Eneko at One Aldwych, London

I think I had one of the best meals this year in a London restaurant.  The year hasn’t finished yet, but I believe this meal is going to be difficult to match. What a fantastic setting and food at Eneko!

The premises entrance is situated literally at the corner of  Strand and Wellington Street. As you enter Eneko from the busy theatreland and the hustle and bustle of Central London,  few steps down you immerse yourself in an oasis of tranquillity.  A beautiful bar is the first thing you encounter on the floor below. To reach the restaurant, you must go down another staircase.

The décor is contemporary and elegant. The tall ceilings that make you forget that you are two floors below street level.

The staff was knowledgeable and attentive. I love going to a restaurant where the staff knows everything on the menu and can explain the dishes and ingredients eloquently.  The food was extraordinary, and the representation was beautiful thought out with different vessels and plates specially made for the restaurant. Everything is very tactile, smooth and tasteful.

As I read the menu I wanted everything.  But before that, the waitress brought some seriously delicious selection of bread and basil emulsion and chive butter in a vessel similar to pestle and mortar, where she mixed the butter.  The bread basket was unusual too –  I really like details!

Dinner at Eneko

The portions were just right, not too little but not too generous.

The starters were show stoppers with a bit of theatre in the mix.

Mushroom and Cauliflower, Cauliflower cream, egg yolk in the center and mushroom foam, the leaf was made of compressed mushroom  – It looks much better them it looks and I think it looks amazing.

The tender and juicy Pork Roasted Iberico presa,  Iberian Pata Negra (Black Foot) Pork, wheat in chickpea sauce, garlic cream. This dish was so tasty  – heaven for meat eaters.

Piperrak (off the picture)  – Green Gernika peppers, similar to padron peppers

Desserts

All desserts came with traditional Basque ice cream (cheese)

wines:
aperitif
Gorka Izagirre
Bizkaiko Txakolina, Basque Country, Spain 2015
very dry white wine with high acidity  – perfect with the starters

Red with the meal: Habla De La Tierra
Trujillo, Extremandura, Spain 2014
Cabernet franc, Tempranillo
Intense, deep red, Bright, clean and bold, on the motuh is fresh and vibrant.

Digestive:  Arima Late Harvest
Bizkaiko Txakolina Basque Country, Spain 2014.
Delicate   and fresh not too sweet with orange and honey aromas and toasty notes

Eneko is not an ordinary eatery.  It’s a Basque gastronomic experience.
And what a fabulous foodie experience!  Highly recommended – go it’s worth every single bite!

Average cost per person £90 (aperitifx2, starters x3, mains 2x and 2xsides, desserts x2, digestive x2 and coffee x2)  – excellent price for an unforgettable experience.

Eneko
One Aldwych Hotel
1 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BZ

Disclosure: I was a guest of Eneko at One Aldwych.  All views are my own.