Elena Arzak's 'Ametsa' restaurant opens in London

Elena Arzak's 'Ametsa' restaurant, a touch of the three-star Basque magic of her family restaurant, opens today in London at Belgravia's five-star Halkin hotel. 'Ametsa' replaces Nahm, the first Thai restaurant outside Thailand to win a Michelin star (it lost it last year).

Elena Arzak, daughter to prestigious Basque chef Juan Mari Arzak, not long ago won the Veuve Clicquot World's Best Female Chef award. 'Ametsa', the Basque word for "dream", will be the first outpost of Arzak outside Spain. The chefs at Ametsa will be advised by Arzak Instruction, a five-strong team including Elena and her father set up "to deliver the philosophies of a unique cooking style".

According to the Wall Street Journal, both Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena will continue to work in Donostia-San Sebastián, with occasional visits to London, where Mikel Sorazu will act as the day-to-day chef.

The Basque Country on the map

Chef Juan Mari Arzak has done much to put Basque Country's culinary heritage on the map. His restaurant ranks eighth at the S. Pellegrino and Acqua Panna World's 50 Best Restaurants awards.

Arzak senior has won praise for taking Basque cuisine's ancient traditions in new directions without going to quite the same innovative lengths as renowned compatriot Ferran Adria.

Perhaps his most famous dish is pate made from the unsightly but tasty scorpion fish, which he created more than 40 years ago and has since become a feature in restaurants and delicatessens across Spain.

Rather than culinary foam or paella made from rice crispies, the Michelin three-starred Arzak restaurant draws from mainly local ingredients to dish up combinations like monkfish with bronzed onion, or lamb injected with freeze-dried beer.