It’s no small feat to recreate the rollicking atmosphere of the elbow-to-elbow tabernas of the Basque region, and at first, Gildas comes across more as an elegant wine bar. But when the food starts landing and the fruity, bitter, sherry-laced Basquaise flavours kick in, it’s easy to feel swept back to San Sebastian.

Chef-owner Lennox Hastie, newly independent of the mighty Fink group with which he’s partnered since opening in 2022, is concentrating on his proven crowd-pleasers. Crackly-skinned chorizo lounges on earthy lentils, and the gildas, in classic style, are briny, chewy mouthfuls of green olive, anchovy and guindilla pepper.

The key dish is the same as it was on day one – violet-fringed pipis, floating like sea-going butterflies over fat white alubias beans in a deeply flavoured jamon broth fortified with sherry. Sketches of Spain, in a Surry Hills wine bar.

Good to know: The Golden Hour runs Wednesday to Saturday with $5 gildas.

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