db Eats: Eneko

db pays a visit to the first UK restaurant venture of ex-Azurmendi chef Eneko Atxa for bold Basque flavours, dry ice and lashings of Txakoli.

The Casson Mann-designed interior of Eneko at One Aldwych (Photo: Eneko)

The concept: Eneko Atxa wants you to think of the food at his eponymous London restaurant as ‘rustic’ Basque food ‘without pretension’, served in a ‘fun’, ‘casual’ dining setting. You have to keep in mind, though, that this is the former head chef of the Willy Wonka factory of gastronomy that is Azurmendi, and his interpretation of these words may well diverge from yours.

The décor: Is very striking. There’s a (Tim) Burtoneque feel as you descend the stairs of the former Axis restaurant within the One Aldwych hotel. Dark-stained oak floor, huge exposed structural beams, strange sloped wall tiles cleverly designed to reflect the meagre sunlight that filters down from street level, a strange-looking black dimpled metal wall at the far end by the kitchen, amplifying the subterranean cave feel, blood red leather booths, funereal flower displays – all reminiscent of Otho’s interior design in the film Beetlejuice…

Memories of the Bay of Biscay (Photo: Eneko)

Clearly a lot of effort and expense has gone into it. According to restaurant supervisor, three designers were asked to come up with proposals for it and none passed muster, so a fourth was commissioned – museum designer Casson Mann (who, incidentally, also worked on Bordeaux’s new Cité du Vin). There’s a spaceship-like ‘floating’ mezzanine level (not sure how that works; is it the same trick used by those floating Yodas on London’s Southbank?), shocks of burnished copper – testament to the Basque country’s copper mining heritage; beautiful chestnut wood tables and elegant cutlery have also been brought in from the Basque country.

The food: Though the official line is that this is a menu inspired by rustic Basque cooking, the presence of seaweed-scented dry ice hints that Azurmendi’s avant-gardism has trickled through to Chef Atxa’s London venue. Unlike Azurmendi and its ilk, though, there is no tasting menu; rather, the main menu is divided into ‘itsasotik’ (from the sea), ‘lurretik’ (from the land) and ‘orutik’ (from the garden) options. Pointillisms of flavoured emulsions feature prominently (and didn’t always taste obviously of what they were supposed to on my visit), but the dishes clearly have grandmother’s Basque cooking at their heart – cod tripe stew with Bizkaine (sweet red pepper-based) sauce and cod bites, for example, or ‘Txerri Boda Pork Festival’ (that’s the name of the dish, referring to the traditional pig-slaughtering done on St Martin’s Day in November in the Basque region), a trio of finger-food treats combining chorizo in a milk bread bun, sweetbread coated with bacon glaze and suckling pig tempura. It’s essentially Basque, but with glazes, emulsions and the odd miasmic pool of dry ice thrown in.

A floating Yoda on London’s Southbank

If you’re an adventurous eater, you’ll probably find it hard to choose from the dishes on offer. Even the vegetarian options sound compelling – beetroot tartare with pickled red onion, potato soufflé, sourdough toast and vegetable barbecue sauce, for example. The Memories of the Sea (pictured), is a treat for shellfish lovers – a fresh oyster in its shell with basil emulsion and a pretty little flower I couldn’t identify; unctuous prawn tartare with spring onion and a mini quenelle of caviar; light dressed crab served in its carapace – very pleasant. Then there’s Basque-style hake in tempura with rich, sweet red pepper sauce, confit vegetables and parsley emulsion – very good with the rich, sweetly spiced ‘Bobos Finca Casa La Borracha’ Bobal on the wine list.

The drinks: Around 43 references, all Spanish except the Champagne. Chef Atxa’s uncle Gorka runs the Gorka Izagirre winery (part of the Azurmendi restaurant complex near Bilbao), which supplies Eneko’s Txakolis – from the traditional light, sprtizy aperitif-style one to the barrel-fertmented, 24-month oak-aged one, ’42 by Eneko Atxa’, to the ‘Arima late harvest bottling. While there are no sommeliers (this is casual dining, as the remind me), the staff seem well drilled and supervisor Xavier is clearly enthusiastic about the list.

If you fancy trying something novel from other regions of Spain, the Parés Baltà Amphora Gris is worth a punt. This is a limited edition (fewer than 2,000 bottles made) natural wine made from 100% old-vine Xarel-lo, fermented in amphorae unearthed from an archaeological site within the vineyard. Other highlights include ‘El Hombre Bala’, a lovely old-vine Garnacha from ‘Garnachistas’ Fernando Garcia and Daniel Gómez Jiménez-Landi as part of their ‘Uvas Felices’ (Happy Grapes) project. Almost all the wines are available by the glass, carafe or bottle. Prices are on the expensive side of moderate (average 175ml by the glass price: £13), though only three wines top £100.

Signature dish: The Memories of the Bay of Biscay seems to speak in the most apropos way of what Eneko is trying to do – it’s fun and flashy, but all down to fresh flavours of the sea and Chef Atxa’s culinary heritage.

Who to know: Young restaurant supervisor Xavier Itullalde is from Bilbao and will be able to give you the inside line on the food menu. He also knows his wine so it’s worth asking him if you’re looking for an extra special pairing.

Don’t leave without: Tasting the light-as-air vanilla sponge, soaked in milk with a crunchy caramel glaze and served with traditional Basque sheep’s milk ice cream – assuming you can resist the rest of the expertly crafted sweet treats available from the dessert trolley.

Eneko at One Aldwych, London WC2B 4BZ