Mugaritz in San Sebastian: 4th best restaurant in the world!

CLOUD OF PETALS

Apart from the Pintxos Bar I spoke in my last post (Gastronomic pintxos In San Sebastian)you have some of the best restaurants in the world. Arzak, Martin Berasategui, Mugaritz,Akelare... We will talk about Mugaritz, 4th best restaurant in the world. Mugaritz has been in the top 10 since many years now. Here is an interview with Andoni. Thanks Susana! Andoni Luis Aduriz, is a world renowned chef. He was part of El Bulli team, also worked with Martín Berasategui, Juan Mari Arzak and more. He has been awarded various times for his innovative cuisine, which incorporates flowers and plants.

Belle Barcelone: What is your signature dish?

Andoni: More than having our guests know us by a signature dish, we feel really identified with one of our dishes: THE EDIBLE STONES. It is a dish of extreme simplicity and yet it gathers all of the most important values of Mugaritz: Austerity, Synthesis, Surprise, Comfort, Tradition, and an unforeseeable punch.

BelleBarcelone: What sets you apart?

Andoni: We are very different from most of the restaurants around us and we are too far away from the restaurants that share privileged positions in the world ranking of Restaurant Magazine. We are happy working in the things we love the most and show our respect for the work of others.

BelleBarcelone: Do people choose your place for a special occasion?

Andoni: They choose Mugaritz for the experience we offer. People don't come here to be fed, they come here to discover and break their own limits. They come here to discover they can feel excited and cheerful in the middle of a fine dinning experience.

BelleBarcelone: What inspired you?

Andoni: Everything inspires me. The true challenge, is learning how to look at things from a different point of view, without prejudices and allowing creative connections to flow.

BelleBarcelone: Do you use local ingredients?

Andoni: I would say that about 90% of the products we use in our menus are sourced locally. We buy from 5 different markets in our area and also have some of our neighbours grow vegetables for us.

BelleBarcelone: If you could only use 3 ingredients to make a dish, what would it be?

Andoni: Garlic, parsley and fish

BelleBarcelone: What could you offer vegetarian people?

Andoni: Around 40% of our dishes are 100% vegetarian. There are many options of seasonal vegetables, plants and flowers that we incorporate to our menu in order to meet our guests requirements or special diets.

BelleBarcelone: How long have you been open? Why are you close for some months?

Andoni: On March 21st we just made 15 years! We close from December to April in order to develop new dishes and work on new ideas and special projects.