Category Archives: friends

steve

19 Thursday Apr 2018

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So there I was just minding my own business and wondering what to do after a long day of photo editing and writing (catching up on my websites!) when I got an email from a guy called Steve from Australia, who asked if I was free to do a “last minute” tour that evening. And you know what? I really wasn’t up for it, so I said I wasn’t available for a tour but, because my friend Phoebe put him in touch with me, I suggested meeting up for a late afternoon drink.

Steve had just come from judging wine with Phoebe at the IWC in London, and then took a trip to Jerez to visit a few sherry bodegas. He was on his way home with and this was his last night in Sevilla, so he was in a very sherry mood. We met at Palo Santo for a nice chilled manzanilla and a chat and then – somehow! – one thing led to another and we ended up on a Tapeo Extremo. Well, sort of. We only went to two bars – Eslava and La Azotea – but there was definitely extreme sherry involved. And as always, lots of fun talking with the bar staff at both places. An unexpected treat.

sally & rand

13 Friday Apr 2018

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So remember the person who got in touch by email last week to tell me about the new vermouth bar Yo Soy Tu Padre? Well, we were able to meet up before they headed home. Meet Sally and Rand from Boston, shown here at YSTP (later we went for a penúlitima at La Azotea). I never know who is reading my stuff, so it’s always great when I get to meet someone who has enjoyed my websites. They plan to come back next spring and spend another month in Triana, so we will stay in touch and hopefully see each other again next year.

van gogh alive

04 Wednesday Apr 2018

Posted by in art, friends, sevilla, tapas, tapas bars

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It’s not every day we get to have Beer O’clock in Van Gogh’s bedroom. Thanks to Pilar – who went ahead and booked tickets to Van Gogh Alive – we (Pilar, her mother, Peter and I) met up at the Pabillón de Navigación to take in the multi-media exhibit. Then it was off for a fab lunch at La Azotea Zaragoza. What a lovely day! 🙂

Pilar & Pilar

albert

31 Saturday Mar 2018

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After scoring a prime window seat at Flores Gourmet on Friday evening – all the better to see my favourite Semana Santa sculpture of all El Cachorro – Peter @SVQconcierge and I settled in to await its arrival. The great thing about this situation was that we could sit comfortably with drink in hand and, just as the pasos started passing, I could whip out the door and take my photos.

But I didn’t expect the other bonus of our situation. We ended up chatting with a few people who were in town for SS, and then another guy started talking with us. Albert @amennyc was here on his own and trying to get the most of the whole SS experience. So of course I recommended some of my favourite bars, then later on that same evening we all met up again at La Azotea Zaragoza. From there we made a plan to meet up the following afternoon to tapear and see a few more processions…

We had a great time. I was lovely to meet a new friend and spend the afternoon enjoying the best that Sevilla has to offer. And also a few processions! Albert is living in Lisbon and so plans are afoot to go an visit him there soon.

ed & jackie & chip

09 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by in friends, gastronomy, sevilla, twitter, twitter friends, wine

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Most of you know how much my life has been enriched by Twitter. It’s not only a helpful social media business tool, but – more importantly – it has connected me with some of the most special people in my life.

A few weeks ago my friend Thane @ThanePrince (yes, I also met her on Twitter) put me in touch with her friend Edward @TimeToCook, saying he was planning a visit to Andalucía and that we should meet. That day finally came this week and the plan was that we would meet up for a drink before they headed off to dinner at Tribeca. As you can see, I ended up being invited to dinner, and what a splendid meal it was. Wonderful food and wine, and even better company.

It was like an evening out with old friends and I was sorry to see it end. But of course Ed and I are now keeping in touch via Twitter and, who knows, I may end up visiting them all in New York some day. Or maybe we’ll meet up in London with Thane. You never know…

cádiz getaway march 2018

08 Thursday Mar 2018

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

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A bit of a déjà vu experience, as Peter and I were just in Cádiz a couple of weeks ago during Carnaval Chiquito, but other than a couple of the “must dos” we ended up having quite a different experience. Also it was the first visit for Jane and John, and we were happy to show them around. After a quick trip to the central market, this was the rest of our day…

cold beer o’clock at La Sorpresa

snacks and sherry at Casa Manteca

tapas at Antonio Del Palillo and El Faro followed by a walk to La Caleta Beach

picatostes at Café Royalty

jerez getaway march 2018

06 Tuesday Mar 2018

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This week I was supposed to be out on an Andalucía Adventure travelling around the white villages with Peter and our friends from Austin Texas Jane & John, but the rainy weather put the kibosh on that plan. Instead we opted for a return to sherry country with a side trip to Cádiz.

After arriving in Jerez and checking into our hotel we made our way to the central market for a quick breakfast of churros, followed by a market visit and a quick sherry at El Pasaje. Then it was time to visit Bodegas Tradición.

As most of you already know, Bodegas Tradición is a unique bodega experience. Not only do they only make VOR and VORS sherries (aside from one fino) but their private art gallery is a joy to behold. Sabrina put out some lovely snacks for us and we sat around chatting and sipping our very special wines. It was actually Tradición’s palo cortado that changed my life all those years ago at a bar in Sevilla, turning me into the sherry-obsessed person sherry professional I am today.

After leaving Tradición we made our way back to the city centre for a penúltima, in order to relax and figure out where to have dinner that evening. That’s when I heard from Rocío from Bodegas Urium and we ended up having an impromptu bodega visit there with the family: father and bodega founder Alonso, and Rocío’s husband Mario. This small family-run biz doesn’t offer public tours, but on occasion they very generously open up their doors to friends, and friends of friends. As always, Alonso was in fine fettle, regaling us with stories while pouring wines from the barrel. I think Jane & John came away from this visit a bit awe-struck, and to be honest, I always do too.

Dinner that night was at one of my favourite places in Jerez, the super traditional Tabanco Las Bandarillas. It’s all home-style cooking there, nothing fancy, but always fabulous. And with super friendly service. Then it was time for bed as we had another special bodega experience planned for the next morning.

birthday boys!

03 Saturday Mar 2018

Posted by in birthdays, change, friends, sevilla

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Yesterday was Peter’s birthday, and it was a big one. So we celebrated the big day by doing … well nothing much. Because Peter was still in the throws of moving house and I had an evening tapas tour and also an afternoon We Love Tapas training session with José. But it turns out that Peter and José share the same birthday, 25 years apart, so here they are having a Birthday Beer together at our meeting.

And so we are going to do Birthday Lunch on Sunday, when there is usually not much else to do, and by then Peter will be settled into his new home. Since moving out of Casa Azahar in October he has stayed at a couple of temporary places, but now he has found a really great permanent apartment near the Feria Market. An ático with two terraces, tons of light, and feels very homey. Looks nice, doesn’t it?

mr & mrs o

02 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by in food & drink, friends, gastronomy, sevilla, spain, tapas, tapas bars

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Back in November 2015 I had the pleasure of finally meeting Ana & Simon (aka Mr & Mrs O), and we have stayed in touch since then via Instagram & Twitter, where we first met. So I was really excited to find out they were coming back to Sevilla for a quick weekend getaway, and yesterday I was once again there to meet them when they arrived at their hotel.

The weather was not in our favour, but luckily the RAIN let up for the entire evening. We began our tapeo with starter tapas at the fabulous Becerrita, near the hotel, before making our way to La Sal in barrio Santa Cruz for Almadraba red tuna. Then somehow it was suddenly a good idea to have more jamón for “dessert” at Las Teresas along with crisp, dry manzanilla sherry, and we finished with a sweet sherry nightcap at Vineria San Telmo.

Aside from the great food and wine we shared, we also shared plenty of stories and laughed a lot… the time just flew by. Can’t wait to do it all again. xx

tapas at Becerrita

almadraba tuna at La Sal