Having eaten at Arzak a few years ago and after reading a few reviews, I was excited and cautious.
The amuse bouche were definitely related and very well executed. We had the tasting menu as wanted to really take in the whole experience- we were not the only ones. Every dish was beautiful and well explained. The sea bass was stunning, easily the best dish on the menu. Only one gripe......2 desserts each, and full sided ones at that! It was quite a way to end a tasting menu!
Overall, not a patch on Arzak, but a great experience. Maitre d' feels a little along the lines of Jean-Claude at G.R, Hospital Rd,......but not as warming, but in that direction.
A fantastic place to go for a real basque experience in London.
I would highly recommend this restaurant to any couples wanting a friendly and romantic atmosphere for dinner. The food was innovative and creative in its presentation and the flavours were new and delicious. The menu is great value and encourages sharing the courses. The staff are very friendly and attentive. Very impressed.
Stars of the show were the plate of bite-sized aperitivos, with our favourite being the kataifi with scorpion fish cake – a crispy delight with no danger of the pastry of overpowering the filling. Unusually for me, as I tend to dislike the sweet-savoury mix, my favourite dish of the night was the tuna with cinnamon on fire, closely followed by the egg in the leaf. Throughout the evening, all the flavours were complex, yet distinctively Spanish, particularly evident in the langoustine crunchy-crepe. And when our final course arrived, the big truffle, which I remembered having at the Taste of London, I was pleased to discover that this one was even bigger, and the beautifully sweet and gooey brownie surprise in the middle was even better.
Top food! From a top restaurant! Molecular gastronomy at its best! Made the evening very special for my wife - early birthday dinner! From starters to dessert, we had to restrain ourselves from licking the plates/serving stones.
I’m in the process of planning a trip to San Sebastian and the Basque region. It’s a part of Spain well known for a concentration of excellent restaurants and bars – including Arzak – a three-star Michelin restaurant. In the meantime and with some serendipity, I got an invitation to visit Ametsa with Arzak Instruction – a unique collaboration between Elena Arzak, her father Juan Mari Arzak, and Mikel Sorazu, Igor Zalakain and Xabier Gutierrez. Executive Head Chef, Sergi Sanz trained with Arzak in Spain after starting his career working under Ferran Adria at the El Bulli Hotel Hacienda Benazuza in Andalucia. At Ametsa, the menu is an innovative display of fine dining with clear references to both Spanish heritage dishes and to molecular gastronomy. The restaurant is based in The Halkin hotel, a discrete, luxurious place in a quiet road just off Hyde Park.
I went to Ametsa the other day for the first time for lunch.
What a great experience it was.
The staff were amazing from the start.
We sat down and decided to opt for the lunch set menu.
They asked about allergies and I told them I had a wheat intolerance so they were very kind to make gluten free bread to be served with our meal.
To start the tapas came out first this consisted of:
- Black ink Squid (gorgeous and must try)
- iberico ham
- foie gras
- roasted red peppers
- amuse bouche shot of tomato and strawberry cold soup ( very delicious)
We then had our mains.
I opted for the fish which was served in a white bean sauce and a bean salad. This was cooked beautifully and the flavours were exquisite.
I didn't have dessert as I was quite full and it was a lunch meal.
All in all i highly recommend it.
Also note they have a gorgeous private dining room that can seat up to 24.
Does any part of this restaurants name “Ametsa with Arzak Instruction” ring any bells? Well if you call yourself a foodie – it should do (otherwise I’ll let you off). Arzak is a Spanish restaurant in San Sebastian and is regularly refereed to as one of the best restaurants in the world, with no less than three Michelin stars of course. With such a wealth of accolades you could imagine the frenzy when the Arzak family announced the opening of a London venture in 2013, naming it Ametsa with Arzak Instruction. The restaurant sits within the sumptuous Halkin by Como hotel in London’s Belgravia district and if this restaurant has one thing spot on, it’s the décor – modern, artistic and unusual – the perfect setting for a Michelin dining experience (Ametsa has one star at the time of writing this). Elena Arzak was the lady who really put this London venture together (although isn’t cooking in the kitchens) and has done a great job – although it’s nothing like the San Sebastian restaurant.
Most foodies will have heard of Arzak in San Sebastian, Spain. Owned by the Arzak family and a restaurant for more than 100 years, it has held it’s 3 Michelin stars since 1989. The kitchen is now run by father Juan-Mari and daughter Elena Arzak and is at the forefront of gastronomy the world over. It is my dream to visit San Sebastian where there are more Michelin starred restaurants per capita than anywhere else in the world, but in the mean time I will have to settle for a visit to Ametsa with Arzak Instruction – a London based off-shoot of the San Sebastian original. The simplest way to describe it is that Arzak consults on everything from the décor to staff training and most importantly the menu, but check out Arzak Instruction for a more detailed explanation.
Went for dinner with a couple of friends. We chose dishes for the menu rather than have the tasting menu, for no other reason than not being overly hungry. Beautiful loiking dishes, that were freah and tasty. The waiting staf were friendly and eager to help with recommendationa for food and wine choices. They even gave us a dish for free due to the fact it didnt arrive with our starters. My dessert was fabulous, tasting and looking. I would definitely return to try the tasting menu.
We decided to go with their Set Menu as it was our first visit, rather than splashing out on the Tasting Menu. Upon arrival we were greeted with a sparkling Rosé Cava, called La Vida al Camp Rose where it is aged for a minimum of 15 months in cellars in the municipality of Sant Sandurni d’Anoia, not far from Barcelona. It was crisp, with citrus and blackberry notes.
We started with an Amuse-Bouche of warmed Pumpkin Soup.
First course was made up from a selection of Tapas. Iberian Ham on a Bread Pillow, Scallops at Home served with a Black Truffle Sauce and Egg with “Chistorra” and Crumbs.
Had a lovely afternoon meal. The super crispy onion skin which was full of flavour was particularly memorable, as were the translucent paper-thin sweet potato. The dishes were elegant and well cooked but not outstanding in flavour. Staff were very friendly and well mannered though not super attentive. Overall, a very pleasant experience.
We had a gift for their five course taster menu. Wasn't quite sure what to expect but surpassed expectations. From the moment we arrived the service was excellent. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly. Every dish that was served was explained, even suggesting how or when to eat them!Although the dishes looked minimalist the presentation was superb and the food tasted great and by the time we finished we were both feeling full. We were not hurried at all and the service was attentive without being intrusive. Overall a great experience and would recommend.
This is in my top 3 list of favourite restaurants; and with so many good options in London; this is a bit achievement; this is one of those restaurants you will remember.
The service was just brilliant and our waitress was lovely; I which I had asked for her name but she is from Ecuador and was friendly, professional and lovely - a pleasure to talk to her.
The food was excellent; we had 5 different dishes and each of them was excellent; I can't decide which one I preferred the most but they're all delicious.
It is also very central so easy to get to; the only thing I wasn't very keen on was the decoration as it feel a bit clinical; however, this is just matter of time as my partner completely loved it.
A good Michelin-starred restaurant, but you can find better in London. Canapés were interesting but not all very flavoursome. Mains were good. The dessert was particularly good and interesting (mustard seeds and chocolate). Flavours and textures are imaginative. Very good value with online offers.
Excellent. Came here for afternoon tea, and went away impressed with the variety and combinations of flavours and textures. The savoury bites in particular were creative and complex, but at the same time you do not feel any of it was forced - every ingredient played an important part! The sweet bites were also great, and not too sweet as some afternoon teas can be. Overall, a delicious and well-portioned afternoon tea with thoughtful creations.
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This is a 5* experience when judged by any sane standard of eating, but as a michelin-level restaurant it fell a little short of perfection. First world problems! The good: inventive food that really has a Basque feel - the salt and the sea, ox cheek, and each course is an explosion of colour. The cooking was precise and in most cases the ‘reconstruction’ and presentation was inspiring. The cod with salsa Verde and chickpea ‘schmeer’ was a triumph of texture and taste. The ox cheek in black sauce not so much. Cooking and flavour were great but it looked like it’d fallen on the plate! The arranged of prawn under a rock was fantastic and the textures a surprise - a dry meringue of seaweed, a prawn cracker batter around a leaf... lovely. The appetisers though lacked texture even as the zing of marmalade on the black pudding was a surprise.
The staff were exceptional - wonderful service, great information and a real passion. The anise donut (no dough!) was a purée apple in a chocolate casing. Incredible.
We had an odd situation of having a minimum spend (inherited from a cancelled meal) and so ended up drinking wines that were way beyond sense. The sommelier shares a level of delight and I’ll just attach a picture. A pleasure.
The atmosphere was a little subdued. The place was only a third full and the diners were older, quieter, more serious than perhaps the fun of the menu deserved. The cool design lines lacked warmth and the furnishing was not as inventive as the crockery.
Were this a bit more worn, with the patrons in evidence and more of the basque warmth (like the wonderful service staff) it would be a real ‘wow’ destination.
As I said, 5* on any normal planet. 4 given due to cost and the competition at this level.
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We partnered with Ametsa to host a lovely private event, with special access to a very cosy private dining room behind the bar. With very little hints of what to expect from a minimally descriptive menu, every dish was a delightful artwork of surprising flavors and combinations—from an apple disguised as a peach, to a mysterious purple honey-combed shape candy which turned out to be a sweet potato. Each course was paired with an amazing Spanish wine, starting with two distinctive whites from various regions of Spain, followed by a punchy Bobal red, and vibrant moscatel wines to top off the evening. The creativity of the chef and the sommelier was undeniable. The service extremely attentive and friendly without being overbearing. While it’s easy to expect pretentiousness at an establishment as high class as this, I felt nothing but warmth, friendliness, a genuine sense of fun and passion in everything that was served. Would definitely return for either a date night or another private event!
We had the dinner tasting menu which was beautifully presented, delicious and more than enough. The atmosphere is nice and clean, waiting staff are approachable, knowledgable and welcoming. I highly recommend the place and look forward to our next visit for an afternoon tea.
For a special occasion, I thought that dining at Ametsa was a good experience. We went around Valentine's Day and booked the £50 special 6-course tasting menu deal thru Bookatable. I thought that the food was uniquely presented, playful yet delicious. I would definitely recommend Ametsa if you want to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or other special date.
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We had a voucher for a five course dinner and we're not disappointed, the food was exceptional and the wines we had were equally good, the Cava we had to start was the best Cava I've ever had.
For our starters we had a scorpion fish cake served on a stick, a Sobrassada (a spiced sausage similar to chorizo) chimney, and a small prawn parcel. The fish cake was particularly tasty.
Our voucher included a bottle of wine, the sommelier suggested a white Rioja, again very nice.
The next course was "egg in the leaf" (see pics), this was a poached egg served on a chorizo sauce, something neither of us had had before but both enjoyed a lot.
Next was the fish course, cod with chic(k) painting, served with small pieces of pickled vegetables and a sauce Verdi. Then we had pork cheek with black sauce, which although didn't look very appealing tasted great and you could really taste the squid ink in the sauce.
For desert we had a "sweet taste of avocado" which was a avocado flavoured mousse served in a dried avocado skin, the stone was made of chocolate. Again very tasty.
We then decided to pay the surcharge and shared a tapas of Spanish cheese served with a Spanish port style wine, which was followed by a plate with small mousses and chocolate.
All in all one of the best meals I've had. The service was great, I would highly recommend this restaurant.
The only small complaint I had was that our waitress was s bit over polite, every time I said thank you for anything she said you're welcome, which became a bit annoying. I don't think her understanding of English was very good. I also had to ask twice for the bill, to be fair the restaurant was full by then and she was very busy.
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