glaze, the slow-cooked ribs were tender and irresistibly delicious.

4. Turbot “Salsa Verde” (150gms - $48 nett) - Possibly the healthiest item in that day’s spread as the fish was poached. The sauce was mild, not as acidic or spicy as its name suggests.

5. “Txipirones En Su Tinta” - If you have been following me on Instagram or @Burpple for a while, you’d know I have a soft spot for squid. So this dish which had the squid stuffed with minced meat and onions, and cooked in a sauce of its own ink, was easily one of my favourites. It even came with a side of rice.

6. “Tortilla di Patatas” (100gms for $16 nett) - A thick, soft potato and egg “pancake” that I most enjoyed with the...
7. Piquillo Peppers “Lodosa” ($12 nett) - So silky was the confit peppers from Navarra (medieval Basque Country).

8. Iberico Txorizo Sliders - I was besotted with the baby burgers. Who wouldn’t when you slap juicy, spicy pork patties between impossibly light, soft buns? All house-made, no less.

9. Pipperada ($12 nett) - A traditional Basque tomato and pepper sauce.

10. Classic Mash Potato ($12 nett) - Smooth and silky, like good mash should be.

11. Burnt Basque Cheesecake ($16 nett) - Baked with Idiazabal cheese, this was sublime. So sublime I didn’t want to share it.

You can have a meal just as stupendous at home by ordering it at:

https://basquekitchenbyaitor.oddle.me/en_SG

Butter cake was filled with cream and mindblowingly good. I guess I havent been eating good butter cake lol

Black currant marshmellow was ok

The lemon jelly w ginger and rosemary was reminiscent of lemon ginger tea in a most surprising and delightful way.

What a nice way to end the meal