Fish on Fridays – the newest addition to our menu

From Friday 9th August, our chefs will be serving butterflied sea bream, baby squid & sauce vierge.

Unanimously, this was the star dish of today’s tasting. It looked superb, and the wine pairing could not have been more accurate for the combination of exquisite flavours.

This whole, pan-fried seabream is served with baby squid and a flavoursome, olive oil-based sauce encompassing vibrant tomatoes, capers, olives, anchovies, confit shallots and fragrant parsley.

Our sommelier, Roberto, browsed our wine library and selected a bottle of 2017 Bizkaiko Txakolina, Hondarrabi Zuri, Bodegas Itsasmendi, Spain.

Bodegas Itsasmendi is considered the Father of DOC Bizkaiko Txakolina, and has greatly contributed to the image of Basque Txakoli. It has evolved into a top quality white wine-producing area.

The vines are trellised and lie on slopes with varied exposures. Steep vineyards look out to the stunning Bay of Biscay in the heart of the Urdaibai Biodiversity Reserve, hence the name “Itsasmendi” which means “sea and mountain”.

Clean and crisp, this wine is a blend of Hondarrabi Zuri with a small addition of Hondarrabi Zuri Zerratie. Green apple, fresh lemon and lime are evident on the palate, combined with wet stone minerality that pairs beautifully with the delicate and smooth white fish.

This wine has a pleasant bitterness, typical of the Hondarrubi Zuri varietal, and this works in unison with the baby squid, carpers, anchovies and confit shallots.