Neil C.
Yelp
Levanter had been on my radar for some time as I pined for something resembling the delights of Donostia, however, when they announced in June they would be serving 1kg of prime steak from an 8-year-old Galician Dairy cow (of which I tried on my previous San Sebastian trip) on a first-come-first-serve basis it shot straight to the top of the must-visit list.
#TxuletonSunday as the owners of Levanter (Fiona and Joe) have labelled it, is a simple concept. Turn up early (no bookings allowed), order the beef (if they have any left) at £45 for 1kg, wait 40 minutes, then proceed to eat like a Spanish king. Upon ordering, you are presented with 2 huge slabs of meat and asked to choose which we would prefer. The chef then explains the history behind the cow (as mentioned above) and explains how they are to be prepared and cooked, in the same way as the wonderful Bar Nestor in San Sebastian.
In the interests of complete gluttony, whilst waiting for the beef to cook a few of the usual smaller dishes were ordered, all of which were flawless.
The olives were fresh and juicy. The fried seafood was as good as you'll get in the country. A taste of the sea in a bowl (in Lancashire!) And I practically licked the bowl clean that had contained the chorizo with honey.
And so the main event. The beef. Cooked rare(ish) it was the best I've had on this fair isle. Crispy and salty on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, serious flavour, with the butter-like fat also melting in the mouth. It was finished without the batting an eyelid.
Included in the price of the beef the kind folk at Levanter also provide a fresh tomato salad, which was of the highest quality; and fried Padron peppers, which were perfectly cooked and salted, although I didn't come across a rare 'hot' one which was slightly disappointing. Both sides balanced with the beef superbly.
Overall, I genuinely can't recommend Levanter enough. Simple but genuinely outstanding Spanish/Basque cuisine executed perfectly at a very reasonable price (the bill with a bottle of Txakoli was less than £100 with a hefty tip added).