Category Archives: restaurants

10 años de ivantxu

27 Friday Jun 2025

Posted by in friends, gastronomy, restaurants, sevilla

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This week chef Iván Valera celebrated the 10th anniversary of his renowned Ivantxu Espacio Bistronómico and I was invited to the party. Normally I don’t go to evening events, especially food related ones, because they always start late and frankly I don’t want to eat at 10.00 pm. BUT… this was Iván and so I really wanted to go. It’s weird to think that I only met Iván just over a year ago, when Reyes Morales and I went to check out recently opened Augurio. I saw him come in and sit down at the far end of the restaurant, clearly waiting for a friend. I recognised him from Instagram. Later on, after a couple of wines or three, I felt emboldened enough to not only go and introduce myself but also shamelessly ask if I could take a photo of what they were eating. Poor Carmen (co-owner of Augurio) was aghast as he was clearly a VIP client but Iván looked up and said “I KNOW WHO YOU ARE”… and we’ve been friends ever since.

Turned out that he was just about to open his new La Carmela restaurant, adjacent to Ivantxu, so Reyes and I went to try it in July and… everything was fabulous. It really was. Plus the space was fun and brightly decorated and we got to sit in front of the open kitchen. A couple of months later we finally tried Ivantxu, which I had never been to because (stupidly on my part) the name “Espacio Bistronómico” had put me off. I thought it would be yet another over-priced uninspired gastrobar, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s safe to say that Iván is one of the best chefs in the city.

Anyhow, back to the party. The place was packed but I was able to score a table away from the crowd (one of the few perks of being on crutches). In fact, it was my favourite table, in front of the open kitchen. So I got to watch Iván and his team meticulously prepping all the delicious bites we were served and towards the end of the evening I realised he wasn’t even able to enjoy his own party. But he was happy with the turnout and I got to meet his wife and see a few old friends… really glad I went.

andala marbella

06 Friday Jun 2025

Posted by in andalucia, gastronomy, getaways, restaurants, tapas

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One of the highlights of last week’s Málaga-Marbella getaway was finally getting to visit my friend Jeffrey Merrihue’s restaurant in the heart of Marbella… Andala. We met up there on Friday evening with my friends Ana and Simon who live in Sotogrande and from there we let Jeffrey take over. 

Andala opened in December 2023 and it is unique in Marbella in that it offers a high quality gourmet tapas menu, with each tapa representing each of the eight Andalusian provinces, as well as daily specials menu featuring fresh locally-sourced products. 

It’s a cosy spot with a bright attractive dining area that opens onto an elevated terrace looking towards the sea. I really love the tapas concept – one for each province – and we did our best to try them all, but there were too many other specials calling us… this is definitely a place you want to come back to. 

We loved every bite we had but – and it may sound silly – whatever else you order you HAVE to have THAT potato. You do. 

Service is super friendly with knowledgeable staff who are there to not only help you with your choices but to also make you feel at home. There’s an excellent wine list too, be sure to ask for some guidance there. Highly recommended – well done Jeffrey and Team! 

Andala Marbella
🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊

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brunch!

24 Monday Feb 2025

Posted by in food & drink, restaurants, sevilla

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I just can’t brunch. Sorry. Yesterday my friends at La Azotea invited me and Peter to try their brand new Sunday brunch menu and I had to check to see what was the latest time we could arrive. Which was shortly after noon. Still a bit early but what the heck. And it really was lovely, just a lot of food to consider so early in the day.

It’s a set menu with a choice of three egg dishes (we tried two of the three – benedict and Ibérico). All of it was delicious. And one bonus with having the midday meal finish earlier than usual was that I actually got a lot of extra work done after getting home. Also went to bed earlier. Don’t think it will become a habit though.

Sunday Brunch at La Azotea

  • bread basket, olive oil, butter, jam
  • charcuterie, cheese
  • eggs: rancheros / benedict / revuelto Ibérico
  • waffle with maple syrup, nuts and fruit
  • coffee / tea
  • juice / soft drink
  • bloody sherry / mimosa

calçots 2025

07 Friday Feb 2025

Posted by in gastronomy, restaurants, seasons, sevilla

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It’s been a few years since I last went to the calçotada at La Quinta and so today while out making an appointment at the Social Security office (more on that next week) we decided to stop in as it was in the neighbourhood and scored a table out on the patio. Rather than go with the whole calçotada menu (which is way too much food) we opted for a rooftile of calçots and a couple of other dishes. This year they didn’t offer any gloves so our hands were a total black mess in no time.

This is a Catalán tradition where the calçots (similar to a large spring onion) are roasted over charcoal, then wrapped up in newspaper and served with a nutty romesco sauce. Delicious and also messy as hell. The trick is in getting the non-charred delicate centre out. First you peel away a bit of the charred bit at the end until you see the green part of the onion. Hold onto that! Then tightly grip the tip of the calçot with your other hand and pull. After that you dip the calçot into the romesco sauce and pop it into your mouth. One day I hope to attend a real calçotada out in the countryside in Catalunya but for now this is just fine.