Category Archives: restaurants

an unexpected feast

19 Tuesday Nov 2019

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

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So there I was yesterday morning, settling in for a morning of writing with plans to take my WALK after lunch, when I got a message from my friend Gabriella (AKA Shawn of the North) that she and some friends were coming to town. That day. For lunch. In fact, she was texting me from the runway at Bilbao airport and wanted to know if I could recommend somewhere nice where they could eat before heading to Jerez. Tricky as they would be arriving when most (good) bars and restaurants close for the afternoon, and on top of that it was a Monday, but I knew La Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo would be the perfect choice. And it was.

I was also invited to join them! Gabriella’s friends were a group of six, winemakers and tour operators from Rioja, so we hit it off right away. We opted for Lo Que Diga Ramón (What Ramón Says), a set menu that Ramón makes up as he goes along, and I paired our dishes with different sherry wines, giving the group a bit of sherry education before they hit Jerez. I also recommended that they eat at Mantúa while there, so they will be doing that tonight.

Needless to say I didn’t get any more work done that day. Nor did I take my walk. By the time we said our goodbyes (7-ish?) I knew I had a serious date with my comfy chair, Netflix and the cats. What a great day though!  🙂

Ramón & Carmen with son Ignacio

juan antonio

21 Saturday Sep 2019

Posted by in restaurants, sevilla, tapas, tapas bars

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This seems to be my week for meeting charming elderly gentlemen. I went to update my review of Bodega San Lorenzo after hearing that it was under new management. Happily the interior of this venerable bar, founded in 1864, has remained visually the same after a bit of sprucing up (and nice new bathrooms!), along with a few changes to the menu, notably a more complete wine list.

Anyhow, while I was there waiting for my friend Lucy to join me I took some photos and ended up talking with Juan Antonio, who was enjoying a midday vermouth while reading his paper.  In a very short while I learned that he is 78 (his birthday was two days ago), has lived in the barrio for 25 years, lives alone but has a daughter who looks in on him daily, and we also touched on other topics such as exchanging birthday gifts El Corte Inglés, compression socks, knees (his are much better now, mine not so much), to mention a few. Such a lovely man!

When Lucy arrived we tried a couple of snacky things before heading to our main lunch spot, but I will definitely be back to San Lorenzo to sample more of the menu. Around midday, so that I might run into Juan Antonio again. 🙂

anniversary lunch at la cochera

17 Tuesday Sep 2019

Posted by in andalucia, food & drink, friends, restaurants, sevilla

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Part of the “problem” with having a birthday or anniversary fall on a Monday is that a lot of my favourite bars and restaurants are closed that day. I mean, I didn’t do too badly yesterday, hitting up 6 bars (2 on my own, 4 with my friend Corinna) but I had been hoping for a proper celebratory lunch. And then the lovely Cinta got in touch and invited me for an anniversary lunch today at her bistro La Cochera del Abuelo. So I thought what the hell, if I can have Birthday Week (or Month) then I could also do Anniversary Week. Plus I had bought a ticket for a Kiko Veneno concert at the gorgeous Lope de Vega theatre tonight, so all in all it seemed like a perfect day.

When Cinta joined forces with chef Bosco Benitez Ruíz del Pozo earlier this year, La Cochera went from being an events venue to a restaurant offering set tasting menus four evenings a week. A more recent change saw La Cochera grow into being a full-time restaurant with a bistro menu, which I have been wanting to try.

Everything was fabulous, as you can see, and it really was a perfect place to continue celebrating. Last year I had talked with Cinta about booking La Cochera to host a 25th anniversary party, but then things got busy and I didn’t get it organised in time. So I think I’ll wait now and – fingers crossed! – celebrate my 30th anniversary here.

Off to the concert soon! More on that tomorrow.

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

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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