02 Thursday Feb 2023
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Jonathan Hernando García – owner of Cork
I arrived in Bilbao with a full itinerary of places to visit and revisit, armed with recommendations by friends and contacts from both Spain and abroad. Two of the most delightful finds were these two very different wine bars; one was just around the corner from the hotel, the other across the river in the old town. I loved them both. Stay tuned for my online Decanter wine-lovers city review…
Jon Ocaña – owner of Taberna Basaras
31 Tuesday Jan 2023
I have decided that I either have to start travelling a lot more or never again. Tomorrow I am getting on a plane for the first time since 2019 and, yep, am stressed AF. The goodish news is that Spain has decided to end the public transport mask mandate on February 8th (instead of the previously threatened Feb 1st date) so at least this trip is covered. So to speak. After this, no idea.
But I have to say… I have always hated flying. Everything about it, and not just the gut-clenching fear upon taking off that we are all going to crash and burn. It’s all the fucking lost time it takes. Sure, this flight is only 1 hour 25 minutes, but then there’s getting to the airport two hours ahead of time, and upon landing (if there are no delays) another hour or so until finally arriving at the hotel. So I will have to leave home about 10.45 in the morning to (hopefully) open my hotel room door at 3.30 pm. I have planned for this. Got my ear buds charged, got my music, etc. And of course I have already started packing.
06 Wednesday Jul 2022
You really can’t go to Córdoba and not order their tapas holy trinity of salmorejo, berenjenas fritas and flamenquín. These come prepared in different ways throughout the city but I don’t think I’ve ever had them better than at Bodega San Basilio. Which was also my BIG DISCOVERY during my Córdoba getaway last week. Tucked away in a quiet barrio just past the Alcázar this may well be my new favourite traditional tapas bar in the city (although it’s far from new itself). I fell in love with this family-run tiny blue and white tiled bar as soon as I walked in, and the fabulous food and friendly service clinched the deal. I also loved that they don’t douse their fried aubergines in that awful cane molasses, which is the way they are often served these days. In fact, when I asked if they could put the miel de caña on the side the barman said… you want that stuff?? Hahaha. So I said NO and instead I enjoyed dipping them in my salmorejo, as the cordobés tapas gods intended. The family has a second place around the corner – Mesón San Basilio – which has a beautiful central patio as a dining room. If I lived in Córdoba I would be here all the time.
30 Thursday Jun 2022
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It was fast but fun. And bloody HOT. I don’t know why Córdoba always feels hotter than Sevilla, even when the temperature is the same. But mission more or less accomplished in terms of the research for my next Decanter article. Here are some street scenes and also a couple of pics of the peculiar hotel room with see-through bathroom walls and no closet, but to be honest, for a budget hotel directly across from the Mezquita it was perfect. You can see the food pics on my Instagram… @SevillaTapas. Continue reading
30 Monday May 2022
It’s always a treat meeting up with Anne & Paul, either here or in Jerez, where they live. This time I got to see them twice in Jerez while I was there doing the Vinoble thing. We had one lovely afternoon tapeo and then one disastrous lunch (WORST SERVICE EVER). And yet both experiences were just fine, and enjoyable, because you can’t beat great company. Makes everything work out in the end. Thanks guys! See you soon.
casa azahar 