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Made in Spain
Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance or a foodie seeking the perfect paella, Made in Spain is your insider’s guide to all things chic, cultural and quintessentially Spanish.
Join hosts Nalini Sharma and Laura Senior García for a glamorous mix of travel, food, fashion and the rich cultural narratives that make Spain a global icon of style and sophistication.
Nalini is a former Canadian TV presenter, who has previously covered red carpet and live events, and major news stories. She channels the same wit and curiosity to the Made in Spain podcast, offering sharp, unscripted takes on everything from Spanish traditions to expat surprises.
Laura, a seasoned leadership coach and global traveler, shares her deep, first-hand knowledge of Spain—not just as her birthplace, but as a country she continues to rediscover. With a British father and Spanish mother, she considers herself a global citizen with deep roots in Spain. Her insights connect Spain’s rich past with its modern evolution, offering a unique and personal perspective on life, culture, and luxury in Spain today.
Every episode of Made in Spain explores the country’s hidden gems and exclusive experiences, but it’s more than just a guide—it’s a conversation.
The show’s Slice of Life segment gives listeners an unfiltered peek into Nalini and Laura’s daily experiences – the joys, frustrations, and unexpected moments that make life in Spain, and beyond, full of surprises. Sometimes, it’s about the reality of settling into a new country – at other times, it’s about their travels, funny mishaps, or behind-the-scenes stories from researching the podcast. No matter the topic, listeners feel like they are right there with them, stepping into their world.
Made in Spain
Why Bilbao Tastes Like Nowhere Else
Venture with us to Bilbao, where culinary contrasts create an unforgettable food experience unlike anywhere else in Spain. The city that gave us the gleaming Guggenheim has quietly revolutionized Spanish dining by excelling at both ends of the gastronomic spectrum.
What makes Bilbao truly special? It's where a €2 pincho might deliver more satisfaction than a fancy tasting menu, yet its 34 Michelin-starred restaurants offer some of Spain's most innovative cuisine at surprisingly accessible prices. We take you inside Kimchoo, where Asian fusion meets Spanish produce, and explore why Bilbao's fine dining scene offers exceptional value compared to other European destinations.
Discover the fascinating history behind pinchos culture, including the origin story of the "Gilda" – the original pincho named after Rita Hayworth because it was "spicy and salty" like her famous character. Learn how to distinguish between authentic pinchos and tapas, and why those little toothpicks are essential to both the eating experience and your final bill.
The Basque Country's proximity to the Atlantic means exceptional seafood, September through December offers the best shellfish experience, but Bilbao's food scene delights year-round with international offerings and local specialties like the irresistible chocolate-dipped palmeras from Arese bakeries.
Whether you're planning your first visit or returning to explore more deeply, this episode provides an insider's guide to eating your way through a city where food isn't just sustenance – it's the beating heart of Basque culture. Join us as we navigate Bilbao's culinary landscape, from rooftop bars to riverside restaurants, discovering why this former industrial city has become an essential destination for food lovers worldwide.
welcome back to made in spain. Today we're heading straight into one of the most delicious corners of the country, bilbao, a place where a bar snack might just beat your last fine dining meal or michelin star, and where the stars shine brighter than the Guggenheim's titanium.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, yeah, I would say it's a photo finish. Oh yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:So we're here with you, co-hosts Laura Senior-Garcia and Nalini Sharma, and welcome back to Made in Spain. Episode two, season three. Today's episode is Michelin stars, pinchos and perfect bites. Why Bilbao tastes like no place else.
Speaker 1:I would agree with that. It really is. I mean, it is a wonder when you start wandering through the streets and you see the pincho bars, the pincho bars and I think that whole scene really began after you had this revitalization of the city. So you get new ideas, you get new inspiration and I think things grew from there, because I don't think before Bilbao would be considered a foodie city.
Speaker 2:I don't think so I will say that one thing we have to really keep in mind when we talk about food in the Basque Country I've always thought that it is probably one of the best regions from a quality of produce standpoint. Now again, we're focusing this mini series on Bilbao, but San Sebastian and other areas as well Absolutely amazing food, amazing restaurants and I think in today's episode, what is quite exciting is that we're looking at the contrast. You're looking at the contrast of the simple, affordable pincho and the Michelin star kind of high-end fine dining experience. So we've got two really ends of the spectrum when it comes to eating out in the Basque Country.
Speaker 2:Okay, so should I just start with yes, please Tell us a little bit about the part of the topic that you're going to be uncovering for our listeners.
Speaker 1:So we're talking about Michelin Star restaurants. Now, for some people, this would be a huge driving point that they want to go to a Michelin star restaurant, that it's kind of like their hobby or a passion of theirs. For me, it is not.
Speaker 2:But the foodie travelers.
Speaker 1:The foodie travelers. The foodie travelers are.
Speaker 2:You will. You will have people you know. The list just came out. I can't remember the exact number. I think it's like OEA or something. It's one of these lists that you know kind of identify some of the best restaurants in the world, and it was a bunch of them, for some reason, are in Denmark, for example this year like three of them or something, but there is so much tourism centered around just going to try some of these restaurants that make it on these top 10 lists. I mean they create a lot of opportunity.
Speaker 1:Absolutely For me. I am not a person who's driven by eating at a Michelin star. If it happens to be a Michelin star, that's fantastic, but I am not necessarily going to seek it out because particularly just I think at the stage of life I'm at, it's more about being out with the people that I care about, because I'm not going to go out just to have dinner or lunch with whatever a casual acquaintance.
Speaker 2:I'm not doing that anymore, yeah, but I value that time, and it's like you safeguard your energy, your space, exactly who you're eating with, who you break bread with.
Speaker 1:Exactly so. It's more about where I am with those people and that experience. It's not necessarily, it doesn't have to be Michelin star, although we did eat at a Michelin star in Bilbao. Now, according to the MichelinGuidecom, or it's GuideMichelincom that's the official website there are about 34 Michelin star restaurants, not just centered in Bil bilbao, but in bilbao in the surrounding area region okay.
Speaker 1:So if you're interested in eating at a michelin star restaurant, you can go on the website and, um, you can just sort of filter through the different types of restaurants. It's actually very simple. They also have sort of the dollar signs you know, very typical, where you can see the cost. If it's, you know, four dollar signs or two, what have you? Um, and I'm going to mention three restaurants. One is the restaurant we ate at, which was kimchi uh, slightly, um, I would say, japanese fusion, it's like asian fusion right with.
Speaker 2:So I would say the fusion was between as and typical Spanish produce or right produce right.
Speaker 1:So I booked the restaurant and actually for the whole trip I had several restaurants booked. I made reservations and I would also recommend that to anybody going to a big city. We've learned our lesson about turning up last minute and expecting everything to be completely empty and we'll get a seat, you know, in the front on the patio. It doesn't work. Real life does not work like that.
Speaker 1:Sometimes, it works out that way, but it doesn't Sometimes. But I thought listen, we're not going to get burned, we'll make reservations. So I looked at the Michelin guide and I booked two restaurants. We actually only ended up eating at one, which was Kimchoo, and our taxi driver he was. He said oh, you're going to love that restaurant. He said I don't even like Asian food, but I like that restaurant.
Speaker 2:Let me ask you a very serious question. Did you like it?
Speaker 1:Okay, I liked it. I completely enjoyed the food, but I also come from a city where in Toronto, where you have far less expensive Asian food. That is, I think, better. But I enjoyed our experience going to it. The service was really good they had it's very funny because they open at eight o'clock and I had the reservation for eight and I think we arrived five to eight in the evening and we thought, oh, this is so tacky, like we're standing outside.
Speaker 1:We're all like dressed up for dinner and we're standing outside as if, I don't know, we never see anything else to do in our lives other than go line up for dinner, yeah, and we thought, oh, maybe we should just go get a drink across the street or I don't know, make ourselves inconspicuous. But within two minutes, an entire group of people showed up at eight waiting at the door. So they opened the doors with a baby, by the way a newborn baby.
Speaker 2:So this is a good note. Also when we discuss, you know, bilbao, vast country tourism in general. In Spain it is very widely accepted in most places to go with your kids, take your kids even to the wee hours of the night. You know, it is OK for the most part After you share a few of your picks there. I am going to share a specific story from a Michelin experience. But I do think and the reason I asked you know, did you like it, the kimchi? I fully respect and understand that there are a lot of people that you know the Michelin experience is the epitome of you know, something they want to be a part of. I'm starting to figure out that you and I may not be in that group of people. I think that we, like you, know the idea of it, but I don't think either of us are quote unquote fine dining people. I think we love food, but I don't think that kind of whole. You know the and we'll talk a little bit more about it, but anyway, let's go back to Kim Choo.
Speaker 1:So, kim Choo, do you remember what the bill was? I don't remember it was 150, just under 150.
Speaker 2:Okay, so 140 something euros.
Speaker 1:And my kids eat quite a bit so we ate a lot less than they did. But so it was, I think, for a Michelin star restaurant extremely affordable, and that's actually something worth mentioning.
Speaker 2:That is a trend happening here in Spain.
Speaker 1:And I would say, particularly in the restaurants that we looked at or when I was going through all the you know Michelin star restaurants, they have a la carte or they have the fixed menu. So you can choose either. And if you choose the fixed menu, I mean it's per person, what have you? And you have a range. You can have a lower end, which might be maybe 60 euro for a couple of dishes.
Speaker 2:I actually think the most affordable kimchi menu the closed menu was just over 30. So there are some very affordable options if you want to have that Michelin experience without breaking the bank.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you might be hungry or putting dinner rolls in your pocket, but you can still have the experience of it.
Speaker 2:It is quite interesting that we ordered bread three times. So I mean, can we have another basket of bread?
Speaker 1:Actually they only charge for one. So it was good on them and it's not to knock kimchi.
Speaker 2:It was a fantastic experience, great restaurant on them and it's not to knock kimchi. It was a great experience, great restaurant.
Speaker 2:I think it's just a reflection for us that I think we probably enjoy, you know, the tabernas, the tascas, the pinchos, the tapas, all of that, I think, is more enjoyable for our kind of eating style yeah than the sit down for three hours or two hours, and also the close menus, Because I also think that both you and I are not big eaters, whereas you know other people may be and they may enjoy that kind of lengthier process. No, I can't.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can't sit that long, all right. So we have Kimju, we have Nerua, which is in the Guggenheim, nerua, which is in the Guggenheim, and we I actually looked at booking there but I thought there's no way my kids are going to sit here for an hour or two hours possibly. They have a particular menu where you sit at the table and you're right outside the kitchen and they bring all the dishes to you. So I don't think you get to choose in that situation and also I don't know how much it is, but this particular. So I just printed off here the the menu. So, for example, you have um, peas with squid, sabayon and fenugreek for 35 euro.
Speaker 1:This is at the guggenheim, right, so you would eat inside. That's like, uh, I would say, an appetizer. You have fried cod with spider crab and biskaina for €35. Right, so you have that. You have the dessert. It's called the Carolina Strawberries, roses, coconut and pepper. Oh, that sounds nice. It does sound nice for €12. We did not eat here. Oh, they also have which is, I think, my son's nemesis pigeon, because he's like why is there a pigeon on the menu?
Speaker 2:On a bunch of different menus. Even at our hotel, Pigeon cooked two ways.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so anyway, this is just an example. So the Guggenheim has a Michelin star restaurant and listen, it looks so beautiful and such an interesting experience. Probably not one you would do with, you know, your entire family, definitely. If you want to have I don't know, it's a special, you're on a special trip, or maybe a girl's trip, or with couples.
Speaker 2:Why are you laughing? I'm going to provide, like I said, a perspective on the whole Michelin experience From a date standpoint.
Speaker 1:From a date. Okay, so we have that, and then we also have. I actually looked to try to book this restaurant but it was full when we were there. It's called Huaman, which is Peruvian food with a Basque flair, and their tasting menu is €60. That's good and that's their summer menu, which I think is I don't know. I mean, let's say you were to book a girl's trip or whatever, a little ghetto, and I'm just saying a girl's trip because I don't know if boys or guys trip would be in Bilbao to go to Michelin star restaurants.
Speaker 2:But maybe it just very much depends on the individual Right. For sure, I think just the men that we have in our life are just not, you know, michelin star, fine dining friendly, I will say it like that no.
Speaker 1:So if you were to book even if it's a group trip and you look at these restaurants, the good part about it is that you have the you know a la carte menu, but you have the also fixed menu, so that there's a budget, so you know actually how much money you're going to spend on dinner that particular night. These most of the menus do not include the wine tasting. If you want to do the wine pairing that's I mean, it's not really. It's usually a lot less than the actual menu, um, the cost of the food, but you can also just order a glass of wine so do you remember we were walking around the city and we saw one of Berazategui's restaurants?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and remember the prices? Yeah, so I think the one with the pairing was 270. Yes, and you know, martin Berazategui, he has like 12 Michelin stars. I think he is one of the chefs with the most Michelin stars, so, and he's Basque. So you know, it's pretty interesting. There is a whole culture around Michelin stars in the, in the Basque country, for sure.
Speaker 1:In Spain, like on the whole. We have a Michelin star restaurant here in our little town and we've never been, yeah, so quick story then?
Speaker 2:Yes, but I will say this, and I want to shout out to all these amazing Michelin star restaurants here in Spain that you know, do have these affordable options. Because I remember actually being in France and Paris and wanting to do something special with my brother and I looked at some of the Alain Ducasse restaurants, right, and I was like, oh, you know, we're going to go for a Michelin star experience. And then I started looking, ok, how much is this? How star experience? And then I started looking, okay, how much is this? How much is this?
Speaker 2:The cheapest one I could find was 300 euros per person. And I said to my brother look, I'm taking you to Burger King. And then it's like, you know, we can spend that money on something else. I cannot bring myself to spend that amount of money on a meal. But going back to the little story, uh, which was in Madrid actually, but it was about a Michelin star restaurant. So when I first started dating my husband and I didn't know his food taste very much I decided you know that I wanted to impress him with you know the culture here and all this kind of stuff. And again, he's Canadian, as you know.
Speaker 1:Don't blame the Canadians, Laura.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no, I won't. But you know I decided I was going to impress him and we're going to go to this place in Madrid called Diversio. I don't know if Diversio is still open. I believe it is. Actually, it is because it did make it on that list that I mentioned to you, and it's by the chef, david Munoz, and he actually has a really cool documentary on Netflix.
Speaker 2:He's very out there and I've always really kind of admired him and the way he does research, and I'd never been to one of his restaurants at the time. I'm like, okay, great, we're going to go on this like amazing date experience to this Michelin star restaurant which, by the way, is extremely hard to get a table at. I think I tried for a year, so even before we were dating, I was trying to get into that restaurant. So I was like, finally, you know, this is going to be a great experience. We're going to go to the us show and so on and so forth. So you know, it is a without drinks, it is a 500 and something euro, not per person, but for two people, that's a lot of groceries.
Speaker 2:Laura, yes, it is, and you have to prepay because, guess what? You know you can't book something like that and not show up, which you know, again, fully respect. So you know, we show up at this restaurant the first part of the meal. At the time you're actually behind a curtain by yourself, you don't know who else is eating in the restaurant and there are waiters coming in and explaining everything that you have in front of you. So the first and this there was no option there to have a la carte. It was a closed menu.
Speaker 2:So I'm thinking, okay, I've done fine dining experiences before. These are very small portions, right, usually they're very small portions and it said the the smallest menu was a 13 step okay experience. But you know, I thought, okay, fine, like it will be tiny and it'll just be a bite of this, a bite of that, right? So the first dish they bring out, it was like a journey through mexico or something like that, and it had like three plates and and I'm thinking, oh, yes, you know, that's like three plates down from like 13. You know, it literally is like crossing over my head and it was quite a substantial amount of food and it came along with like a shot of, you know, mojito and this and that.
Speaker 2:And the waiter came out and he's explaining it. And that is our first course and I'm like, like you are kidding, so that was the first of 13. By the time we got through the meat dishes, I actually asked the waiter to skip the four fish dishes and he told me that the chef was going to be very offended. And I said that you know, either you eat this for me or and my poor husband at the time, which again I'm going to specifically call out one of the ingredients the waiters are coming along and they're explaining what's on the dish and the waiter looks at me and he's like, okay, and here we have an octopus sperm. And he's saying it in Spanish, yeah, and my husband's looking at me. What did he? He just say I was like, oh, nothing.
Speaker 2:Just eat it, you know just eat it, don't even think about it. So after that, I think it was years before I ever went close to a Michelin star restaurant, because it was absolutely a stressful experience. So it was so overwhelming, and this was the first time, this time around in Bilbao.
Speaker 1:Okay, Well then you've gone overly. Ours was easy. Then we just ordered some Very easy. That's why I'm always like I don't want closed menus. I don't want closed menus. No, it's too much. But we had a nice, it was a really nice time, and then, in typical Nalini and Laura fashion, we went to bed at.
Speaker 2:I don't think we're really living the Spanish dream here, but we did make it one night past midnight, which we were very proud of. I think it was just past midnight.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, Okay, 11.30? 11, because our hotel restaurant closed at 11. And we ordered at 10.40. They were ushering us no-transcript.
Speaker 2:Be an amazing option.
Speaker 1:It's a. I mean, it's a beautiful building and it would be, honestly, even if you didn't like everything on the menu, it's still. I always say it's still an experience, even if so, unless something is, I mean, horrific.
Speaker 2:But even if like this wonderful coastal host of mine, you're taking a fish and putting it like a little anchovy and putting it on the person next to you. It's like I don't like the way that looks. I don't like it. Laura and I have.
Speaker 1:I think we have our own unspoken language, so I'll put things that I don't like on her plate. Yes, yeah, I'm good with it, so awesome, all right. Now, of course, we have to talk about the pinchos. Okay, so that is something.
Speaker 2:First of all, explain the difference between tapas and pinchos From the research, which not sure it translates all the time, but from the research pinchos are. If you think of what we did in our last episode where we had one little piece of bread and something quite elaborate, you know, on the bread, be it, it could be with crab, with foie, with this, with that, but it's just contained on a piece of bread and it usually has a pincho which is a toothpick, you know, know, that is actually on the bread and I think it's p-i-n-t-x-o right. Again, going back to the whole spelling in basque tapa usually is free, right, and it comes with a drink.
Speaker 2:Your pincho is not free like your pincho you know you have to pay for and usually use the toothpicks to count how many pinches you've had and to tally up your bill Right. So in some places they don't write down every time you order one.
Speaker 1:No, you show your toothpicks, you just show how many toothpicks you've had.
Speaker 2:Apparently, tapas is from the tapa, like cover, like you use it to cover your drink, yeah so if because the dish is small and you just kind of put it on over your drink. But again, as things evolve, you know, when we went to granada, for example and we mentioned it in season two a tapa.
Speaker 1:Sometimes if you have a few tapas, if you have a few drinks, you are eating like that is a meal, like no, no yeah, they serve like 250 euro for a huge glass of uh, vermouth, vermouth with the soda, yes, and then they bring you a small plate of meatballs which are maybe, like you know, quite large, and you're not getting one meatball, you're getting three or four. So if you eat that and you drink your vermouth, you're kind of full.
Speaker 2:Yes, and tapas don't specifically come on bread. It may be like a little bit of paella or some meatballs, or it could be some prawns. There's a lot of variety for what it could look like. It's a snack, it's a small portion, it's a ration or a small portion. A pincho is very, very specifically supposed to be With a toothpick a small portion. A pincho is very, very specifically supposed to be with the toothpick, and also on a piece of bread, bread.
Speaker 1:Okay. So here is the uh. Okay, so what? Do you know what the original pincho is? No, so it is the gilda. Okay. However, in english it would be pronounced gilda. Yes, and I'll tell you why. All right, so the story goes, and I don't necessarily believe any of these stories, but it is just.
Speaker 1:I feel it's like folklore that you know people, internet folklore no, but I think it's like the, the bars that adopt the story behind it because it just adds some, you know, mystery to it and a little, yeah, flair to it. Okay, so the story goes is that the pinchos were invented in san sebastian okay, all right. At this bar called casa vice, okay, and it was not invented by the bar owners. It was the hilda, which is gilda um, a anchovy, an olive, the manzanilla olive and the, the pepper, the pickled pepper Right.
Speaker 1:So the story is is that they have a bar patron, an older gentleman, who I cannot pronounce his name because there are many X's in it, so I'm not going to try, but do you know this expression like to prop a place up or to prop the bar up? Yeah, you know what I mean. So it's as if that person is there and if they're, if they weren't at the bar, it would just fall down like they're there all the time story is this older gentleman in the bar all the time always drinking sees.
Speaker 1:you know that they have all these separate things, so they might have served a little few peppers or maybe a few olives or a few um the anchovies he there was, you know. He skewered it and put it on one and ate it and it became sort of a joke. But then everybody else in the bar started asking for this. This is in the 19th, serious, yes, this is the story from casavias, all right, from San Sebastian. Story is that they adopted it and they named it Gilda, or Gilda in English, because it was named after the actress, rita Hayworth. No way, the movie Gilda was released around the same time this started to come about and Rita Hayworth is actually from Spanish descent. No way, her real name. She was born Margarita Carmen Cancino, not born in Spain, born in America, but her father was from Sevilla. How do you get from that to Rita Hayworth, her mother's last name? Her mother was Irish and had the last name Hayworth. So she's an up-and-coming actress and adopts.
Speaker 2:In a time where it wouldn't have been fashionable to have a Spanish no.
Speaker 1:So she adopted a very American-style name. The movie Gilda was sort of spicy, a little bit controversial for the time. Spicy, a little bit controversial for the time. So the owners of the bar decided to name it that, because the Gilda is a bit spicy and salty.
Speaker 2:Please tell me this bar's still open.
Speaker 1:It is open Okay we're going.
Speaker 2:It is open. That's the next trip Sounds like a shit. Right it's pretty cool, yes it is so cool.
Speaker 1:Okay, all of that could be literally fake news, but I tell you what the bar has it on their website.
Speaker 2:All right, so it is fake news. Whoever, whoever owns that bar, is a marketing genius. That is amazing. I love gilas. It's like one of my favorite things, especially when it's hot and you're having a beer and you have, like you know, the, the toothpick, and especially because, as you know, I like you know the toothpick, and especially because, as you know, I like you know chilies and hot stuff. And it's interesting because in Spain usually people don't really like things that are too spicy.
Speaker 1:No, but it has like it's just the combination of it. It's a, you know, an odd combination, but it caught on and then from there it started to spread.
Speaker 2:You know, one restaurant maybe copied the other Every market has like these little stands that you can go buy jilas.
Speaker 1:Right, I mean listen, it might have been created as well in the south of Spain or on the you know west coast.
Speaker 2:Please tell us if you have an alternative story that you want to propose.
Speaker 1:I think it's a nice story, though, if you have a conspiracy theory about the jilas.
Speaker 2:We'd love to hear it.
Speaker 1:But then conspiracy theory about the hildas. We'd love to hear it. But then, because it is a you know, it's a foodie scene, it starts to evolve and, like everything you know, bars have to make, establishments have to make money to get people to drink more. You make small salty snacks. You make a small salty snack, you eat that. You're thirsty, you're drinking more. Then you say, wow, that looks, and we also, by the way those things are good money makers when you think about it Because in many places they're like two euros or something like that.
Speaker 2:You are talking about one olive, one anchovy, one chili, In some cases, one piece of cheese, one quail egg Because you can find them with just about anything on there the little red peppers with the feta cheese inside.
Speaker 1:A hundred percent. And also you eat with your eyes. So when you go into a pincho bar, you will see a counter full of different little snacks. You know all the different things. And then you, of course, you know. You think, oh, that looks good, I'll have that. Okay, let me have a drink first, then I'm going to have that, and then, you know what, I'll have another drink and I'll have that.
Speaker 2:That's exactly how I think it evolved.
Speaker 2:So, by the way, I will say this, if you are listening to us from the US in particular. I'm not sure about Canada, but one of the things I have been very pleasantly surprised about there is the amount of Basque restaurants in the US is pretty amazing. Interesting in the US is pretty amazing, and actually the one of the oddest things I remember culturally is being in Bakersfield, california, which is a interesting part of the world, let's put it that way. Yeah, there's a huge Basque community there which is like what you know what's going on here, and there was even like a Basque club that you know. People got together for food. So I would say that you know, if you are in that part of the world, look for a Basque restaurant, go try the food, even if you're not traveling to Spain, you know it can be really interesting. Usually centered very much around meat, that is true, but you know, I think there's some great experiences to have there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think also for the the pincho bars. It's really something to see, because the way the city in Bilbao is laid out, you have alleys, or I should say alleys it's roads. It's roads where there are only bars, so it's one bar after another, after another. It's just as far as you can look down the road.
Speaker 2:And they're very visual. When you walk in and you see these bars with like hundreds of different, you know, little pinchos very colorful. What was your favorite? One of the pinchos we tried which one kind of stands out?
Speaker 1:I would say it was the one we had with vermouth, yes, which was tuna. We had a tuna and it was super yummy, but and then the vermouth. I mean, this is really super hilarious. You asked for what we thought would be vermouth with a soda in it as something sweet, which I don't even know why. It's you who ordered it, by the way. Yes, it's my fault and typically, I don't think they drink vermouth at that time, so we look like real tourists.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like kind of ordering sangria with paella for dinner. It was not good I don't know why.
Speaker 1:Anyway, he just poured a very large glass only with vermouth.
Speaker 2:No mixer, nothing Touristy ladies here, you can just go ahead and get drunk on this, whatever vermouth is. We had to ask him.
Speaker 1:We're like do you mind putting a mixer? He's like do you guys want that? Also? Oddly enough enough, nobody thought you were spanish oh no, I was in.
Speaker 2:I was impersonating a canadian person for four days so fun.
Speaker 1:The taxi driver actually said to you wow, good job on your spanish. I was like yes, I know, I'm so proud of myself and I said that's because she is spanish and he's like, and that opened the whole book of his dissertation that he shared with us. I don't know on what, but he was very animated in his conversation. It was very funny.
Speaker 2:Last mention before we move on to our slice of life. When it comes to trying food and you know, michelin star pinchos we've mentioned for Bilbao Recommend there are these bakeries in Bilbao called Arese A-R-E-S-E and they are very famous for their palmeras, which the translation would be palm trees. I'm not sure why they're called palm trees, but basically, what you're looking for is this pastry that looks like a big heart dipped in chocolate. They're absolutely delicious. They make them on a daily basis. They sell thousands of them. Basically, what you're looking for is this pastry that looks like a big heart dipped in chocolate. They're absolutely delicious. They make them on a daily basis. They sell thousands of them across the city, and I don't know how much butter is in one of those things, but a lot. So you know heart risk warning, but for two of them it's like five euros. And you know something that you could dip in coffee. It's so good.
Speaker 1:So I really recommend that you can eat your way through Bilbao on. I mean, you can have a big budget, you can have a very simple budget, but it is really truly a fantastic place to eat and just sit and watch the world go by Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Slice of life, all right, slice of life. So, cheers, what are we drinking, laura? Red wine, chacoli actually. So the chacoli is usually white, from what I know, but today we're having a red chacoli wine.
Speaker 1:Okay, I haven't tried the red one yet, so I am addicted to chacoli, which is white wine from the Basque region, and it has become a staple in my house.
Speaker 2:It is delicious and we try ordering it everywhere we go as well, but we're not getting very far with that, especially because we're so far away from the Basque country here that you know, in a lot of places don't have it unless it's specialized. And we're trying the chacal with an idiazabal. Okay, spell that Laura. Well, it's a hard one. I-d-i-a-z-a-v-a-l. Idiazabal and it's from the Basque region. It's super delicious, like very, very tasty.
Speaker 1:Okay, and we're also having some cheese.
Speaker 2:Yes, and this one's made from sheep's milk.
Speaker 1:Right, sheep's milk. Okay, I'll try it. I don't like goat cheese and it doesn't taste like a goat. So, um yeah, the fact that it doesn't taste like a goat or like a sheep, I like it okay, so it's.
Speaker 2:You know it's got some flavor, but it doesn't have like that goatee taste.
Speaker 1:You could say right, okay. So we're going to talk a little bit about now the food you can experience in the Basque country, and it is vast. I mean, there are so many different areas that you could focus on, but a main area is shellfish and fish, absolutely.
Speaker 2:So, because the region is obviously so close to the Atlantic, the quality of the shellfish and the fish is absolutely amazing. Close to the Atlantic, the quality of the shellfish and the fish is absolutely amazing. Specifically, I would like to recommend that people try. I believe that the best months to eat shellfish in the Basque Country is September to December. That's when they say the shellfish is at its best Because the water is quite cold Cold, I believe it's because the water's cold.
Speaker 2:But the one thing I definitely want to point out from the shellfish that I think is worth a try and I don't think I've seen it outside of Spain in many places is something called zamburrinhas. I would describe them like baby scallops, so they're like a smaller scallop. They have like this little red claw that comes out of it. You also eat the claw. It's not really a claw, but it's shaped like a claw, so that's the best way I can describe them, and they're delicious. So tambourinas, definitely worth trying. So I absolutely, I absolutely love those. So definitely, definitely recommend that. And then the other thing that is worth trying but it's a little bit different because it does look kind of a little iffy is something called the percebe. Okay, and those are like sea snails. Oh, I don't like those have you tried them um?
Speaker 1:I think I know what they look like. I won't eat it.
Speaker 2:It smells very, very strong, so I could I have a visual of it?
Speaker 1:I'm not eating that it, it really is.
Speaker 2:It actually is worse looking than a, than a land snail, you could say because, it's this little black mollusk.
Speaker 2:You know that. Then I don't know. The other thing as well is, I have a really strong smell, so I would do the tambourina, so let's put it that way. But the percebes, interestingly enough, they're extremely expensive, of course, like it's very, very expensive. And the other ones that are kind of cool, I find, are the razor clams. Razor clams and their translation is exact. In Spanish we call them navajas, oh, and it's because they kind of look like a razor, and those are really good as well, but a eraser, and those are really good as well, but a little on the tougher. Or, or chewers, chewy, chewy side, if you don't get them super fresh, all right. So that's something to keep in mind. And finally, I think worth mentioning as well as the changurro which we actually had in the sushi right we had in the michelin star restaurant, and that is spider crab and it is delicious.
Speaker 1:From this part of the country, I think we should also let people know that if you take a day trip outside of Bilbao and you go to the North to a seafood restaurant, I would highly recommend making a reservation because, especially if you're there I mean people who don't understand this the Basque region the weather is really hit or miss. In the summer it's nice and warm. That's great, but come probably, I would say, september, october, it's very rainy. That doesn't mean it's not busy, so you're going to get the best quality seafood, but you should definitely make a reservation. Now we took a day trip outside of Bilbao, we went up to Gheccio and we booked into a little Italian restaurant which was actually really delicious. I mean, I would highly recommend it.
Speaker 2:Super fresh right and it was Casa Leota. Yes, and it's a chain. So it's not pizza, it's pinza and it's kind of a boulang, and they do have a website and you can see. You know which kind of restaurant is which, because they have one in Bilbao, they have one in Geco, so that's one of the restaurants that we visited, so definitely recommend that one. As Nalini said, definitely recommend looking into booking a seafood restaurant while you're there as well, and also, if you want pizza, as mentioned, the Casa Lioda also has one in the center of Bilbao, so that I would definitely go for and finally, yeah, make a reservation, because we went and thought, oh, nobody will be there and it full.
Speaker 2:And then we had a meal, also in another really cool place that was called Happy River, I believe.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, that was really cool. It's right beside the river.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we ate some really delicious food there. So that was Fusion and I believe we had sushi and tacos.
Speaker 1:Possibly. I mean, the menu is quite vast. I had my Chocoli wine, yes, even though they are known again for their Bloody Marys. But I think the takeaway for us is that, compared to where we live and you travel to a bigger city, you really do have a vast choice of international food and, honestly, bilbao does not disappoint. Yeah, and honestly, bilbao does not disappoint, yeah, and even though we are in a very touristic area, I would say we don't always have that international choice here, but the bigger cities tend to, I think the distinction as well is that because we are in a very touristic area, I don't think a lot of the restaurants rely on you know the people from the area coming back.
Speaker 2:That was also my experience in Barcelona. Unless you go somewhere, that is a short bet from the locals that people know where they're going, like their little neighborhood bodega.
Speaker 2:Exactly. You're very likely to get a restaurant that doesn't really care if you come back, because there'll be more tourists inside the door. Now that is not the case with Bilbao, and I think it's not the case for most of the north of Spain, because, although there is a lot of tourism, it's not as heavy as the tourism industry here. So I think that's a huge distinction. The food, I think, tends to be just higher quality because they are relying a lot more on return customers who are locals.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, you have a vast array of choices in the north. You can eat in a pincho bar, you can have delicious pizza, you can have takeout, fast food, chinese, japanese. We also found an Indian restaurant. Whatever you want, it's readily available. You know, you don't have to eat in a Michelin star restaurant there, even though there are many, and most of them are relatively affordable, and I'll put that in quotations. It is affordable for a Michelin star restaurant. However. You can, you know, just have a pincho, and they have beautiful coffee shops there as well.
Speaker 2:Yes, for sure. Coffee, and we love our coffee. And I believe we've talked about the beautiful palmeras. Oh, those are delicious, yes, so you know, you grab a coffee, you grab a palmera. It's definitely not an expensive breakfast or a nice little afternoon meal and, you know, I think it's something that you can just take the city in next to the river. It's definitely a recommended spot for the food lovers.
Speaker 1:Okay, now we're going to talk a little bit about our hotel experience. Do you want to start, Laura?
Speaker 2:Yeah, sure. So you know, part of this travel experience, of doing the podcast is really to be able to understand the places that we're going to be able to share on socials. You know some recommended spots, be it, you know, a little bit higher budget or lower budget that people can experience and explore. In many cases, when we talk about somewhere, we are not being paid to talk about that place. So you know Marriott is definitely not sponsoring us.
Speaker 1:No, we tend to stay in Marriott hotels because our spouses have Marriott points yeah and they have Marriott status, so that's typically where we end up staying, because it either helps them or helps us.
Speaker 2:So for this particular trip to Bilbabao, we stayed at one.
Speaker 2:That was pretty fancy, I would say it was an autograph collection, which is always a bit of a hit and mix, a miss, and it was the earthia autograph collection and you know it's. I kind of like our experience in granada better, although you know granada was a little bit strange, I would say, in terms of the hotel from an autograph standpoint. But really the location of the hotel is fantastic, the one in Bilbao, I would say the food was pretty good, the breakfast was pretty good, but the service really not that great.
Speaker 1:No, I mean the one thing I will say about Autograph, the brand itself. The hotels tend to be located almost on the most central street in a city. You're not going to find it near the airport or in you know sort of a secluded area. That is the one thing I do like about the Autograph collection. They don't necessarily have a lot of amenities. It's really a small gym. There's maybe not a spa. You can't beat the location. But we did find that the service was a little hit and miss, especially a front desk.
Speaker 2:Yeah, shout out. However, to the one person that kind of saved my life was, you know, it was so noisy in the room because the air conditioning was broken and I called the front desk at 11 pm PM and I'm like I don't know what's going on, but it sounds like I'm in a seven, three seven in the room and he actually came and, you know, opened the air conditioning unit, did something and said did you need the air conditioning? I'm like, no, just turn it off. You know I cannot sleep with that amount of noise. So he kind of saved my life.
Speaker 1:And the rooftop bar, if I mean, as we were there in the city and we thought we'd do a little planning session, we thought, oh, you know what, the weather's really nice, we'll go to a rooftop bar. So we thought maybe we'd find a different rooftop bar than our rooftop bar. That's not true. Our rooftop bar, I think, is the rooftop bar.
Speaker 1:So at the, you know, at the Autograph Hotel in Bil bilbao, that is the bar to be at if you want a beautiful view of the city. And I will say, on the saturday night, the owners of the hotel, do you remember this? You didn't hear it in your room, but there was an exclusive party, so they closed the upstairs. The bar was closed for a private event on Saturday evening, and it was so loud Hello, they didn't invite us.
Speaker 1:But also, I mean, it sounded as if we were in a nightclub. It went on till probably 3 am.
Speaker 2:And I have to say, if you own a hotel and you're going to throw a huge party, either invite the guests close the hotel or at least give them a free drink the following day.
Speaker 1:Exactly. Or a discount. Sorry for the interruption, the party went late. Here's a 20 off your next day or something.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I mean I would have been happy if we were invited, but yeah, exactly and then also, it was just like little things, you know, with like waiting forever to get food, we ordered a glass of the famous chacoli, or chacoli and it got slammed on the table when it came with the waitress. So overall I would say beautiful place to stay, but the service at the Ercilla Mariette in Bilbao needs a little bit of help.
Speaker 1:And we should talk about the taxi drivers, because they're super friendly, super chatty. The one we had coming into the city, very friendly, and he told us that he was leaving because the English fans were showing up for the finals. Yes, the next we left on the Sunday. The fans had already started coming in and I think some of the whatever I don't follow football, but the pre-game celebrations, yeah, started on the monday. We came back the sunday and monday in all the papers, the news online, the fans, well, and I'm very sorry, it's the english fans who trashed the city, yeah, climbing up balconies, trashed hotel rooms, and we were actually at a little bar. I don't know if you remember this.
Speaker 1:We were on the sunday, we're just walking around and we stopped in a little bar and I mean, keep in mind, the restaurants there rely on, you know, they rely on their locals, but they also need the turnover, you know, so they. There was an english couple sitting, or a family sitting, at a table and he wasn't rude. He just said, listen, I need the table at three because I have paying customers who are going to order food. Yes, and you've had your drink, so you have up until three. Oh well, it started. Things started to boil, you know, and I I said to Laura, I was like, uh, that's going to kick off, so let's leave leave so we left and literally within 24 hours, bill bows all over international news that football fans trash the city.
Speaker 1:Restaurants ripped down, street signs climbed up balconies.
Speaker 2:So for our british listeners, we love you and we know not everybody's a hooligan, okay, or also, don't send the hooligans to the limit, limit their visits. So, uh, that was a little bit about the experience at the Ercilla. You know, again I would say, maybe worth exploring, uh, some different options, but still a really, really good option. And then I think we should talk about what is coming up next.
Speaker 1:Oh, this is. I mean, I think this should be on people's bucket list.
Speaker 2:Yes. So next we're going to take about Ghecho and we're also going to talk about Dragonstone, also known as San Juan de Gatelugache, an absolutely beautiful, beautiful place. So hopefully you're going to be joining us for that. So, guecho and San Juan de Gastelugache, and please remember to follow us on socials subscribe. We want to hear from you. We absolutely love hearing requests, recommendations of places that you want us to go to, and really, really appreciate our listeners. And with that, we are going to go to our sentence of the day. So, nalini, are you ready? I'm ready, all right. So the sentence of the day today is going to be very politically correct. I'm going to keep it kosher, as they say. Say, uh, going to see how you do so okay, so I these words I do understand.
Speaker 2:So tell me what the words mean. Another thing, something but butterfly. So which kind of means? What do you think it means? Um?
Speaker 1:I don't know.
Speaker 2:I mean, I would say, it just means that something else so it kind of means okay, you know what, let's move on to something else. It could be in a relationship, for example where it's like okay, you know what mariposa. So it's like if you've just something that let's's say, for example, someone tells you, one of your friends tells you that they've broken up with someone and you're trying to cheer them up, you know like just moving on to the next Was that a little TikTok song. If you're done with your, ex move on to the next.
Speaker 2:So kind of like that little reference there of I just think it's a really cute one. So you know, butterflies kind of casually go from one thing to another. So that's what it kind of talks about.
Speaker 1:That's a cute one I like it.
Speaker 2:So next coming up is episode three, season three. We really hope you join us.
Speaker 1:Thank you very much for listening to the episode and again, thank you very much for being part of our community yeah bye, for now bye the made in spain podcast is an everything's rosy production with executive producers and host nalini sharma and laura senior, with special thanks to production assistant airton nath.