Rekondo

Rekondo is perched on a hill called Mount Igeldo overlooking the city, and has been running since 1964, with the wine cellar added in 1970. It has an attractive leafy outdoors terrace with well spaced tables, as well as the indoor dining room. The menu is a la carte, with the kitchen led by chef Iñaki Arrieta.The restaurant these days is run by Lourdes Rekondo, the daughter of the original restaurant founder, Txomin Rekondo.  

The restaurant has long been noted for its vast wine cellar, which has around 100,000 bottles. The wine list in itself is imposing, a large hardback book 340 pages in length and featuring wines from around the world as well as great depth in Spanish wines, with vintages going back to the early 20th century in some cases. At one time there were some serious bargains here, though the sustained predations of professionals in the wine trade have gradually stripped most of the low hanging fruit from the list here. Nonetheless there are still plenty of fine options, the cellar being presides ove by head sommelier Alex Hernandez. Choices included Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Kabinett 2020 at €63 for a wine that you can find in the high street for €118, Marques de Murrieta Gran Reserva 1975 at €105 compared to its retail price of €146, and the excellent Paternina Gran Reserva 1970 at €164 for a bottle whose current retail value is €66. There were much grander wines on the list, such as Salon 2012 champagne at €1,200 for a bottle whose current market value is €1,316. Some other examples included Vega Sicilia Valbuena 2011 at €275 compared to its shop price of €170, and the lovely Rioja Alta 890 Gran Reserva 2005 at €540 for a wine that is currently valued at €180. 

After sharing a plate of padron peppers, we were given as a canape a couple of small and nicely made croquettas, which avoided the soggy exterior that can often occur with this dish. My starter was grilled Huelva white prawns (€45) from the southern coast of Spain, served with aioli to dip. These small prawns are highly regarded and have a pleasing natural sweetness. They were carefully cooked and were very enjoyable (14/20).

We then had turbot grilled over charcoal, simply served with some fried potatoes. The turbot was not especially large but had good flavour, gaining a gentle hint of smokiness from the charcoal (14/20). For dessert, hot apple cake with vanilla ice cream (€12) was fine, though this was an odd time of year for an apple dessert. Nonetheless the texture of the cake was fine and the sharpness of the apple was good balance for the ice cream (14/20).

The bill came to €169 (£143) per person including some very good wine. If you ordered three courses and shared a modest bottle of wine then a typical cost per person might be around €130 (£110). Service was friendly but laid back, which is not quite ideal when you have an airplane to catch as I did. I had explained my departure time to the manageress at the start of the meal, and repeated it more than once as the service meandered, with no rush to take our order nor any hurry for the dishes to appear. After two hours my turbot arrived with the dessert moments later, so I was able to at least taste everything before I made a dash for my plane, but just over two hours for three courses should not be especially challenging to deliver. Overall, the meal was enjoyable, with the simple and pleasant food complemented by the spectacular wine list, which is really the main draw here in addition to the pretty outdoor setting.