My husband and I were on date night in Pamplona and we were all set to have an adult dinner, without kids at Restaurante Baluarte. From what I could tell online, the food was going to be delish.
When I read that this place was a hidden gem, I didn’t expect that we’d actually have to search for it. But after a couple loops around the block we found the entrance and our view of the Citidel from our table was perfect.
You might be surprised to know that restaurants in Spain don’t open their doors for dinner until 9pm. Even by the French standards that we’re now used to; that was late and we were ready to eat!
But….
It didn’t take long to figure out this was about to be a meal like no other. You see, our waitress didn’t speak any English, or French. She spoke Spanish, obviously, since we were in Spain. Things got complicated when we realized that no one in the restaurant could communicate with us, and we couldn’t read anything on the Spanish menu.
Let the adventure begin!
Since this was the type of restaurant where our meal was going to be several courses, it wasn’t as easy as just pointing to ‘pollo’ on the menu and knowing that some form of chicken would arrive. There were many options to choose from and after some hand gestures and attempts at decoding the menu, we just decided to wing it. I managed to order steak and my husband lamb, but we left everything else up to the discretion of our waitress. This mystery meal was going to be fun!
Our amuse-bouche consisted of light, fluffy, cheesy pastry balls and some roasted peppers, with just the right amount of heat.
Our entrée was a gorgeous tartar that had mixed vegetables added in for a nice crunch and garnished with greens.
I loved our next course! Some of the health food and fitness sites I see online talk about making veggie noodles, and since I don’t have one of those fancy slicers, this is as close as I’ve come. Thinly julienned green veggies were topped with a sauteed mushroom, making this dish filling, yet not too heavy; which was perfect because the food just kept coming! 
We moved our wine glasses to the side as an entire pan, hot out of the oven arrived on our table. Another surprise to discover as we peered over the edge of the pan to find peas, beans, white asparagus and bits of bacon swimming in broth that smelled heavenly.
The next courses were the only ones that were not surprises. A nice piece of rare beef for me, and a leg of lamb for my husband. We were seriously full at this point, but the wine was aiding our appetites; and with the food as delicious as it was, we weren’t complaining. 
And lastly I found that my love for chocolate can be found without using any words. It doesn’t matter if I can speak the language…I can always find chocolate!
My husband stuck to the lighter side after our giant feast and had a fruit and ice cream mix. 
I have to say that although I’m a die hard chocolate fan, I made him switch desserts with me, because when it’s after midnight and you’ve just ate as much as I did, a lite and cool dessert was the way to finish off a meal like that.
I hope that you enjoyed the pictures as much as we did the meal. Next time you’re in a foreign country, try steering clear of the touristy spots and head in search of a locally hidden gem. Consider it an adventure and enjoy the excitement of a surprise menu if you can’t speak the language. You just might find that you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Thank you to Restaurante Baluarte for having us as guests. All opinions are my own.