Category Archives: tapas bars

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.

l’armanaque de sevilla 2025

27 Wednesday Nov 2024

Posted by in architecture, art, sevilla, tapas bars

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calendar 25

Before lockdown 2020 my neighbour Alfredo Rodríguez was working at Barra Baja, one of my favourite restaurants in the city. Then of course everything stopped. But not Alfredo. He started creating a series of Sevilla tapas bar façades that he would sketch while out on the few walks we were allowed and then finish at home. This led to a whole other line of business for him that eventually became his new full time job. I have two of his limited prints at home, of Casa Eme and Casa Morales. Then Alfonso had the idea to make an annual Sevilla almanac with a selection his ever expanding collection of façades on each page.

This is the 2025 L’Armanaque de Sevilla, hot off the presses, and once again I have also picked one up for Deb and Paul like I did last year.

soletes con solera 2024

13 Wednesday Nov 2024

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soletes 24

The Repsol Sol is the Spanish version of the Michelin Star and, like the Michelin guide “recommended” category, they also give out different “soletes”.  Last night in Córdoba six traditional tapas bars in Sevilla were awarded Soles con Solera, for bars with history and integrity. Very happy to see some of my friends included.

San Pablo is the only one that isn’t on my Sevilla Tapas website. I have actually been there for a Cold Beer O’clock but not to eat. Yet. Congratulations everyone!

bar campanario

30 Wednesday Oct 2024

Posted by in casa azahar, friends, sevilla, tapas bars

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campanario

The other day my friend Javier (who was once my flatmate a million years ago) sent me this photo. Javi and his wife Laura have led quite a nomadic life these past years but they continue to keep a storage unit back home and he said random finds like this make it all worthwhile. This t-shirt is from 1999 when Javi did a brief stint working at Bar Campanario.

My first time at Campanario (which no longer exists) was when I drove down from Salamanca in 1993 with a friend and with all my worldly belongings in the back of his car, along with some precious cargo – my cats Lua and her son Sunny.

We arrived in Sevilla at 8 pm, as previously arranged (to meet landlord and pick up keys), and miraculously found parking almost in front of my new home in calle Mateos Gago. But there was no landlord. And as this was 1993 there were no cell phones, so we just waited. And waited. Finally we asked the bar we were parked in front of if we could get something to eat and drink, but we didn’t really want to leave the car because of the cats and all. And bless them, the people at Bar Campanario actually brought food and drink out to our car, like we were at a drive in, and it was lovely. The landlord finally showed up at 11pm full of apologies, but we were fine (and the cats were happy to see their improvised litter box!).

Bar Campanario ended up becoming my local, heck it even became my living room (my studio apt across the street was tiny). The owners became friends and still are. This photo from Javi brought back a flood of memories, which I’ve shared with the family.

fish plates!

25 Wednesday Sep 2024

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fish plates

After Monday’s GP visit we decided to stop for a quick Beer O’clock at Los Claveles, a very popular traditional bar that just happened to be half-way between the health centre and the bus stop home. After scoring a table in front of the large open windows we decided to stay for lunch, since it was actually lunchtime by then and I hadn’t updated their review on Sevilla Tapas since 2015 (!).

Anyhow, the tables were all set up with these pretty fish plates and when I asked our waiter where they came from he said he had bought them at a little shop in Marbella. Dang. But later on, after paying I went up to the bar and cheekily asked if I could buy a couple of the plates… then was totally surprised when the owner told his son “just give them to her!”. Score! I mean I was happy to pay for them, but it was a lovely gesture on their part.

This reminded me of many bar owners I know who “lose” their glasses, plates, cutlery on a daily basis because of assholes who want a “souvenir”. One bar I know lost two dozen monogrammed sherry glasses on one night when a bunch of drunken tourists decided to take them home and got away before the staff noticed. I also know a michelin starred place that had to change their fabulous cutlery because clients were making off with sets of them. Wtf guys… JUST ASK. Often the bar is happy to let you have the item(s) at cost price, and sometimes, yes, as a free souvenir. But just taking them… well, that’s stealing isn’t it. Show a bit of respect.