BASQUE COUNTRY - BILBAO - RESTAURANTE ASADOR TXAKOLI SIMÓN

2 days ago
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RESTAURANTE ASADOR TXAKOLI SIMÓN

After a 15- to 20-minute walk from the Funicular de Artxanda, you arrive at Restaurante Asador Txakolli Simón, high above Bilbao.

Óscar García, the grill master at this restaurant, has a particular fondness for the Friesian breed of cow, known for its great value for money. On particularly busy days, he can prepare up to eight rib strips in a single service.

When the sun is shining in Bilbao, you go to Artxanda, the viewpoint of Bilbao, and take a bench in the field in front of the restaurant building.

There are also large indoor dining rooms for more formal or inclement weather (which is quite often!).

The restaurant selects chuleton chops from dairy cows for their tenderness, juiciness, and subtler flavour, and for fat with fewer nuances than beef. To accompany the main meat course, simple starters are offered.

We had Ensalada de ventresca de bonito del norte (tuna belly with salad).

Chorizo frito (grilled chorizo).

Morcilla artesana de puerro (black pudding).

Calamare a la brasa ( grilled squid).

Pulpo a la brasa (grilled octopus).

Pimientos verdes (green peppers).

Chuleta a la brasa, con su guarnición de ensalada.

Fresian breed meat with high infiltration and a maturation period of around 30 days, perfectly trimmed of fat at an optimal temperature.

You will also receive a small grill if the meat is a little too rare for you.

Patatas fritas (chips).

Pimientos rojos asados (roasted red peppers)

For dessert, we had Tarta de queso (cheesecake).

Tostada de pan (a type of French toast).

For the wines, we had an excellent Arizcuren Solo Garnacha, Rioja Oriental 2022, with the Txuleton.

Txakoli Arima D.O. Bizkaiko txakolina (a sweet white wine), which we had never tried before. (A couple of our company liked it so much they bought some to take home.)