Mr Silver and I had an amazing time on our honeymoon adventure, but sadly all good things must come to an end.
When we arrived home from honeymoon we had a huge pile of post containing the usual bills, junk mail and bank statements. But there was one very exciting item in our mountain of mail:
A beautifully presented box with an exciting invitation inside…
Inside was a VIP invitation for Michelin starred lunch for two at Ametsa with Arzak Instruction. Don’t you always feel like a kid at Christmas when you receive an exciting package in the post?
When I give someone special a gift, I want give him or her something thoughtful and meaningful. I don’t think there’s anything better than a wonderful experience, for example when I gave Mr S a trip to Paris for his birthday or when I treated my best friend to Pollen Street Social for hers… I think the best gift of all is time spent together, it’s cheesy but true! TRULY offer exactly these kind of gift experiences on their website so that you select the perfect present for your partner, mum, dad, friend or colleague. They haven’t cornered the pet market yet but I can drop that in the suggestion box if you need something for your dog!
The very generous folk at TRULY had spotted me on twitter and offered me a choice of their luxury gift experiences to review for SilverSpoon London. As I browsed their website I was astounded by the collection of gifts that they had on offer; everything from Michelin dining experiences, to luxurious city breaks, to spa trips in the Himalayas. They can even fly you into space…well close to it anyway 😉
The option I chose was slightly more down to earth; and the Belgravia-based restaurant, was very conveniently located in walking distance from our flat.
I found the whole process with TRULY incredibly smooth. All you need do contact the TRULY Concierge who arranges everything for you. She assured me we wouldn’t need to bring the voucher and we could just show up and give our name on the door.
I’d wanted to visit Ametsa with Arzak Instruction ever since it opened and Mr Silver and I were incredibly excited to experience our post-honeymoon treat!
From my comfortable red leather sofa I had a great view of the dining room.
The dominant element of the restaurant is the feature ceiling which is created from 7,000 glass test tubes containing different coloured spices. The test tubes create a wave-like effect which is both artistic and unusual; though I did think it would be unfortunate if one ever broke and created a shower of spice!
So why the long-winded name? Arzak, the original restaurant in San Sebastian, is one of the top ten restaurants in the world. Chef Juan Mari Arzak leads the kitchen and produces reworked versions of traditional Basque dishes using local ingredients and innovative techniques. His daughter, Elena Arzak Espina is his partner in running the kitchen and the business. Together they collaborated to bring their concept to the UK and Ametsa with Arzak Instruction was born.
The TRULY gift experience includes the set lunch option offered by the restaurant. As is customary, we also ordered a glass of champers each to wash down our Spanish feast.
The set lunch commenced with a selection of tapas.
A strawberry soup was a light and refreshing way to start, a bit like a strawberry smoothie. It was an interesting twist on a gazpacho soup, and one that worked very well.
Bread wrapped in Iberico ham surprised us. It looked somewhat heavy but the bread was light, crisp and airy and the ham gave a delicious salty tang.
The lamb meatballs were delicately presented with an adornment of flower petals. These were tasty but I would have loved an extra spicy kick of paprika coming through in the flavour.
Black ink squid. Squid is one of my favourite seafood options and Ametsa’s version was tender and juicy with no hint of chewiness. I did have to double check with Mr S that it hadn’t turned my mouth black, but he gave me the all clear.
There were two options for main course from the set menu:
Mr Silver chose a lovely succulent piece of pork belly for his main course. The meat course was perfectly paired with a side dish of nectarines.
Personally, I don’t like fruit with my savoury dishes but Mr Silver loved the combination.
I chose hake with celery. My fish was incredibly well cooked and seasoned, the flesh of the fish gently fell apart under my fork and I enjoyed every mouthful.
It was accompanied by a light crispy salad, made even more zesty by the inclusion of grapefruit.
For supplement of £6.50 we had the option of adding dessert. On seeing the word ‘custard’ on the menu, Mr Silver was not going to say no to this!
The dessert was comprised of pineapple ice-cream topped with clove custard. The refreshing pudding sat under a tent of toasted milk…god only knows how chefs devise the clever feats of gastronomic genius!
The finally our meal included coffee and petit fours.
Which included a fudge bite, a small spicy cake and what can only be described as a large jelly tot. When we finished our lunch there was no need to think about paying for our meal, TRULY had taken care of everything and all we needed to do pay for our extras. I have to say thank you very much to TRULY for such a kind wedding gift, it was the perfect way to cheer us up post honeymoon and a fabulous way of spending time together.
Ametsa with Arzak Instruction
The Halkin Hotel
Halkin Street
London
SW1X 7DJ
020 7333 1234
Disclosure: My experience at Ametsa with Arzak instruction was gifted to me by TRULY but this does not effect my opinion, the company offer excellent service and fantastic experience ideas. The lunch at Ametsa was both delicious and excellent value.
