Bistrot Guggenheim, Bilbao

We caught the tram over to the Guggenheim Museum, which is a little oasis on the edge of the river with green grassy knolls laced with daisies lined with students, families & groups of friends taking in the morning sun.

Admittedly, the art that drew us to the museum wasn't Jeff Koons’s Puppy .. although the discovery of this beautiful piece was a delight on a glorious sunny day. The giant puppy towering into the sky, embezzled with all sorts of bright flowers ...



Nor was it the works of Anselm Kiefer, Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, James Rosenquist, Clyfford Still, Cy Twombly, or Andy Warhol. It wasn't even Richard Serra's sculptures that had as anticipating this visit .... Local artists Eduardo Chillida, Cristina Iglesias, Juan Muñoz, Jorge Oteiza, Antonio Saura, and Antoni Tàpies weren't enough to draw us in, but the culinary art, tasty creativity & edible sculptures of Josean Martínez Alija is what brings us to the Museum.

Of course we do go into the museum, and spend a few hours wandering around and appreciating some of the pieces. The works of Anish Kapoor, which were a limited show at Bilbao, were amazing. Giant tubs of red wax in various forms, and all sorts of artwork & sculptures that changed over time. But back to my favorite sort of art, the stuff that sits in glasses, or on ceramic ... that is appreciated with the use of a silver implement and excites all of the senses.

Restaurante Guggenheim the Gastronomic Restaurante & the Bistrot on premise. We are taking up the unbeatable 18€ set course lunch at the Bistot today - 3 courses with red wine, mineral water & bread. The menu is announced at the table along with the arrival of the amuse buche, a refreshing tomato & watermelon gazpacho.



There are several options for each course. Lighter appetizer options excited us, so much foie, jamon & fried foods were taking their toll. I start with a bulgur wheat. It was amazing! So much flavor, brunoise of vegetables throughout, with a vibrant & viscous sauce coating each grain.



Kim chooses the mange tout with potatoes. Perfectly plump mange tout still with a nice bite sit above chunks of potato floating in an intense green broth with a dusting of paprika.



Pork meatballs with curry sauce are rich and robust. The meatballs are juicy and exploding with flavor - herbs, seasoning, onion and vegetables. They are sitting in light curry broth, which is delightful mopped up with the crusty bread.



The prized work of the day is the little chicken wings. Deboned and pan fried until golden, they are sitting on a polenta spiked with black olives and a little of the pan juices. It's so nice to see the humble little chicken wing take centre stage, and really deliver on flavor. Yum!



A duo of cakes completes a delightful lunch. The pear and vanilla cake still warm, with a pear & vanilla puree and chocolate sorbet.



Rice cake with cinnamon ice-cream arrives at the table, it's a little bit abstract art and a whole lot of yummy. Light cubes of rice-pudding like cake with a rich cinnamon ice-cream.



It certainly beats the expensive sandwiches & average museum meals I remember from my childhood.

Restaurante Guggenheim Bilbao
Avda. Abandoibarra nº 2
48001 Bilbao, Vizcaya
T +34 944 239 333
F +34 944 242 560
E info@restauranteguggenheim.com

Lunch at Bistrot le Cochon

Whenever we have the opportunity we are quick to jump at the chance of lunch at Bistrot le Cochon in Kutchan. Their 900¥ pasta set lunch and 1000¥ set lunch are extraordinarily good value.

We’ve been there so many times now as we don’t even get asked what we would like, we always go for one of each. There is one starter to start both sets. Today it’s a generous slice of set pork rillettes. It’s so full of flavor, a little bit salty and held together with all that delicious fat. The slice sits on a mountain of nicely dressed mixed leaves.



Then there's the bread. Warmed crusty baguette sitting in a little basket lined with a blue-and-white check towel, that is re-filled continuously throughout the meal.



The pasta today is spaghetti with tomato and chilli. So simple, but when done this well, it’s an outstanding dish. The spaghetti is cooked just so, a little on the tooth, and coated in a rich roast tomato sauce laced with chopped onions and plenty of garlic with just enough chilli to elevate it to sublime. It’s topped with freshly grated parmesan, cracked black pepper and a parsley pistou.



The other, a lamb braise.   Tender chunks of lamb that indeed taste like they’ve been cooked for hours in a rich meaty and tomato broth. There are tender chunks of broccoli and cauliflower underneath as well as some TAFE precision turned potatoes. There’s also a bit of parsley pistou water falling it’s way down through the pieces of meat.



We just love the little Ricard bottles of water placed on the table, everything about this place is superb.



As the mains are cleared there are two tea’s prepared for us (they also know this thanks to our numerous visits).



And today’s dessert, for a whopping 200¥, is a finger of banana tart. There’s a crumbly short crust base and then the soft banana’s encased in a frangipane like almond filling. Drizzled with a little chocolate, a very nice finish to another outstanding lunch enjoyed at Cochon.



Bistrot le Cochon, closed Tuesdays
1-9, nishi 1 cyo-me, kita 3jyo
Kutchan-cho
Abuta-Gun
Hokkaido
Ph: 050 3549 0034
Mob: 080 5494 0966

Bistrot le Cochon - pig out on fine French food in Kutchan!

This is for all you powderlife readers .... We've included the phone number, and a nice little map at the bottom of the page, so you know where to find cochon. There will be photos coming soon, or check out our review in Powderlife this weekend, or on the web-page....

9325.33 kilometres. That’s the distance between Kutchan and Nice, France, but step out of the snow and into this cute little 12 seat bistro and you could be in either. French wall hangings, water served out of Ricard bottles, beautifully hand written menus and food that’s timelessly classic and yet at the same time Japanese modern. It’s all thanks to former auto mechanic, Kazuhiko who decided one day it wasn't quite for him, put down his wrench, picked up a knife and hasn't looked back since. Working extensively in Tokyo he also travelled to Nice where despite being unable to speak English he was taught a lot of the classic skills he now so deftly wields.

We first wandered in for lunch which is an amazing value ¥900 for the pasta set or ¥1000 for the main set. Both come with a starter, bread and tea or coffee. We started off with a generous slice of pork terrine with nicely dressed and seasoned mixed leaf. We then moved on to the pasta (which changes daily depending on ingredients and whim) today’s was a fantastic spaghetti with braised lamb ragu, a rich tomato lamb sauce clinging to the perfectly cooked pasta, very hard to share. We then shifted our attention to the main from the other set a very clever tongue in cheek dish of braised pork cheek and tongue.

The cheek just falling apart at the approach of our fork and the tongues offaly flavour cooked away, with the addition of a few textbook turned vegatables this was a superb, witty dish. After such a great meal we want just a smidgen of something sweet to round it off, asking about dessert we are rewarded with a blancmange with champagne sauce, wow, again the classic style shows in a perfectly cooked and set pudding sweetened just so with the sauce. All this and a couple of drinks for under 4000 yen for two people, amazing. So amazing in fact we returned for dinner that very night only to find the place full (with only twelve seats we shouldn't have been surprised).

Another night we shall return we said, and have many times… Dinner is a mere ¥2800 for 3 courses. Recently we’ve had pate; rich, smooth and creamy with a rich prune jelly and pickled local veg. Fromage de tete - pigs head terrine, rustic and full of flavour. Pan roasted organic pork, sweet and juicy and slow braised beef cheeks with a rich red wine sauce. The desserts make you want to visit just for them.. Banana frangipane tart, dense rich chocolate cake, wild mountain grape tart and a wildly flavoursome lavender and honey ice-cream.
With food this good, and polished serviced delivered by Kazuhiko’s wife, Tomoko is there any wonder we can’t keep away?

Have we mentioned that there’s only 12 seats? You need to book early!

Bon appetite.

Bistrot le Cochon, closed Tuesdays

1-9, nishi 1 cyo-me, kita 3jyo

Kutchan-cho

Abuta-Gun

Hokkaido

Ph: 050 3549 0034

Mob: 080 5494 0966