21 Monday Apr 2025
It’s been a busy – and filling! – week of serious solomillo al whisky research. All for the next Bitesize Sevilla newsletter on Substack, which should be out on Friday. Not only have I been revisiting bars to make sure my info was up to date, I have even been making the dish at home. It’s actually one of my favourite tapas but it may be a while before I want to order one again. 😅
17 Thursday Apr 2025
Posted in sevilla, culture, spain, tapas, tapas bars
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Today I went out mantilla hunting… love seeing the women dressed in black on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, so elegant with their black lace mantillas draped over a tall tortoise shell comb. I especially love the older women (some of the younger ones are in tight black mini-dresses with cut-away fronts like… wtf??). The idea is that the women are in mourning because Christ has died, and it’s a lovely tradition when done properly.
As I had to get deep into the Cathedral zone and my old neighbourhood Barrio Santa Cruz to catch the mantilla ladies out in force we ended up stopping in at Casa Román on the off chance they had a free table… and yes they did, a perfect spot by the open door. Half an hour later the place was pretty much mobbed, so we got the timing right. Then on the way home I saw a couple of things that made me, well, sad. So when I got back I started writing about it… look for a new post on Substack tomorrow!
08 Tuesday Apr 2025
Posted in culture, restaurants, sevilla, spain, substack, tapas, tapas bars
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The latest on Bitesize Sevilla… A guide to (good) bars and restaurants that are open in Sevilla on Sunday and Monday. Go check it out and give it a “like” (if you like it). And if you really like it consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thanks!
25 Tuesday Mar 2025
Posted in instagram, sevilla, social media, tapas, tapas bars
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The other day Hannah got in touch. She’s an American who has been living in Santiago de Compostela and is now spending the winter in Cádiz. She found me on Instagram (her account is called A Hungry Pilgrim) and told me she’d like to meet up. So that’s what we did. First stop was Manolo Cateca for a bit of sherry and then a shortish hobble later we were at Zurbarán. And before we knew it Zurbarán was preparing to close up… time just flew! Anyhow, lovely to meet another food-obsessed pal and hopefully we’ll be seeing each other again, either around Cádiz, here or even in Santiago.
30 Thursday Jan 2025
Posted in anniversary, friends, sevilla, spain, substack, tapas, tapas bars
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chef Óscar with Reyes
Today I spent the afternoon with my friend Reyes Morales. Nothing unusual there as some of my most pleasant afternoons are spent with Reyes. But this time was different in that I was there to interview her (!) for an upcoming Substack post on the 175th anniversary of Casa Morales. I mean, I already knew a lot about the bar and its history, and also a fair bit about Reyes, but I discovered there was so much more that I didn’t know. It was fascinating listening to her story as we sat at the bar with me scribbling notes while we enjoyed tapas and wine together. Hoping to get it published over the weekend. Stay tuned…
casa azahar 