Category Archives: gastronomy

lalola menu preview

29 Thursday Aug 2019

Posted by in gastronomy, restaurants, sevilla, tapas, tapas bars

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I was so excited to find out this week that Lalola Taberna Gourmet had finally made the move from the far end of Los Remedios to the centre of town. In fact, just a short 11 minute walk from my house! It is located inside the very chic Hotel Palacio Conde de Torrejón, though it has its own entrance on the side. I couldn’t wait to try it out.

Then chef Javier Abascal sent me a message asking when I wanted to visit, and as I didn’t have a tour that evening I said I would see him then. I was expecting to just check things out, take some photos, maybe try a couple of tapas. But Javi had other ideas, and before long I was enjoying a private tasting menu with him, accompanied by lovely wines.

Being the Queen of Tapas does not suck.  🙂

  • Olive pâté with olive bread toasts
  • Ensaladilla with prawns, pimentón, fried eggs
  • Live lettuce salad with radishes, onions, lagarto Ibérico
  • Ravioli filled with gambas and setas, manteca sauce
  • Razor clams in Ibérico sauce
  • Braised Ibérico pork cheek with curry potato purée

postcard from santiago

11 Thursday Jul 2019

Posted by in gastronomy, getaways

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Greetings from Galicia! A couple of weeks ago I was commissioned to write another article for Decanter (!!!), this time on Galicia. At first I thought I’d have to refuse since I hadn’t been here for awhile, but after chatting with friends (and Galicia “fixers” extraordinaire) a plan was made for me to come up for a few days to visit some wineries and refresh my knowledge of the region.

Very excited to be here. Stay tuned for updates on this latest Galicia Getaway.

percebes!

10 Friday May 2019

Posted by in food & drink, gastronomy, sevilla

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It’s been awhile since I had percebes (aka gooseneck barnacles). These creatures are caught off the coast of Galicia, often in dangerous conditions, and they are not cheap. In fact, you seldom see them in restaurants here, let alone tapas bars. So when I saw some on display at Cafetería Donald, and when I found out that Ania @writtenfromseville had never tried them… well, it was a date.

Percebes are simply boiled in salt water (sea water for preference) and you eat them by holding them by the “claw” end and then give the longer end a twist and pull, exposing the meat. At this point you might be squirted with escaping sea water, but no problem. They taste of the sea and have a tender-chewy texture. Really good.