Chez Gildas - Ascain

This is a place you go to when you have no expectations whatsoever: no expectation on the quality of service (the waitress although very friendly was forgetful but that did not bother her at all having to be reminded what we had ordered and sending back dishes we had not ordered), and no expectation on the food&wine quality (it's just OK). The place was empty so it was very quiet, and we appreciated that.

Took the time to select this restaurant on TA. Probably hit it on a bad Tuesday night.... ? , arrived at 8pm but after waiting 15 mins I had to ask for a drink and a menu from the waitress. She was busy I guess but not really interested in serving anybody else. It took an hour for our starters to arrive and by then I had lost interest. Steak was nice but coated in a heavy bearnaise sauce. I said goodnight to the chef who was talking to locals and was ignored. I didn't leave a tip as it was not deserved.

The welcome at this restaurant was warm and friendly. Service and Food was excellent the gateaux basque merits particular note and is not to be missed.We arrived early without reservation and are glad we did because despite being out of season the restaurant filled within 30mins of our arrival, it would be wise to reserve.If you want authentic basque cuisine without any pretentiousness then give this place a try.

We needed to get some lunch before heading to the Train de la Rhune and after having checked out the menus at a number of places elected to eat here.Neither of us had any clue about typical Basque dishes so we both chose from the plat de jour.The salad de basque was basically a salad with some cheese and serrano ham with a balsamic vinegar dressing, so nothing special.My main dish was some kind of a cod gratin casserole which again did not set my world on fire and in fact the cod was pretty dry and tasted like it had been around for a while.My wife had a risotto which she said was mediocre.Would have been nice to have had something that was memorably Basque, but I guess that was probably our fault for not knowing what to order and from where.Our bill including wine was 55 Euro.

Similar to other places in Ascain we could not fault the waiting staff. Helpful in explaining the dishes and local wines. Entrecôte was very nicely cooked but a tuna main was over cooked and the ratatouille was pretty tasteless. Wine great value.Cost. For two around €60.