Aho-Mihi : San Sebastián, Basque Country
It is surprising that Aho-Mihi chose the Basque-est barrio of San Sebastián, Egia, to plant roots and serve home cooking from Cataluña.
Egia is what feels like one of the last strongholds of a certain era of San Sebastián’s history, where the bars are still thoroughly tabernas, where Joxe Mari's brush elbows as they stop in the pescadería, then the carnicería, then the local watering hole to replenish strength with an hamaiketako.
Then, in the middle of it all, sits Aho-Mihi. However, once you make it in and have a seat, the idea clicks. Aho-mihi’s subject matter may be the sunnier stuff of the Mediterranean, but the setting is humble and homey, making anyone (and the Saturday we went, it was certainly packed) feel right at home. Yes, there are some pops of color and modern shelving, but warm terra cotta tiles, bricks and stone walls keep this feeling like a neighborhood spot.
The restaurant actually bills itself as Basque-Catalán fusion, an idea that indeed may seem like the wildest fusion ever conceived if you are thinking politically. Well, stop thinking about politics and wrap your head around the culinary meeting of regions.
The warm Mediterranean meets the cold Cantabrian in a fusion that is mostly present in the seasonal, off-the-menu offerings. In summer, for example, it’s easy to find a fresh-fish carpaccio garnished with raw guindillas, or a albacore fillet grilled and served with veggies, which is where the Basque part comes in. However, my favorite menu items were the straight up Catalán dishes, in part because it’s practically impossible to find regional Spanish food in this town! Srsly y’all!
My friend and co-owner Ander Bilbao greeted us one day recently with a plate of olives to munch on as we looked over the menu. I may just be the world’s biggest romesco fan, so we ordered the vegetables with romesco. Co-owner and cook Gabriela Puntes has brought many of Aho-Mihi’s recipes from her Catalán family, and that’s really what the meal felt like—good, hearty home-cooked food from the Mediterranean.
If you go, be sure to order a side of pa amb tomaquet for maximum authenticity. In Cataluña it serves the same role as the bread basket, to sop up all the wonderful sauce and jus. We also ordered butifarra, another fave of mine, pork sausage heavily condimented with salt, black pepper, and other spices. In Aho-Mihi, they serve it up hot dog style in a brioche from The Loaf, with fresh cilantro, pickles and onions. It was really good, although my American-ness thought here there was a missed opportunity to cover it in ali-oli and romesco, two Catalán sauces par excellence, embracing condiments in the way only a hot dog on a bun can (because we all know that hot dogs raison d’être is as porky vessels of delicious sauce and little bits).
The selection of wine and beer, chosen by Ander, is exciting and different, so be sure to choose with attention and care, because this isn’t your average kantina beverage menu. Also, as a founding member of the Vermut Society, I have to say their vermouth offering is spectacular—which makes sense, considering that Barcelona and Reus are the end all, be all Spanish vermouth towns.
At Aho-Mihi, they encourage sharing everything, but even so we were getting full when our last plate came out. Too bad, because there was no not eating these canelones. “Grandma Canneloni”, as they are called on the menu, were stuffed with shredded chicken in a stew of apricots and pine nuts. The plate truly felt straight from the oven of an abuelita.
For us here in San Sebastián, it’s awesome to have a spot around the corner where the food tastes home-cooked, isn’t too pricey, and is a departure from the same old, same old. We’ll definitely be back to Aho-Mihi, and if you are a visitor planning on staying more than a couple days in San Sebastián or skipping over the Cataluña region altogether, it’s worth a stop.
aho-mihi
Calle Virgen del Carmen, 5
20012 Donostia-San Sebastian
+34 943 38 91 64
closes Monday and Tuesday