Bilbao is a great city for a long weekend. We happened to be there to give our youngest a dip into Spanish culture as she loves studying languages and, with the Gugganheim at it’s centre, that’s something it has in bucket loads.

Firmly within the Basque country, Bilbao is also a culinary adventure with dishes from the Basque tradition as well as its own Bizkaia region with specialities such as Squid in Black Ink and Salt Cod in a Spicy Tomato Sauce. It is also a place to visit for some of the freshest most mouthwatering squid I have ever eaten.

However, I digress. What I want to write about here is a very special restaurant we stumbled across out of dumb luck one evening while hunting for somewhere to have dinner.

La Gavilla (https://lagavillabilbao.com) is a small restuarant tucked away in a side street behind one of the main shopping areas. On the day we visited, it was fully booked and it was only because we were there exactly as it opened, with our noses pressed against the door, that we got a table. Notably, ours was the only walk in table of the night. They must have turned away at least 20 other couples and families who came into ask - which to their credit, they did very politely and kindly each time.

The Chef Patron, David Morrondo has an eclectic cooking pedigree gained in upmarket restaurants in San Sebastian and Bilbao as well as in the US and China. This, as you might expect, is reflected in the food.

Lezama Tomato Salad with White Tuna, Spring Onions and Ajoblanco

The menu ranges from Iberian Pork Shoulder to Prawns in Tempura. In different hands, this might be a red flag, but here the food is actually all the better for it. Everything was made with ingredients of exceptional quality, was fitting for the season and had beautifully balanced flavours which the chef clearly has a deep understanding of.

Everything comes on sharing platters, so everyone gets to try a bit of everything and they subtly adjust the size so there is enough for everyone.

Favourites from the night included the amazing Lezama Tomato Salad. Beautifully flavoured ripe tomatoes from the Basque country which had been peeled to give them extra sweetness, finely sliced red onions for a hit of acidity, finished with a delicate, creamy white garlic soup which is poured over the dish at the table. Simple and sublime.

Iberian Pork Shoulder, Rosemary Smoke and Tumaca Bread

Another standout dish was the Iberian Pork Shoulder. It arrives in great theatrical style on a sizzling platter with smoking rosemary trails wafting over the tables as it passes. Unlike in the UK, where you would find this as a slow cooked, pulled pork, at La Gavilla, it is cooked skin down long enough to render the fat and served quite pink.

Fatty, crispy skin juices melt into sumptuously soft mouthfuls of perfectly seasoned meat. Crunchy Tamaca bread is served on the side covered in more ripe tomatoes and Spanish olive oil, allowing you to mop up the juices and savour every last morsel of this delectable treat.

I’d highly recommend a visit to La Gavilla. If you are going to go, either book in advance, if you can, or stand right outside the door at least 20 minutes before it opens and do not let anyone in front of you under any circumstances.

If you are very lucky, there will be a spare table they can squeeze you into and you can thank the Basque food gods for the culinary delights that await you.