Introduction
“Dos txongurros mesa dos por favor” (translation: “two spider crab soups for table two please”) the maître de announced. I grabbed two of the heated matte copper bowls and placed them on the table, lightly scolding my hand. I ladled three spoonfuls of soup into each dish before placing a lightly cured egg yolk into the centers. I wiped the rims of the bowls with a damp paper towel and placed them on the neat wooden tray. “¿Mesa dos?” (translation: “Table two?”) I confirmed with the waiter before the dishes were swiftly delivered to the diners.
This summer I had the unique opportunity to intern at a Michelin-Star restaurant in Bilbao, Spain, a city well-known for its fine dining and Basque cuisine. After having dinner at Restaurant Mina, one of Bilbao’s eleven Michelin-Star restaurants, with my brother, I was pleased to find myself on the other side of the chef’s counter as an intern just a week later. My time at Restaurant Mina, located in the heart of Bilbao, was an opportunity I could have only dreamt of experiencing.
Outside of Mina Restaurant on the right (via Bacon on the Beech), Dining room on the left (via Very Bilbao)
Prior to beginning my internship, I was certainly a bit anxious. Without any formal culinary education and having limited knowledge of the Spanish language, I questioned how the first few days at Mina were going to pan out. However, my worries were quickly alleviated. The welcoming team at Mina, of which some spoke English freely, welcomed me with open arms, and within just a few days I became a comfortable member of the culinary team.
Restaurant Specifics
Mina is a tasting-menu restaurant, offering two menu options; ten or fourteen courses. Mina’s dishes focus on utilizing ingredients found in the Basque region of Spain; including an abundance of seafood found in the area ranging from Spider Crab to Red Mullet Fish. The simple yet elegant offerings at Mina, crafted by Chef Álvaro Garrido, earned the restaurant a Michelin Star earlier in 2023.
Seared Red Mullet fish, cauliflower puree, cider gel (right); Spider Crab soup, cured egg yolk (middle); Seabream, smoked butter and citrus sauce, red caviar (left)
The culinary team at Mina included four full-time cooks and two to three interns, which included me at the time. All kitchen staff followed a daily schedule as follows: a prep period and lunch service that took place from 10 AM – 4:30 PM, and a dinner service from 8 PM – 12 AM. However, depending on how quickly diners ate, these times could vary. From Wednesday – Sunday, my days were fully committed to Mina’s demanding schedule, and Monday and Tuesday were left for intensively sleeping in, exploring the city, sleeping again, and lounging on the beach. Nevertheless, despite its taxing nature, the schedule was one that I came to love; a routine that I could rely on and that left me feeling fulfilled each day.
A Grueling Routine
As the weeks passed, I realized that working at Mina is more than simply a job, but rather a new lifestyle. It is a rigorous daily routine with unique hours that can easily isolate employees from their friends and family. Working day after day, week after week, whilst staying dedicated to near-perfect execution can leave staff strained both mentally and physically. I can say that during some days, all be it for my short stint at the restaurant, I fell into a repetitive cycle of just working and sleeping, a routine that left me minimal time to enjoy my days outside of the restaurant. For those individuals who have spent years working under this schedule, I have immense respect.
The Beauty of the Kitchen
Working in such a high-level restaurant, surrounded by incredibly talented chefs, I improved considerably as a cook. From learning how to brunoise (very finely cube) a variety of vegetables to growing my knowledge of how to properly compose a plate of food to both look beautiful and taste delicious, I left Mina feeling inspired and excited to create dishes of my own.
But the culinary aspect, in reality, played a much smaller role than I expected in making my time at Mina so special. My experience was made brilliant by the people with whom I had the pleasure of working and the comradery of the kitchen.
United by 60-hour work weeks, a mutual feeling of exhaustion, and the strive for excellence, the kitchen staff became my secondary family. More than any other factor, I was excited to go to Mina each day knowing that at some point I would laugh hysterically, have enjoyable conversations, uncover something new about the very international team at Mina, and learn a new fact about Argentina from one of the chefs whose Argentinian pride runs deep in his veins (did you know that the ballpoint pen was created in Argentina – fun fact). Each day was exciting; full of mystery and outlandish humor (much of which I can not share on a public platform) that brought tears to my eyes. And Sunday nights, which were the start of our weekends, were filled with dancing and conversation, all be it sometimes in a language I didn’t fully understand.
Of course, this job is demanding to say the least, but everyone I’ve spoken to who has been a part of the Mina team for years attributes their love for Mina to one crucial factor: Mina is a family, a family that I will greatly miss.
The Quenelle
Another culinary technique that I learned during my time at Mina was how to quenelle ice cream. By definition, a quenelle is a presentation technique that appears as a three-sided oval shape and is made from soft, malleable components of a dish. For me, however, the quenelle signified much more than a fancy manner of plating; the quenelle was a personal challenge.
A perfect quenelle (via ChefSteps)
All of the desserts on Mina’s menu consisted of quenelles of ice cream. However, this technique, which required a specific push and pull motion with a spoon, proved to be rather difficult for me. Rather than the glossy oval that I intended to create, my attempts mirrored misshapen meatballs.
As the end of my third week approached, I finally began to see signs of hope. After practicing my quenelles daily, my disastrous spheres began to look more like their intended shape.
And during my last dinner service, time after time, perfect quenelles of chocolate ice cream appeared on my plates. My trivial yet rewarding battle with the quenelle reflected much of my experience at Mina. As my quenelles grew glossier, so did my confidence and capability in the kitchen.
El Fin
There’s not much else to say besides my time at Mina was incredible. Working in the heart of the beautiful city of Bilbao, cooking wonderfully crafted dishes, and spending time with some of the most enjoyable people I have ever met, is certainly not an experience I will take for granted. Thank you to everyone at Mina and thank you, Bilbao.
It was a pleasure.
Adiós.
