Delightful dishes at Donosti
Donosti has always been my favorite Basque restaurant in Manila. Its name was inspired by Donos tia, the Bas que name for San Sebastian, a coastal city in the Basque Autonomous Community in Spain. This city is famous for its cuisine. I have never been to San Sebastian so I frequent Donosti in Bonifacio Global City to get my fix.
I recently went to Donosti upon the invitation of chef and owner Tippi Tambunting to try the restaurant’s new of fer ings.
Several appetizers we reserved including the melt-in-your- mouth
Jamo n Iberico Be l lo t a , the real de a l be cause it came f rom the black pig fed only with acorns. The ham actually was from Donosti’s sister restaurant Txanton on Pasong Tamo Extension in Makati City.
I had t wo favor ites that night . One was the Chanquetes Estrelladosy Jamon, basically fried tiny silver fish topped with fried egg and h am. I am used to this dish with potatoes in stead of the fish. So those who avoid carbohydrates, this dish is for you! The restaurant also has this version with squid instead of the silver fish.
My other favorite was truly special — the Merluza a la Pilpil. This was the prized jaw of hake cooked in an emulsified sauce. The sauce, which originated from the Basque country, was made from olive oil ( in which the fish wa s cooked), garlic and very small hot peppers called guindillas. Just a tip: order this dish in advance and reserve this prized part of the
merluza or hake. Every thing served on our table was splendid but these two dishes are certainly enough reasons to go to Donosti. I will be back very soon for these dishes and try out more from the restaurant’s new menu.
Checkout Donosti’s regular specials written on its black board, you won’t be disappointed!