07 Thursday Jan 2016
Posted in birthdays, food & drink, friends, tapas
A few scenes from yesterday’s “unbirthday”. I met my friend Carl for a quick bite at lunchtime, which somehow segued into a birthday eve Tapeo Extremo. So I am feeling ALL of 59 this morning (and then some) but have to get ready and leave soon for a Mystery Birthday Day Trip. Stay tuned…
28 Monday Dec 2015
Posted in food & drink, friends, sevilla, sherry
chef Kosei Takakura
…at least for a day. One of the things I miss living in Sevilla is that there is very little good international food here, especially Asian food. Sure, there’s a “sushi bar” on practically every corner these days, but you can imagine what they’re like…
So when my friend Tómoko said she was coming to Sevilla with other friends from Jerez to have lunch at a Japanese restaurant run by a chef she personally knows, I reckoned it would be the real deal. And it was.
Tómoko preparing our shabu-shabu
We had a wonderful selection of sushi, sashimi, shabu-shabu and other things I can’t remember the names of. All delicious. But what made it extra special for me was that sauces such as wasabi, ponzu and yuzu-koshou were all made from scratch by chef Kosei, and they were outstanding. Unfortunately, this delightful discovery will soon be no more as Kosei is off soon to try his luck in Málaga. But hey, I can always catch up with him there.
pringá for dessert!
After lunch Tómoko and I decided that the rest of the gang couldn’t leave Sevilla without trying Bodeguita Romero’s award-winning pringá montadito, so we popped across the street and shared pringás with some lovely sherries for our “dessert”. It was a great afternoon and I’m happy that Tómoko is spending a few days here with me in Sevilla. I’m sure I’ll be posting more of our adventures here during the week.
25 Friday Dec 2015
Posted in christmas, food & drink, sevilla, sherry, twitter
With someone else’s family! A few weeks ago I started chatting with Becky @withpaprika on Twitter, as I saw she was planning a trip to Sevilla. I offered her some advice on places to eat and she ended up taking a We Love Tapas Tour with the fabulous Delia. Everyone had a great time and the next night I saw Becky and family at the Flamenco Museum. They were having problems getting a booking for Christmas lunch and so I helped them with that, and said I’d stop by and have a drink with them on Christmas afternoon. Which turned into – ahem – more than one. In fact, I sat with them through most of their lunch (mine was mostly prepared and waiting for me at home) and it was so much fun. The kids were inquisitive and charming, and Becky, Scott and I really hit it off (next visit Scott wants a sherry tour!). It was a lovely way to spend my Christmas afternoon, and I came home much cheered and enjoyed my own (late) lunch and an evening of Christmas films.
So, a little Twitter magic helped make this Christmas extra special.
How was yours?
19 Saturday Dec 2015
Posted in food & drink, friends, Malaga, malaga getaway, travel, trips
So remember when, about a year and a half ago, I went to Antequera and stayed at the Parador Hotel? Well, that was also when I finally got to meet Ángela & Mikel, the foodie couple behind Pollo y Ensalada. Aside from doing a tapeo with them I also joined them for a memorable tasting menu lunch at Arte de Cozina. And today we did it again in Málaga, trying out the new El Tres location at Malagueta Beach.
And it was WOW. We loved every bite (except maybe the fried artichokes that didn’t taste of artichokes). But everything else was exceptional. Just one amazing thing after another. More on that later over on Azahar Tapas. It was a lovely afternoon, catching up, chatting, with great food and wine. Afterwards we caught the sunset at the port (yes, it was a four-hour lunch) and then parted ways. Looking forward to seeing them again soon in Antequera, and maybe even in the Basque Country, where Mikel is from.
18 Friday Dec 2015
Posted in cancer, food & drink, friends, Malaga, malaga getaway
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I met Ann Larson a couple of years ago and we hit it off. But you know, she lives in fucking Yunquera, beyond Ronda, so never knew if we would manage to get together again. Then Ann got cancer. And it turned out she liked talking to me about all that shit, because (you know!) I don’t talk shit about that shit. So we became good friends, but only saw each other again today in Málaga. This is us after 4 glasses of Botani – really the only time I can be convinced to do a selfie. Check out Anne’s fabulous line of natural beauty and skin care products that she makes herself, called Lujos. You know you want some.
casa azahar 