Category Archives: restaurants

galicia getaway 2019 | day 3 – ribeira sacra & ribeiro

15 Monday Jul 2019

Posted by in getaways, restaurants, travel

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Thankfully our day started out not quite so early as the previous one, and the weather was overcast and slightly cooler, with the chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon. The plan was drive through Ribeira Sacra, which was to be the focus of my article, visiting four bodegas in both that region and nearby Ribeiro.

First stop was family run Bodegas Cruzeiros, founded more than 20 years ago by Ramón Marcos. We were greeted by Ramón and Puri and shown the new installation – the winery has recently been moved to larger premises next door to the original. As with most producers in Galicia, their vineyards are various small plots of land scattered throughout the area, and they decided to show us Ramón’s favourite one, 400 metres up and on a 70º slope. You can see them standing at the bottom of the slope in the photo above. Then we were taken back to the winery for a tasting – I am in love with their Casa Noguedo blanco. They are still new to enotourism but have very generous hearts and are looking forward to welcoming visitors soon. This was the other of my two favourite visits.

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mantúa

10 Wednesday Jul 2019

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[read full review of Mantúa on Azahar Tapas]

Last weekend I finally had the pleasure of visiting Mantúa, which had been on my “to-do” list pretty much since it opened in 2017 as it’s owned and run by chef Israel Ramos, who also owns one of my favourite places in Jerez, Albalá. I had made plans to go with friends Ann and Paul after the Harveys sherry tasting at the Consejo Regulador.

As you can see below, everything was beautifully presented, and the service was impeccable. Can’t really recommend Mantúa enough. It has the feeling of a place with real heart, and flavours that attest to the chef’s genuine love of his region. Unpretentious and about as perfect as a meal can get.

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jason & louise

05 Friday Jul 2019

Posted by in friends, restaurants, sevilla, sherry, spain

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What a lovely to surprise when Jason @CortadoIngles got in touch to say that he and his wife Louise @ingamell would be in town this week, as part of Jason’s 50th Birthday Roadtrip. So we met up for an afternoon of sherry and seafood. Great catching up. Oh, and you can listen to Jason’s new album Distance of Hope here…

Distance of Hope – Ghosts of Granada

la raza t-raza

04 Thursday Jul 2019

Posted by in events, restaurants, sevilla

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Grupo La Raza invited a group of us “usual suspects” to try out their Tastes of the World menu at brand new T-Raza (terraza) restaurant. The venue is impressive, with a cocktail bar at street level and a large terrace restaurant overlooking the river.

T-Raza will only be open during the summer months, but the space is available for private events throughout the year. You can see the menu below. I suspect I was the only one at our table who had actually tasted the original versions of these dishes (other than a poké bowl), and of course Caesar salad didn’t originate in Italy, but it was a fun evening a lovely time out.


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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]