
It’s that time of year again…
16 Thursday Jan 2020
Posted in tapas, tapas bars, tapas tours

It’s that time of year again…
06 Monday Jan 2020
Posted in food & drink, friends, gastronomy, sevilla, sherry, tapas, tapas bars, tapas tours
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I can’t remember the last time I did two tapas tours in one day, but it’s been a few years. In fact, these days I won’t even go out for lunch if I have a tour in the evening… getting too old! But then the other day my friend Tomoko got in touch and asked if I could take out a visiting Japanese chef on Saturday. I already had a private tour booked for the evening but decided to take Yoshi out at lunchtime. I just couldn’t turn down the opportunity of taking out a Japanese chef who runs a tapas bar in Tokyo. And it was great fun. Yoshi’s English is a bit better than his Spanish and so we got by speaking Spanglish and using lots of gestures. Also the wine helped. We managed five tapas bars and god knows how much food (for the record, he was eating most of it!) and we finished off having vermouth at Esteban’s fabulous Vermutería. Then I had to go home and sober up for my evening tour!

I had provided Yoshi with a couple of other tapas bar options for Sunday afternoon (he was leaving town at 5 pm for Madrid) and as it happened I was passing by one of the bars after my midday WALK, so I stopped in and we got to visit a bit more. Finally I dropped him off at the bus stop to get back to his hotel. Honestly, he was lovely and everybody who met him was charmed. He’s in Madrid now with my MADRID LIST so I hope he fares well. When he first arrived in Sevilla he told Tomoko he wasn’t impressed and probably wouldn’t be back, but after his time out with me he says he LOVES Sevilla and is already planning to come back next year. Yay!

30 Monday Dec 2019
Posted in fiestas, food & drink, friends, gastronomy, sevilla, tapas, tapas bars

Another impromptu celebration, this time the day before New Year’s Eve. Claudia & Paul had met my darling boy Esteban @vermuteriayosoytupadre the week before at newly opened La Casa del Tigre, but they had not yet visited his fabulous vermutería. So that’s how a quick stop for a vermouth ended up segueing into lunch there and later on closing up and having dinner at La Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo. Good times!
28 Saturday Dec 2019
Posted in food & drink, gastronomy, sevilla, tapas, tapas bars, tapas tours, triana
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Every now and then clients turn into friends. This happened most recently during a Tasting Triana Tour with Edye, her husband Steven and their two daughters (aka The Blondes). Well, Steven is an honourary blonde. Anyhow, we started off as usual with a walk through Triana Market and stopping for jamón, cheese and manzanilla sherry. Then it was off to three other bars. And well, we just hit it off and everyone had such a great time. They even totally loved the fried quails, the presentation of which sometimes put people off (see below) but in fact they are delicious. By the end of the tour it was hugs all around and we continued to “chat” by text message while they were in Córdoba. Really hope they will be back.
18 Wednesday Dec 2019
I first met Claudia & Paul last November during their six-week visit to Sevilla, though we’d previously known each other on social media before that. And now they are back! This time for three months. Today we got together to catch up.
Met for lunch at the recently opened La Casa del Tigre and just as we were finishing my dear friend Esteban, owner of Vermutería Yo Soy Tu Padre stopped by and we shared another bottle of wine with him. Love that guy!
Also got a call during lunch from the hospital and – eep! – my endoscopia is happening tomorrow afternoon (!!!). Not sure how to feel about that. Hoping there was a cancellation and not that it was deemed so urgent that they got me in ASAP. More to follow on that.
Meanwhile, it was great spending the afternoon with Claudia & Paul and knowing that we have many more afternoons ahead to enjoy together. And it’s always lovely seeing my darling boy Esteban and getting a few hugs.
