Ever since I visited San Sebastian last year I've been dying to return, mainly to sample the incredible pintxos all over again. Pintxos is Basque (Northern Spain) style tapas. Think small morsels of savoury food, atop a piece of bread and held in place by a toothpick. When CitizenMag invited me to check out PIX, a pintxos bar in Notting Hill I jumped at the chance to reacquaint myself with this delicious type of cuisine.
The wonderful thing about the pintxos bars in San Sebastian is that they're incredibly relaxed. The food is displayed across the bar so all you do is pick up a plate and help yourself. At PIX the same principle applies. Choose whatever food takes your fancy and keep the cocktail sticks so they can be tallied up when it comes to paying the bill.
This is a great concept whether you're visiting as a pair or in a large group because you can choose exactly what, and how much you want to eat. Whether it just a couple of bits as a snack or 10 items for a big dinner, the choice is yours.
Steve and I weren't exactly starving when we visited PIX but we also wanted to try a large selection of the food so we did what we do best, shared everything. We started with the Serrano ham and bechemal croquetas which were absolutely wonderful. They oozed with a cheesy sauce and had just the right amount of meat hidden in the centre. They were so delicious we ended up getting a second portion at the end of our meal.
Other items that stood out for included; marinated fig and goats cheese on sour dough; Serrano ham and quail egg on ciabatta; pea and broad bean bruschetta; goats cheese and pine nut stuffed pepper; patatas bravas; morcilla, quail egg and piquillo pepper on ciabatta; and Serrano ham on sour dough tomato bread.
The food was extremely reminiscent from my trip last year so it's nice to know that I can visit somewhere local whenever I get craving for a San Sebastian holiday. PIX is a lovely spot for a casual dinner date, or boozy lunch with friends, especially as they do an all you can eat and drink (Cava) special on a Sunday for £33 per person. There's also a secret cocktail bar in the basement which is another great reason to visit.