Ametsa with Arzak Instruction | Red Letter Days Blog

Recently our resident spa and pampering specialist, Sevda, enjoyed enjoyed a spot of Spanish-style Michelin-starred dining at Belgravia’s Ametsa with Arzak Instruction.

Want to know how she found her experience? Read on to find out.

“Just a short walk from Hyde Park underground station stands the Halkin by COMO Hotel, home to Ametsa with Arzak Instruction. Ametsa has a vibrant atmosphere and the Basque-inspired dishes, designed by award-winning father and daughter chef combo Juan Mari and Elena Arzak, are unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before.

The entrance is grand, with an abstract door that slides open and shut and from the second you enter the dining room, you are met with a strong smell of aromatic spices from the 7,000 spice filled testtubes hanging from the ceiling – an amazing feature.

The restaurant manager introduced himself, before giving us a little background knowledge about Ametsa (did you know, the word ametsa means to dream?). He asked if we had any dietary requirements and then assured us that he would ‘make our gastronomic dreams come true.’ I believe he did.

The starter came in the form of three beautiful tapas-style plates, consisting of Cornish crab cakes, squid ink, and pork belly. Each dish was tastier than the last.

The mains followed: mackerel with banana leaf and saffron sauce, and ox cheek with all the trimmings – just delicious. It was everything you would expect from top flight Michelin-starred dining; from the meats, through to the garnish and decorative dots, everything on the plate was packed full of flavour.

Our dessert (and possibly my favourite course) was orange French toast with rhubarb foam and roasted apple with floral candy. Absolutely divine, and I loved the inventiveness of the floral candy, which vanished once the sauce was poured – just like magic!

We washed everything down with a glass of bubbles and finished with a coffee accompanied by chocolate raspberries, to top off the experience nicely!

It was a phenomenal dining experience, and I will definitely return to Ametsa with Arzak Instruction – it was everything I hoped for – and more.”