Donostia (Marble Arch)

• Whilst the forecast at Donostia is generally sunny
• The owners are into their wines
• 90% recognisable Spanish names with a few Frenchies thrown in for good measure
• With ripe dark fruit with notes of vanilla
• The smaller plates of chorizo with tomato (£
• 3) and croquettas with jamon (£
• Less of a success was the foie gras with walnuts &
• Pea shoots here are the thing of the moment
• The honey glazed quail with marinated baby courgettes (£
• The interior was overcooked and stringy
• A sweet and refreshing if somewhat basic mixed salad with orange &
• The dessert list is short and very sweet
• I enjoyed the chocolate mousse with orange zest (£
• A steady drip of tasty morsels with some good wine to wash it down
• Staff are rushed off their feet and service is of the neck breathing sort
• The ambience is cosy with friendly staff
• This is an excellent restaurant with great value for money
• I like to think of Basque cuisine as Spanish food with a twist and I certainly saw that at this little namesake restaurant in Marylebone on Seymour Place
• The food is flawless and there is a touch of creativity in every dish
• The croquetas were made of Panko crumbs rendering them light and airy and probably the best that I&rsquo
• The star of the show was the rib eye steak succulent rare meat with foie gras an utterly decadent combination
• The bill did add up with the wine but without that
• What I really liked was the service and ambiance of Donostia
• She then gave us a call about 10 minutes before some seats were free &ndash
• I later learned she was one of the owners of the restaurant
• The kitchen is under control of Head Chef Damian Suroweic
• I knew it would be hard to compete with that recent
• Considering that they are very regular customers there
• So much Spanish food in London is greasy and bland Donostia on the other hand serves delicious food from the Basque Country using fresh and high quality ingredients
• Don't sit close to and with your back to the door draft
• Those seared scallops were incredible and anyone that's generous with cheese is a winner to me
• The backstreets are lined with pintxo bars
• With food so affordable it is one the locals seem to do every evening
• It took less than a day in San Sebastian for me to start questioning whether life in the rat race in London is really worth it
• Grafting your balls off for an Itsu or Pret to take home with you at the end of the day
• The Lockhart and the recent addition of Lurra (by the same owners) is as close as you can get to one of those San Sebastian foodie backstreets
• We think restaurants are all about the people that run them
• They care more about quality ingredients and they customers having a good time with good food and good wine
• The best seats are at the bar
• Overlooking the carving of the Spanish ham off the bone and chatting with owner Nemanja and his young team
• So the wines are great and well priced
• Nice atmosphere and the food is good as in Spain
• The appetizers are very good and also the specials they have as main courses
• I felt like it was a London adjusted version

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