Category Archives: andalucia

anniversary lunch at la cochera

17 Tuesday Sep 2019

Posted by in andalucia, food & drink, friends, restaurants, sevilla

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Part of the “problem” with having a birthday or anniversary fall on a Monday is that a lot of my favourite bars and restaurants are closed that day. I mean, I didn’t do too badly yesterday, hitting up 6 bars (2 on my own, 4 with my friend Corinna) but I had been hoping for a proper celebratory lunch. And then the lovely Cinta got in touch and invited me for an anniversary lunch today at her bistro La Cochera del Abuelo. So I thought what the hell, if I can have Birthday Week (or Month) then I could also do Anniversary Week. Plus I had bought a ticket for a Kiko Veneno concert at the gorgeous Lope de Vega theatre tonight, so all in all it seemed like a perfect day.

When Cinta joined forces with chef Bosco Benitez Ruíz del Pozo earlier this year, La Cochera went from being an events venue to a restaurant offering set tasting menus four evenings a week. A more recent change saw La Cochera grow into being a full-time restaurant with a bistro menu, which I have been wanting to try.

Everything was fabulous, as you can see, and it really was a perfect place to continue celebrating. Last year I had talked with Cinta about booking La Cochera to host a 25th anniversary party, but then things got busy and I didn’t get it organised in time. So I think I’ll wait now and – fingers crossed! – celebrate my 30th anniversary here.

Off to the concert soon! More on that tomorrow.

finca buenvino

31 Friday May 2019

Posted by in andalucia, food & drink, friends, getaways

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Sam & Jeannie Chesterton

I’ve been virtual friends with Jeannie @jeanniechesterton and Sam @samchesterton on social media for years and have been wanting to visit their Finca Buenvino ever since  I first heard of it. So when Alexis @evoo_workshop said she was heading up there to do an olive oil tasting, and J & S invited me for lunch, I naturally jumped at the chance.

It turned out that the people who were to be Alexis’s olive oil clients were also doing a photo shoot at Finca Buenvino, and the photographer was none other than Tim Clinch @clinchpics, who I had met here in Sevilla a couple of years ago, and who is also a close friend of Jeannie & Sam.

Aside from being the Chesterton’s family home for more than 35 years, Finca Buenvino is also a peaceful mountain retreat, nestled in the hills in Huelva, just a short drive from Sevilla. There are two self-catering cottages on the grounds, as well as six B&B rooms in the main house, with various activities available, including cooking classes run by Jeannie.

While Alexis did her tasting I wandered around the gorgeous sprawling house and grounds, including a trip over to the spectacular salt water infinity pool, followed by the Buenvino dogs, until it was time for lunch. Which was fabulous. Along with the house guests, we were joined by the Chesterton sons, Sam, who shares cooking duties with his mother, and Jago, who works at nearby Cinco Jotas, producer of exquisite Jamón Ibérico de Bellota.

It was a spendid day in the country, and one that I hope I can repeat again soon. Thanks for the wonderful hospitality Los Chestertons, and thanks to Alexis for taking me there and back again. Photos below…

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la cochera del abuelo

05 Friday Apr 2019

Posted by in andalucia, friends, gastronomy, restaurants

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[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

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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