Category Archives: tapas

tickets to ride!

30 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by in animals & pets, art, cats, christmas, holidays, Malaga, tapas, travel, trips

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Got the word from Manolo last night – the apartment in Málaga will be available next week! Yay!

So this morning Peter and I went out and bought our train tickets. The plan is to leave early Monday morning and come back on Wednesday afternoon. Which means leaving the cats on their own for two nights (!!!). But after checking with two vets about Azar’s “condition” (which is basically old age) I’ve decided to not worry over much, because this trip feels much-needed. And also much-wanted as I really do want to celebrate my 55th birthday in style. Plus Peter has been working very hard the past couple months and this will be a bit of a reward for him as I think he loves Málaga as much as I do.

While there I want to see two art exhibits, both retrospectives. One of Alberto Giacometti at the Picasso Museum, and the other of Eugenio Chicano at the Museo del Patrimonio Municipal. The first one was actually on when I was in Málaga last October but I didn’t have time to see it, so I’m glad I have this chance as I’ve heard it’s wonderful.

Otherwise I guess we’ll be doing the usual. Well, other than dipping my toes in the Mediterranean – bit chilly for that, I think. But we’ll do a lot of walking and seeing what’s new. I’ve been told the shops and restaurants in the newly redeveloped port are now open. I also want to go up to the Parador Gibralfaro and have a drink on their terraza with spectacular views of the port and city, which is something I’ve not yet done there. And of course just being there at Christmas time is wonderful in itself.

By total coincidence a woman from Israel who took one of my Sevilla Tapas Tours last April, Sarah Melamed (she writes the Foodbridge blog), is also going to be in Málaga while I’m there, so I’m sure we’ll get together for a meal one day. And I may also meet up with some other Twitter friends who live nearby. After all, it’ll be Birthday Week! So stay tuned…

tapeo extremo II

06 Sunday Nov 2011

Posted by in food & drink, restaurants, sevilla, tapas, tapas tours

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So this is what I did yesterday! Met up with some Twitter pals and fellow bloggers for a Tapeo Extremo, a term coined by travel writing legend and hardcore tapeo phenomenon Annie Bennett. Taking part were Fiona (Scribbler in Seville), Kate (Tales of a Brit Abroad), Kate’s friend Nicki, and Kim (Becoming Sevillana). I’ve known Fiona for quite awhile now, and Kate and Nicki had been on a tapas tour with me last summer, but it was the first time meeting Kim. Everyone knew that this was going to be pretty darn demanding and they had a lot to live up to if they were going to reach “extremo” standards. And well, the girls did good.

MY challenge was that nobody in the group ate meat, and one only tolerated fish in small amounts, so it had to be a pescatarian/vegetarian affair. Was I daunted? Hell no. Though it has to be said that the tour focused more on fish and seafood until the fourth and final tapas stop. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

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gourmet tapas tour review!

04 Friday Nov 2011

Posted by in food & drink, spain, tapas, tapas tours, wine, work

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Remember back at the end of August when I had that freak operation? Well, one of the reasons I was keen to get home and back on my feet was because I had a Gourmet Tapas Tour booked for the following weekend and I really didn’t want to have to cancel it. Nog had helped me out by doing three tours during the week, but this was a Gourmet one and, well, it had to be me.

So that Saturday night – about ten days after the op – I headed out to pick up Lucy and Dave, with my “faja” firmly wrapped around my middle. It turned out that we were “neighbours” as the holiday apartment they had rented was about a three minute walk from my place, and so I was able to let them know about the best places in the barrio for coffee or a quick snack, along with the list I gave them of other wonderful tapas bars that weren’t on the tour. And, in spite of initial doubts about my stamina, I made it through the evening no problem and had a wonderful time. Nog came to pick me up at our last stop – the rooftop bar – and had a beer with us. Then we walked Dave and Lucy back to their place and headed home.

And so I was very pleased the other day when Dave sent me a link to a post he’d written on his blog The Wine Mule about our tapas tour and their other Seville gastronomical adventures. I already knew a bit about these as we’d been in touch by email during the rest of their visit, and a bit afterwards, but it was great to see the photos and read about what fun they had. And of course it was wonderful to read such a glowing account of their tour with me.

Thanks guys – it really was a great night!

impromptu trip to málaga

25 Tuesday Oct 2011

Posted by in Malaga, tapas, trips, wine, work

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The last time I went to Málaga was in August for the Botani vendimia tour. Since then I think I’ve only seen Victoria twice, not really often enough as we still have to finish off a few projects as well as keep the blog and website updated properly. So, as Victoria had no plans to come to Sevilla again soon, and I didn’t have any Sevilla Tapas Tours booked until Thursday evening, this week seemed a good time to make some time to get together.

And so, after a quick phone call yesterday to confirm our Wednesday meeting I went out to buy my tickets and will be leaving for Málaga bright and early this morning on the 7.30 am train! Aargh. I prefer taking the 11 am train, which gets me into town at 2.30, but that means having to wait around, with luggage, until the porter at Manolo’s building gets back from his lunch break – at 5 o’clock – so he can let me in to the apartment.  This way I’ll get there around 10.30 and will have a whole day in Málaga on my own, which will be nice. The plan is to come back on Thursday afternoon, arriving just in time for a Gourmet Tapas Tour.

Quite like this mixing business with pleasure thing!

the nag’s gourmet tapas tour

19 Wednesday Oct 2011

Posted by in food & drink, friends, sevilla, tapas, wine

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[click to enlarge, but only if you’re not hungry]

Last night I had the pleasure of finally meeting the fabulous Marilyn Bellamy (aka Nag on the Lake) and her dashing husband Harold, and taking them out on a tapas tour. That is to say, they thought they were just booking a regular tapas tour back in September, but I had decided to sneakily surprise them with an extra special Gourmet Tapas Tour, which meant I took them wherever I darn well wanted to and hang the expense. And what a great time we had!

Meeting hitherto “virtual” friends in person for the first time is always a bit anxious-making for me. I’m always worried that they may not like me or be shocked at my BIG FAT appearance. But all fears were laid to rest when Marilyn threw her arms around me as soon as we saw each other, and the evening just got better from there. Conversation flowed as freely as the wine, and I felt so at home with these two guys, once again wishing that I knew more people like this in Sevilla.

And so, we visited three very special tapas bars, two traditional and one very modern and chic, with a stop-off in between the last two so Marilyn and Harold could try a glass of my beloved Botani, which they also loved. Nog met us at our last stop and helped us polish off the final tapas – at that point we were just ordering so as to try a bit of everything (we hadn’t had any meat dishes yet!) – as hunger had pretty much left us after the second place where we’d had some excellent fish. But really everything we had was excellent, starting with succulent jamón ibérico de bellota and crumbly manchego cheese with fat garlicky olives, followed by a couple of exquisite tapas. Then we had our “fish course” at a lively bar at the edge of the barrio Santa Cruz before heading back to the centre for some superb designer tapas. In between stops we wandered through the maze of old cobbled streets and I got to show off my beautiful Sevilla.

I am indebted to Harold who, in his wisdom, vetoed the suggestion that – in true Gourmet Tapas Tour style – we finish off with cocktails at swish new Lab4. Marilyn and I were ready to throw caution to the wind and Nog was all “I’m easy!”, but in the end Harold won (yay!) and we wandered over to The Mushrooms so Mr & Mrs Nag could get a taxi back to their hotel.

They’re here until Friday so we may still meet up for a drink and a tapita before they leave – at least I hope so. Can’t remember the last time I enjoyed an evening out so much.