Gildas
Blinged-up vision of a Basque taverna from a superstar chef.
15/20
Spanish$$
Not much about Lennox Hastie’s corner tapas bar screams Northern Spain at first. Not the room’s minimalism, nor the must-order Matilda – a cocktail skewer of carefully seared kangaroo, charred onions and pickled desert lime. But once the note-perfect salt cod fritters show up with a carafe of briny, dry txakoli, you’ll quickly find yourself in a San Sebastian state of mind.
Expertly grilled Bundarra pork pluma – a tender cut from just behind the neck – will keep you in it too, the meat buttressed by blistered baby leeks and textbook romesco. So, too, the eggy density of the flan-like tocino de cielo dessert, made better by a toffee-rich oloroso sherry from the sterling list of fortifieds.
Sure, you could take issue with some of the prices and portion sizes, but you can’t argue with the diligent sourcing, knowing service and the obvious aim for quality.
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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/nsw-good-food-guide/gildas-20240114-p5ex5b.html