Kanttu — Restaurant in Bayonne

Walking along a rather unforgiving section of hard shoulder on our route from Biaritz, we happened upon a bench with a large cross in front of it. After ditching our heavy packs and parking our weary arses on the bench, we drank our last sip of, what was by now pretty warm, water and lamented our poor luck in finding anywhere to stop to refresh ourselves.

As we looked over the ridge from the bench we spotted a small beach. Was that a boat shed? Or maybe just a changing room? No, there's something written on the side, it's a chiringuito!

Eagerly we descend into the valley, excited by the prospect of a cold wet glass with bubbles in it and, if our luck had finally changed, maybe even a packet of crisps.

Every step down the bank took us further below the ridge and further dampened the roar of the motorway above until it faded completely out of existence. We could now only hear the waves and the faintest chatter from the bar causing our party to almost skip with excitement upon the realisation that the place was definitely open. Stop! Listen‽ Pots and pans! Can you smell that? Beef! Now reaching a gentle canter, we round the corner to be greeted by a lovely shaded terrace and a kindly waitress ushering us to a table with a view.

And what a view, it was so utterly idyllic that we did, for a moment, question if one of those 18 wheelers had drifted a little too close and St Peter had failed to carefully check our files.

We were sat in the middle of a grassy glade with wildflowers and birds. Just in front of us two very young puppies playfully chase a butterfly. To the left of our panorama is an ancient ruin of a farmstead, in the shade of which a young handsome couple have laid out their picnic blanket, and are laying out their glasses and opening a bottle of wine from a cooler. Just above the Northern edge of our vista, perched upon a long-dead branch, a cormorant dries it's wings. Proudly demonstrating her wingspan, in full profile, and silhouetted against the bright blue sky. In the centre, rolling in from a vanishing point way out in the Bay of Biscay the waves tumble quietly over each other and disappear into the shore.

Along with the trio of picture perfect Aperol spritz that we ordered, another friendly waitress arrived promptly with menus. My wife orders the burrata salad, and myself and Tom opt for beef fillet, rare and medium respectively. All of which were absolutely perfect, fresh, well-prepared, and beautifully presented.

We demolished the meals with all the gusto you would expect from a group of 'hikers' halfway through a day's work. Several rounds of Tinto de Verano follow along with much talk about how unreal this place felt after such an arduous slog along the worst bit of road any of us had ever walked.

We aim to return to Puppy Paradise as soon as is possible 10/10 a...

Mon expérience dans cet établissement a été plutôt mitigée. Tout d'abord, il est indéniable que le cadre est magnifique. L'ambiance et le décor contribuent à créer une atmosphère agréable, ce qui est un point très positif. Malheureusement, cela ne suffit pas à compenser les autres aspects de ma visite.

Le temps d'attente pour être servi était très long, ce qui a été frustrant. J'ai remarqué que le service semblait désorganisé et que le personnel avait du mal à gérer la situation, ce qui a rendu l’expérience encore moins agréable. J'espère que cela n'est pas la norme, mais ce jour-là, cela a vraiment affecté notre repas.

En ce qui concerne la nourriture, elle était plutôt décevante. Le cuisinier était malade ce jour-là, ce qui pourrait expliquer la qualité des plats que nous avons reçus. Je me demande si, lorsque le cuisinier est en bonne santé, les plats sont meilleurs. Cependant, je ne peux pas m'empêcher de penser que nous aurions pu nous attendre à une meilleure expérience gastronomique.

Dans l'ensemble, je suis un peu déçu par cette visite. Je pense qu'avec un service plus organisé et une cuisine à la hauteur, cet endroit pourrait vraiment briller. Je suis cependant prêt à donner une seconde chance à cet établissement dans l'avenir, en espérant que les choses seront...

We recently visited with friends. Fantastic atmosphere and food. Between us we had 4 children, aged 2-7 It was so refreshing to have a great space for the children to have fun. It was really relaxed and the added bonus, the view! Amazing place to...