Ametsa with Arzak Instruction at The Halkin by Como is a complex affair, so we’ll start with an explanation of the name. Arzak Instruction is a team of five top chefs – Juan Mari Arzak, Elena Arzak, Mikel Sorazu, Igor Zalakain and Xabier Gutierrez – who are collaborating on the Basque restaurant housed in the Belgravia hotel. Ametsa means dream, and not only is it a dream team running the show, but the interior, by London partnership AB Rogers, is a soft and calming environment, overarched by the wave-like ceiling installation of 7,600 glass containers holding the ten main spices that play a part in creating the menu dishes.
The two Arzaks mentioned earlier are father and daughter, holding three Michelin stars at the eponymous Arzak in foodie-capital San Sebastian, and the influence of the established restaurant is evident in this new addition to the family, both in interior feel and dish quality. Frankly you’d be embarrassed to lay a rude fork on some of the art/cuisine being served up at Ametsa, such is its visual brilliance, but there’s no point in leaving hungry, we suppose. Still, seems a shame to mess up dishes that pretty…
