Olatua - Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Often, you don't know where to go for a kitchen that you know little, like the Basque.

We arrived in Saint-Jean-de-Luz late one evening in August and all the restaurants were closing for the evening.

This place is a bit away from the main gastronomic streets of st jean.

Just steps from our hotel we found this pleasant restaurant that offered very flavorful Basque dishes. We started with a plate of tapas (mushroom and cheese croquette, cod and potato croquette, Bayonne ham, and chorizo). I took the salmon, which came beautifully cooked and presented as a rose while my husband had grilled scallops served on risotto with ham and parmesan. No room was left for desserts, but there was a tempting apple tart on the menu, along with other choices. Service was a bit sketchy and the room was cool on a rainy day, but there was no music and tables were nicely spaced so one could talk quietly.

We were the only non-locals in the restaurant. We both chose the full menu of the day and it was a nice selection. We chose different entrees and both liked them for their spin on the regular local food. The service was fair not great but the gentlemen were happy to answer our questions regarding the menu. the dessert of semi-cooked chocolate cake and vanilla icedream was cooked to perfection. Several wines by the glass are all affordable.