Category Archives: andalucia

la cochera del abuelo

05 Friday Apr 2019

Posted by in andalucia, friends, gastronomy, restaurants

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

[Cinta, daughter María, Inma, Estela]

My lovely friend, and former WLT colleague, Cinta Romero (on the left) has been running La Cochera del Abuelo since May 2016. Originally a coach house, for many years it was a small family-run bar called El Abuelo. When Cinta took it over she transformed it into a charming spot for private gastronomy and wine events, catered by some of the best chefs in the city.

This week her project has taken a new turn, with Cinta opening La Cochera to the public with set menus on Thursday-Friday-Saturday evenings. Chef Bosco Benitez Ruíz del Pozo is at the helm with sous-chef Pepe Muñoz. I was invited to opening night and this is what we had…

  • Artisanal butter and tumeric bread
  • Grilled chicken heart skewer with pancetta
  • Red tuna, watercress salad, pineapple and peanut mojo sauce
  • Scalded egg “flower” with truffle sauce
  • Sea bass with a cream of peas and sautéed baby leeks
  • Grilled beef with Café de Paris sauce, baked beetroot
  • Cheese cake flan

The set menu is fantastic value at 30€ per person (drinks not included) and there is also a vegetarian menu available. We enjoyed some lovely manzanilla, cava and albariño with our meal – the wine list is short but very well thought out. Service is both professional and personal. It’s a great place to go for a special Sevilla dining experience. Reservations are a must as the cosy venue only holds 28 people.

La Cochera del Abuelo
Álvaro de Bázan 2
Tel +34 664 440 636
Website

[chefs Bosco & Pepe]

cuatrogatos wine fest 2019

16 Saturday Feb 2019

Posted by in andalucia, events, food & drink, getaways, sherry, wine

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

The fourth edition of the CuatroGatos Wine Festival was quite different from last year’s event. This time it was held inside a lovely hacienda on the outskirts of El Puerto de Santa María and there was also the promise of a special dish prepared by Michelin star chef Ángel León. I met my friend Tomoko @Fu_yan at the train station and, having just missed the Wine Bus, got a taxi over.

[click to enlarge]

It was a great afternoon revisiting old friends and making new ones. And thanks to Tomoko I tried several wines I may not have otherwise (brand new love is La Choza by Bodega Callejuela). I was also happy to discover that several of the wines I liked are available in Sevilla, and almost all of them at Ana Linares’s fabulous wine shop Lama La Uva (will be visiting her soon!)

Tomoko and CuatroGatos founder Federico Ferrer

Although there were a lot more food options this year, with several stands set up on the patio, Tomoko and I decided to walk over to Restaurante El Faro so we could sit down for awhile and, frankly, have a nicer lunch. 😉 Which you can see, we did indeed have. The only thing was that by the time we got back to the event, several of the producers were already packing up (!!). Since they were offering another Wine Bus back to the train station around 8 pm we assumed that the producers were going to stay around longer. Oh well. It was still a fabulous day and great to hang out with Tomoko again.

spectacular lunch at Restaurante El Faro

 

a long expected party

12 Tuesday Feb 2019

Posted by in andalucia, birthdays, friends, gastronomy

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

We had been planning Steven’s 75th birthday party ever since he made it known last year that he wanted to spend this special celebration in Sevilla. It actually morphed into Birthday Week, kicking off in Sevilla and finishing up in Cádiz, but on the day itself we met up with other friends of Steven & Julie for a fabulous dinner at Restaurante Eslava. It was a lovely evening and I felt very lucky to be a part of it.

help save taberna el gallo!

26 Saturday Jan 2019

Posted by in andalucia, history, spain, tapas, tapas bars

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Taberna El Gallo is probably the most emblematic traditional bar in Córdoba. Great wines and food too! It is my favourite spot in the city. So I was very sad to read that it was going to close after the death of the owner, who ran the business with her husband. Rent issues, along with the ages of its present staff, some of whom have recently retired, have led to the bar closing its doors after 83 years.

Then I saw that someone has started a Change.org petition to preserve the bar and keep it going. Presumably under new management, but hopefully retaining its charm, character and heritage. Here is the link so you can sign the petition and help save Taberna El Gallo.

Change.org: La Taberna El Gallo No Se Cierra