Bar Zeruko

Hello hello,

This is a place that we have been visiting for ten years or so, I think. When we lived in England but came here for holidays, two or three times a year Bar Zeruko was the mainstay of our trips to Donosti. Located at the La Bretxa end of Calle de la Pescaderia, here you get a menu of the day for about 9 Euros.

What does this consist of? A menu del dia is three courses of something, it includes wine, served in an appropriate quantity for the number of people, and bread.

Bar Zeruko typically serves either some kind of salad, a bean or lentil type thing, or vegetables for starters. Next comes meat, fish or some such...followed by typical Basque deserts.

Coffee would be extra, the menu changes regularly and the decor is, well I don't know what to say, but I like the cowboy style doors to the toilets. For an extra three Euros or so you can go to La Cueva, in an alley off 31 Augusto. I don't know what's happening at the moment, it's closed - presumably for holidays after Christmas...I hope.

La Cueva is extremely limited in its menus, only three choices for starter and three for main course, but the choices are incredible! Chipirones a la plancha from here are sublime - perhaps the best I've ever tried. The service is really nice too, and you can sit outside when the weather is good. A rare thing in La Parte Vieja. Here the menu never changes, or at least not in the last two years, but again... I hope it never does.

On the Cheap

It can happen. You're on holiday, you love eating, you're hungry right now. If you had the cash you would have no problem getting something to eat, especially here. However, you haven't got the cash! So where do you go? You may remember that I hinted that this would be coming up a few days ago. Why the wait? Every single thing on this blog is tested by me personally, so I eat all the meals in all of the restaurants or cafes etc. I'm not that greedy so it takes time.

The first stop was easy. This place is tremendous and we often eat here: the Churreria Santa Lucia!

You find this place on Portu Kalea and it is a very typical Platos Combinados type of place. This means that you can order a variety of dishes consisting mainly of various selections from: sausages (frankfurter style), steaks, burgers, chips, fried eggs, chicken, pasta etc. Portions are big, usually come with bread and a big pile of salad. It isn't fancy but it is cheap - less than ten euros a head at the most. So why go here and not to one of the other, similar places? Style. Pure style!

The Santa Lucia is a real throwback to the 1950s. It looks like it has never changed and I hope it never will.

Where to now?

So, one of the aims of this blog has been to avoid the typical everyday Basque Country joints. Where does every American tourist go to, for example? Where do the BBC go to when they come to Donosti?

Well, La Cuchara maybe - previously mentioned here! Other well known bars round town - El Tamboril (spelt right? I don't know!) but fantastic Champis (mushrooms on a stick on a piece of bread) and croquettas to die for!

Round the old part you can find all sorts of pintxo in all kinds of bar, for now. But what about a couple of recomendations for lunch? What if you love the ambience of Donosti but aren't loaded?

Watch this space...

Simple, Straight Forward

Take:

One small chunk of bread
Two guindillas
One third of an anchovie fillet
One cocktail stick

Combine

Eat

Serve with:

Red wine

Time has Flown

Well, it's January, nearly February! In a few weeks it will be carnival, then Easter then summer once again, and the year will have gone in record time.

So, what has been happening and why haven't there been any entries on this blog?

Well, summer happened, and much time was spent doing nothing at all or floating around on the sea. After summer came the slow drift back to work which was closely followed by getting ready for Christmas. What can I say? I'm really lazy!

Anyway, now sporadic posts will follow...