So Eneko did a little thinking outside the box. Instead of waiting for three days for the truffle to flavour the eggs by infusion, he separates the yolks, each onto a spoon of its own.
He then gently pricks each yolk and uses a plastic disposable syringe – the type used in hospitals – to suck out a few millilitres of the yolk and then injects a similar amount of fine truffle oil.
We’re ready. Tip the yolk from the spoon into your mouth, enjoy its soft, smooth roundness on the tongue, then apply gentle pressure. The mouth is flooded with the rich fresh creaminess of the egg and then the earthy forest flavour of the truffle oil. This a very good start to lunch – or any other meal.
This kind of creativity is why Eneko, in November 2012 when he was just 33 years old, received the third Michelin star for his restaurant Azurmendi in Lezama, just outside Bilbao, capital of Spain’s Basque country. His was the first restaurant in the Biscay area to get the ultimate accolade for a chef.
And now you don’t have to travel to Spain to experience the truffled eggs or the other wonders he has devised. In December last year he opened a new restaurant, Aziamendi, at the extraordinary Iniala Beach House on Natai Beach, just north of Phuket.
Eneko is not your classic big-name celebrity chef. This is no Gordon Ramsay, screaming at sous chefs and abusing diners. This is no Jamie “Naked Chef” Oliver or mouthed Peter Russell-Clarke.
Softly spoken, with a shy smile, he exhibits no airs and graces. He chats quietly with diners, inviting them to truffle some eggs for themselves. What he does exude is a high-voltage passion for fine food.
He does not spend all his time at Aziamendi – the restaurant in Bilbao commands his first loyalty, and he has also organised pop-up restaurants, in Hong Kong and, most recently, the highly successful Aziamendi100 in Malta, which is the primary home of Iniala creator and owner Mark Weingard.
But he has assembled a team at Iniala who understand his ethos thoroughly and keep the food stakes high.
They include Chef de Cuisine Alex Burger who worked for five years with Daniel Boulud, owner of seven New York restaurants including Michelin-starred Daniel; executive chef Sandro Aguilera, formerly of the Centara Grand in Karon; executive pastry chef David Inglada, named best pastry chef in Spain; and head sommelier Fabien Etienne, formerly of Dinner by Hester Blumenthal and recent winner of the best wine list in Thailand.
All of them are young, enthusiastic, bright, inventive, highly skilled and dedicated to providing the best in fine dining.
The kitchen at Aziamendi is as large as the restaurant – it needs to be to accommodate all the staff required to turn out astonishing food.
But while the kitchen is all utilitarian white and stainless steel, the restaurant is a riotous feast for the eyes, with art collected by Mark and his art curator Steven Pettifor. Every wall is decorated with astonishing, colourful, playful pieces by some of Asia’s best artists.
The restaurant is divided in two. At the moment one side is usually reserved for Plates, the restaurant’s Basque Pintxos tasting menu. Priced from B1,450 the menu changes from day to day, but may include such delights as Crispy Airbag, Avocado and Iberico Ham, or Mojito Bonbon, with macaroons and passion fruit sorbet to finish off.
The main restaurant offers more unusual fare. For a start, the initial course in both the Roots and Inspire menus (B4,500 and B6,500 respectively) is not eaten in the restaurant but on the lawn outside where diners are invited to stand and pluck Juicy Cherry Tomatoes and “Tree Bark” from bonsai trees and wash them down with a hibiscus infusion.
It just gets better from there. I’m not going to describe it – I don’t really have the words. So you’ll have to make the pilgrimage to Natai Beach and try it all for yourself.
For more details visit aziamendi.com, where you can also make a booking. The restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
And when you have finished your magnificent meal you can feel not only righteously full of some of the best food in Thailand – indeed, in the world – but also spiritually righteous, knowing that five per cent of the money you paid (yes, restaurant revenue, not profit) will go direct to Mark Weingard’s Inspirasia Foundation.
Since 2003 the foundation has disbursed more than US$11 million – about B330 million – to a wide variety of causes in Indonesia, India and Thailand. For more details visit Inspirasia.org