From Across the Kitchen Table: Bistro Guggenheim and The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear Bilbao? Is it pintxos? The warm and welcoming Basque people or is it the Guggenheim Museum? You can't really visit Bilbao without seeing the Guggenheim Museum. The impact of this building has forever changed the way the world thinks about Bilbao, a struggling industrial town that is now a cultural metropolis. Built in limestone, glass and titanium in the shape of a bouquet of fish tails, this colossal structure was designed by Frank Ghery especially for Bilbao. It is incredible to say the least.

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is featured in Dan Brown's Robert Langdon mysteries series, Origin. Dan Brown's books are always about intriguing subjects that stimulate further discussion. You'll be at the edge of your seat reading this brilliant book and I suggest you read it before you visit Bilbao.

Jeff Koons' "Tulips"

A giant bouquet of multi-coloured balloon tulips.

"Maman" (spider) by Louise Bourgeois

"Puppy" covered in flowers by Jeff Koon located in Plaza Aguirre outside the museum.

left photo- Fog Sculpture by Fujiko Nakaya

right photo- La Salve Bridge by Daniel Buren and Tall Tree & The Eye by Anish Kapoor

We dined at Bistro Guggenheim after visiting the Guggenheim Museum. It has a nice funky interior fitting for a modern museum. The dishes were fantastic, portions were generous and were thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Dining inside one of the greatest buildings of our time with fantastic views of River Nervion made it even more special (request for a table near the window).

We opted for the starter, main, dessert, water and wine (yes, they gave us a bottle!). It was an excellent meal from start to finish and definitely value for money. A rare find in a popular touristy area.