Category Archives: spain

open in august

31 Friday Jul 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, sevilla, spain, summer, tapas, tapas bars

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Every year I write up a list of bars and restaurants in Sevilla that will be open in August. Used to be that almost every place closed, shops too, and Sevilla was quite a ghost town. In some ways I kind of liked that. Broke things up a bit, with a change of rhythm. Everything slowed down appropriately, in terms of The Heat. But the past few years there have been throngs of hapless HOT tourists wandering all over town, tour guides risking heat stroke taking out group after group, all defying the weather. It was getting crazy. It WAS crazy.

And now it’s crazy in a different way.

Anyhow CLICK HERE to see the August 2020 list. These are all independently run places and they can all use our support. So if you’re hungry in Sevilla these are some great bars and restaurants to go to that are also doing well with Covid health and safety protocols. Also some good take-away and home delivery options.  🙂

out and about

21 Tuesday Jul 2020

Posted by in gastronomy, restaurants, sevilla, spain, tapas, tapas bars, welcome

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out and about (1)
Have decided to try and get out and about once a week to visit my friends and their bars and restaurants. This was basically the idea behind the Patreon page, and so far I’ve got 4 patrons! So this money will go directly into keeping Sevilla Tapas alive, allowing me to keep it updated. But it also means I get to see my friends! Bonus.  🙂

On this outing I stopped in at Lama La Uva to see Ana Linares and enjoy a glass of manzanilla while catching up on all her news. And she had plenty! That gurl does not stay still. She hinted at a new project that she says she can’t talk about yet, a bit like naming your baby before it’s born. Meanwhile, she has expanded the menu at her second location Lama La Uva Sol, so I will have to get back there soon. Ana has been active all throughout the lockdown, offering online wine tastings and home delivery. She’s an unstoppable force of nature that one.

out and about (2)

Next stop was lunch at the recently reopened Lalola Restaurante, run by chef Javi Abascal in the spectacular courtyard of the boutique Hotel Conde de Torrejón. Speaking of unstoppable forces of nature… Javi (aka El Rey de la Casquería) is a social media monster and reopened last week with a bang, with a new menu, organised tasting menu events and a take-away option.

As always, the food was exceptional and the courtyard is bright and airy, so proper social distancing of tables is not a problem. The only sad bit was not being able to get the usual Javi bear hug, one of my favourite hugs in the city.  😉

out about

  • Succulent tuna belly with tangy tomate frito
  • Sautéed rabbit kidneys with mushrooms, potatoes, reisling sauce
  • Abanico Ibérco, grilled to crusty tender pink perfection
  • Silky buttery dijony mash

getting misty

14 Tuesday Jul 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, restaurants, sevilla, spain, tapas bars

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misty
My friend Thane once joked (?) that whenever she sees these mist jets over terraza tables it makes her think of Legionnaires’ Disease. Personally, I have never liked having water sprayed all over me, my food and drink, my table, which is why I never sit out at places that do this (and anyhow, I almost never sit outside to eat). But when I passed this terraza a couple of weeks ago I wondered aloud on Twitter if this mist could be driving Covid aerosol droplets onto our faces, food, tables, etc.

And then I saw THIS TWEET (and linked article) talking about the real risk of LD being transmitted via tainted water…

Hotels Worry About Legionnaires’ Disease as Buildings Reopen From Pandemic Closures

Smaller hotels face the most risk. They may not have kept water flowing during the pandemic and might have let dangerous bacteria build up in their pipes.

The article talks about hotels, schools, offices and gyms having this possible problem. But no mention of bars and restaurants. Why not? They have also been closed for three months, if not longer, and I don’t know how many – if any – thought to go into their bars and run the water to keep their pipes bacteria free. It seems that 2020 is just one thing after another.