Category Archives: restaurants

lunch with reyes

08 Wednesday Jan 2025

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

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birthday reyes (1)

It’s always a great time with Reyes. It’s become a bit of a tradition for us to meet up sometime during Birthday Week so today we met at her iconic bar Casa Morales, founded by her great grandfather in 1850. We started things off with a glass of Codorníu rosé cava and a bit of exquisite jamón Ibérico de Bellota from renowned producers Sierra Mayor before heading out to our lunch destination.

birthday reyes

This was to be La Barra de Inchausti just around the corner. Another family-owned spot, now run by siblings Isidro, Concha and Jorge Inchausti.  MORE fish and seafood and that was totally fine by me. We got there early enough to get “my” table next to the window and it was perfect. Afterwards Reyes suggested we have a penúltima at Morales as that was also on my way home.  So a little more cava rosé, a bit more jamón and I think I got home from lunch about 8.00 pm. One more birthday lunch planned this week. Stay tuned!

birthday reyes (2)

We had…

  • Codorníu Ars Collecta Blanc de Noirs Cava 🥂
  • Tortillita de camarones
  • Bodegas Santa Marta Godello Viñaredo 🥂
  • Albóndigas de choco
  • Alubias with prawns
  • Breaded monkfish liver
  • Garlicky grilled monkfish
  • Torelló Special Edition Costa Brava Corpinnat 🥂

birthday 2025!

07 Tuesday Jan 2025

Posted by in birthdays, friends, restaurants, sevilla

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birthday 2025

As everyone who knows me knows… I love birthdays! This Birthday Week started off with a bang by returning to the fabulous Jaylu Restaurante in Triana. My first ever visit there was on my birthday two years ago… it’s not an every day kind of place. Since that visit I’ve been back a couple of times and discovered the joy of sitting at the bar there rather than the posh dining room. I mean, same eye-watering prices, but a much more casual and friendly experience. So this time I called ahead and Ana said she would have my usual spot at the end of the bar ready for me.

Peter very generously invited me out, as on the first visit, but this was his first time at the prized bar location and he agreed it was a lot more fun. Fabulous food, amazing wines and a chupito of orujo blanco to finish us off. There’s more to say about this but I’m playing blog post catch up so will either write more here or do a long Jaylu birthday post on my Substack. Have I mentioned I have a new Substack?

We had…

  • Raventós i Blanc Brut Cava
  • Breaded king prawns
  • Ossian Verdejo
  • Morillo de bacalao
  • Grilled tuna belly with garlic sauce
  • Zamorano cheese
  • Orujo blanco

There’s more coming up this week, stay tuned…

my top sevilla restaurant openings for 2024

30 Monday Dec 2024

Posted by in restaurants, sevilla, spain, tapas bars

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2424 top

I don’t like doing “best of” lists because what does that mean anyhow? “Best” according to whom and by what criteria? In the end it’s just a subjective opinion. However, every year I look back on the new arrivals in Sevilla and there are always a few that I think have really made a difference. So I would like to welcome these three places, all new for 2014, all unique and special in their own way. Thanks for making Sevilla a more dynamic and delicious place.

✨ Augurio – March 2024
Fresh and fabulous, a charming minimalist space with excellent service, thoughtful beautifully presented food and terrific wines. Let Carmen and Lorena and their lovely team take care of you.

2024 Dec 16-31

✨ La Carmela – June 2024
Ivantxu expands on his love for meticulous yet still familiar expressions of how much he just enjoys cooking in this new space, adjacent to his original Los Remedios restaurant. Ivan will always surprise and delight you, especially with that wine list.

2024 Dec 16-311

✨ Beirutina – October 2024
You feel the love as soon as you walk into this family run Lebanese brunch-lunch spot and are seduced by all those warm kitchen aromas. Fourat makes you feel at home in her hip modernist space which includes a lovely patio with a century old olive tree.

2024 Dec 16-312

the antiinfluencer

18 Wednesday Dec 2024

Posted by in restaurants, sevilla, social media, tapas bars

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A few months ago Santi Temblador, local chef and owner of “fine street food” tapas bar El Cuelge, put this up on his Instagram mentioning the few “foodies” in the city who come to his place of their own accord and PAY THEIR OWN BILLS. Yep, I’m one of them. His disdain for so-called influencers is well-known by now. A few short years ago these shysters were bold enough to ask for a free meal for themselves and “a few friends” in exchange for some Instagram publicity, but now it’s even worse. Along with free grub they also want to be paid!

Anyhow, Santi went viral (again) this week when a couple of “influencer content creators” got in touch for the usual freebie and he said fine, named a date and time, and these two guys showed up. Santi filmed the whole thing, with him making a big production of preparing a mortadella montadito (basically a bologna sandwich) which he plated as if it were michelin-star quality and then presented it with a flourish along with a couple glasses of tap water. When the two influencers looked confused Santi explained that whenever people come to his door asking for a food handout this is what he gives them.

Santi, I salute you! And I look forward to visiting you and your bar again soon.

a dantastic afternoon

28 Thursday Nov 2024

Posted by in christmas, food & drink, friends, restaurants, sevilla, spain

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deb graceDeb & Grace

Deb is back! This time with her friend Nina. And so we met up at Manolo Cateca, along with Grace (who is soon to be neighbour) for a pre-lunch sherry and to also delivery their Sevilla L’Armanaques. Peter also joined us as I wasn’t actually able to carry the two almanacs on my own (they’re quite heavy this year!). He then took home all the lovely loot Deb brought for me from London: mince pies, the latest Decanter mag (with my article in it!), a lovely card to add to my collection and a mystery gift which I am trying not to open until Christmas Day. Afterwards Deb, Nina and I went on to have lunch at the fabulous Lalola Restaurante. And oh my, what a lunch it was.

This is becoming a lovely tradition that I hope continues, with Deb returning to Sevilla every year to revisit the places she and her late husband Dan (aka Dan Jamón) used to go to in their favourite city. Today, as in the past three December visits, we met for what inevitably ends up being a very long, very boozy and very emotional lunch, and this was no exception. The restaurant choice was perfect because Dan loved his jamón, really anything Ibérico, and so going to Lalola, and having chef Javi Abascal, El Rey de la Casquería (the Offal King, sounds better in Spanish) prepare a special Ibérico tasting menu just for us was… well, Dantastic.

lalola (1)🐷 starters: buñuelo de bacalao, jamón croqueta, chicharrón de cádiz topped with scallop tartare

🐷 sautéed boletus topped with seared foie

🐷 arroz Ibérico with jamón, presa, asparagus, topped with papada

🐷 grilled abanico Ibérico with potatoes

🐷 jamón baklava with pistachio ice cream and white chocolate crumble

🥂🍷 Sumarroca, Ossian Wines, Cortijo Los Aguilares, Bodegas Baron

lalola (2)chef Javi Abascal