::kokken::

you past by here and decided to drop in for dinner. actually it's the curiosity that drives you to enter and check it out.  scandinavian by its name and scandinavian by its interior design.  this place is clean, spacious and airy.

you asked for the choice for breakfast and decided to go scandinavian by having a smoked salmon toast and a coffee. it's good, not to salty and a brief break away from the basque kitchen of either sweet pastry or a savory pintxos as breakfast.

 you chatted with the chef (on the left), since he is one of the very rare who can speak english.  he worked in copenhagen before and that he wants the restaurant/cafe to have scandinavian design. that's explain the name too.

so you decided to return for dinner tonight.  they offered different types of dinner and you opt for 5 courses surprise menu. yet there's a few dishes that you really would like to try and they accommodate your wishes

 the monkfish soup with salmorejo, very tasty and refreshing and a clever use of black sesame seeds that add a bit of crunchiness to the soup

 scallop with artichoke mousse, you don't need more seasoning when the ingredient is at its best and freshest!  you actually wanted to try the tuna burger with black charcoal bread but that's not to your avail, so the rest became a surprise menu from the third course onward...

 the squid cooked with teriyaki sauce and wakame. this is not bad but you just didn't expect a japanese cuisine in a basque country.  even then there's nothing to fault when the fresh ingredients were used and the teriyaki sauce is teriyaki in your humble opinion.

 and a beef steak with peanut sauce but the peanut sauce has a more distinct miso aroma than peanut, that said it's still a very nicely cooked beef and pair well with the sauce

you thought your dessert is merely a cappuccino, but you're wrong as what sits under the frothy cream is pineapple granite and the mousse is actually the coconut cream with a hint of cinnamon powder, pair really well with the chocolate brownie.

beside a long pause between the third and the fourth course (partly due to the mis-communication), the whole dining experience was excellence, you started at 7.30pm and didn't leave until over 10pm.  this restaurant is definitely a rising star and star potential!