San Sebastian

Before I talk about my experience in San Sebastian, I would like to share some things I have learnt about eating in Spain.

Eating in Spain is not as expensive as I thought it would be. Of cos, you won't be able to find food centers charging $3 for a main course like in Singapore. Most eateries are in a restaurant/cafe/bar setting and for that, i thought the prices are pretty reasonable.

It is a habit of the Spanish people to start off with a light breakfast, usually consisting of a pastry with a cup of coffee, leaving room for a heavy and satisfying lunch. So if you ever come to Spain and breakfast is not included in your hotel room rate (like us), forget about paying that extra 12 euros for that buffet line of omelet, ham and sausages. Instead, head to one of the bakery/pastry shops, which can be easily found.

So for the most part of our trip, we would go into one of the cafe for a cup of coffee and pastry which costs about 4 euros/person (approx. S$7) - I think thats cheaper than Starbucks! On days we slept in and were short of time, we would grab a pastry to go for less than 2 euros/person.

The displays in bakeries and pastry shops in Spain are very pretty and appetizing.. and I always feel the urge to go in whenever I pass by one:

Churros with hot chocolate:

Hot chocolate served in Spain are literally melted chocolate with little or no milk and very very thick! So be sure to pair it with some pastry!

In Iruna Cafe in San Sebastian, the pastries are displayed on a bar top alike a tapas bar:

2 Cups of cappucino and 3 pastries, all for 8Euros!


When it comes to lunch, most restaurants offer a 3-course set lunch ("menu del dia") which is very value for money, approx. 10-25 euros.

One of the set lunch (15.50euros) we had:
Appetizer - Russian Salad

Main course - Grilled squid with i oli
Dessert - TiramisuChoice of drinks including bottled still/sparkling water, wine, soft drinks are included in the price of the set!

Moving on to our trip to San Sebastian, a city in the Northern part of Spain, in autonomous community Basque Country and southern coast of Bay of Biscay.

I would say the most popular place to visit will be Playa la Concha, some say its the best city beach in Spain, with fine sand, clean waters and the city just behind.

Surrounding La Concha are Mount Urgull, the Miramar Palace, the sculpture Wind of Comb and Mount Igeldo, which we took a day to explore.

Mount Urgull
Used to be a military fort until 1924 when it was sold to the city council and acquired a tourist resort status. At the top of the hill is a 12m tall sculpture of Jesus Christ which was added in 1950.


View of Mount Igeldo from Mount Urgull
Miramar palace



Wind of Comb ("Peine del Viento")
One of the best known works by sculptor Eduador Chillida, formed by pinkish granite terraces and three pieces of steel anchored to the rocks.
Pretty rainbow on one of the mornings :)

La Perla
La Perla is a popular spa-fitness center along Playa la Concha with many positive reviews and is highly recommended on Tripadvisor. I had a chiropractic back massage and the technique of the masseur was one of the best i have experienced. The strokes were so smooth sometimes I thought I had more than a pair of hands on me and the transition of the strength across my back were also executed very well.

We also went for the thalasso fitness circuit (http://www.la-perla.net/ingles/circuito.htm), which is a series of seawater pools at different temperatures with water jets massaging the entire body. This system helps to tonifies and strengthens the muscles, improves the circulation, while improving body strength and bringing an overall feeling of wellbeing. The circuit was interesting but for 24euros/2hours, we expected more than what appears to look like a large swimming complex crowded with people of all ages, both locals and tourists.


Dining at Arzak
San Sebastian boasts a high concentration of Michelin starred resturants and we had dinner at one of the 3-michelin starred restaurant, Arzak. For Eur 170/person for the tasting menu, I wouldn't compare it to any other places I have eaten, and it being my first Michelin-starred restaurant, it was a totally new and awesome dining experience.

From conversation with the service personnel attending to us, ingredients are locally sourced and the menu changes with the availability of seasonal ingredients and of cos, new ideas from the chefs. As each course was served, the composition of the dish was patiently explained to us. Unlike our usual meals whereby we know exactly what we are expecting, there are many times when I couldn't really make out what was in my plate because everything was so new to me. Talk about bringing dining to a whole new level.

One of two photos of our meal - our appetizers. I didn't take photos throughout the meal because nobody else did that and I thought I should just concentrate on enjoying the meal too!

Pintxos bar hopping
Pintxos (or "pincho", similar to tapas in other parts of Spain) are snacks typically eaten in Northen part of Spain, expecially in the Basque country. Normally found in bars and taverns, it is a tradition to eat one/two with a wine/beer at one bar and move on to another, when hanging out with friends or family. They typically consist of small slices of bread upon which an ingredient or mixture of ingredients is placed and fastened with a toothpick, which gives the food its name "pincho", meaning "spike."

The barman gives you a plate and you can take whatever you want from those displayed on the bar tops. When done, you show the plate to the barman and he will keep tab on what you have eaten. Pintxos costs about 2-3euros a piece and it normally takes 5-6 pieces to fill me up, hence its not really an expensive meal. And I always paired my meal with a glass of taxacoli (a local sparkling wine) or sangria. I made use of this website to guide me on the best pintxos bars in San Sebastian - http://www.todopintxos.com/home/home.php?lang=en




You see the things hanging above the bar tops in most of the pintxos bars? These are called "Jamon" i.e. cured ham,which is a specialty and tradition of Spain. Also, the conical-shaped object is what we believe is used to collect the oil dripping from the Jamon. The two most traditional kinds are Jamon Serrano and Jamon Iberico. Jamon Serrano are made from white pigs and cured 12-18 months. Jamon Iberican is the pride of Spain and is generally cured 24-48 months. Jamon Iberico de Bolleta is a sub category of Jamon Iberico where the pigs are free to roam the meadows of the 'dehesa'. During the autumn prior to their sacrifice, they are encouraged to gorge on acorns (bellotas) from the holm oak and cork trees, sometimes gaining as much as a kilo of weight a day. Much of the resultant fat is mono-unsaturated. When served, Jamon are carved paper thin, and reveals a dark red colour with an incredibly complex taste and intense ham flavor coming from mono-unsaturated fat.

More pintxos pictures to end the post!