BASQUE COUNTRYSIDE - TOLOSA - CASA JULIAN 2024

CASA JULIAN

In March 2024, we returned to this remarkable, easy-to-miss little restaurant, now famous on TV, in the Basque countryside town of Tolosa, 28 km inland from San Sebastián.

Tolosa is a town and municipality in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa in northern Spain. It is located in the valley of the Oria River, and Casa Julian is opposite the river.

Once you find it and walk in, you could think that you are in the wrong place. You will see an area containing several fridges and a load of crates and are likely to turn around and walk out again until you are greeted warmly by El jefe, Matías Gorrochategui.

You will then be seated in one of the two old-fashioned dining rooms that don't look like they have changed much in over a century. The walls are covered with many dusty wine bottles,

photo memorabilia, and various relics from yesteryear,

everywhere you look.

Once seated, you can see the steaks being cooked over hot coals. They are topped with a massive dose of coarse salt, which is then scraped off before serving (the steaks are not salty; it is just a secret to get the best out of them).

Getting the thick slab of beef to just above rare takes about fifteen to twenty minutes, which is the only way you can have your steak at Casa Julian. This steak (the chuleton de buey for two from old dairy cows) is the only main dish on the menu. Don't think of asking for it to be well done, as you may end up on the grill!

We then ordered a bottle of Bodegas Roda' Roda I' Reserva 2015 DOC Rioja and selected our starters from the specials and standard menus.

We started with a Contino 2016.

Then the Roda I is being opened.

The meal began with Cogollos de Tudela con Aceite de oliva (tiny hearts of local lettuce similar to Romaine but stronger, doused in exquisite olive oil)

Asperges spéciales de Navarre (special asparagus from Navarra).

Tomate entsalada (tomato salad with a gazpacho like sauce).

Porruak (slow-cooked leeks).

Kaneloiak (low-temperature rib, béchamel and truffle canneoli).

Albondigak (meatball with a fantastic roasted red pepper ice cream).

Our wine for the main course was a bottle of Vinedos de Paganos El Puntido, DOC Rioja 2017. The excellent sommelier chose this wine to accompany the steak, and it was a great choice.

Finally, the steak turned up and was, indeed, stunning. The Chuletón de Viejo (bone-in rib steak) is trimmed and carved into two pieces and is as good a piece of meat as you will find anywhere else in Spain. It is not to be missed, especially in this extraordinary atmosphere. It's like eating at the Medieval home of a friend who is also a top-class grill master who has his own dairy cattle farm.

The unusually slow cooking melts the fat slowly, making it extra soft and moist.

You will also have asados pimientos del piquillo (roasted red piquillo peppers, flattened and arranged in a single layer in a ceramic dish that is roasted to order, brought to the table piping hot, and so delicious that the peppers would be the reason to come if not for the steak (the peppers are always served with the steak, not before).

From the short dessert menu,

Etxeko gazta tarta (home made cheescake).

Flan (egg yolk pudding).

Texas eta zigarroak Tolosatik (tiles and cigarettes from Tolosa, sweet local biscuits).

We finished with excellent carajillos (black coffee with a shot of brandy).

The food and service on this visit seemed better than our previous visit. There seems to be more staff and a slightly upgraded menu. Everyone was as friendly as we remembered,

including the el jefe, Matías Gorrochategui.

A previous visit.

Tolosa is a quaint little town with a river and a few other decent restaurants running through it. It makes for a nice, easy day trip from San Sebastián by car, train, or taxi.