Category Archives: wine

tribeca-cañabota dream team

27 Friday Jul 2018

Posted by in gastronomy, restaurants, sevilla, wine

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I came back a day early from my Málaga Getaway this week because I had been invited to a gastronomy event on Tuesday that I simply couldn’t miss, featuring the dream team of Tribeca and Cañabota cooking together. It was to be one of the most unforgettable meals of my life … but I am getting ahead of myself. I’ve known Cañabota since its inception two years ago, when Juanlu Fernández joined forces with Pablo Giménez and Eduardo Guardiola from Tribeca. The latter I finally got to know in person when friends invited me to join them there for dinner earlier this year. So I was very keen to see – and taste – what they would come up with together.

The event was held at Tribeca and when I arrived with the other lucky guests, we were taken downstairs to see the various fish and seafood that were to become our lunch, and were given a lecture on the sustainability of fishing by Eduardo. Then it was back upstairs for a masterclass in the breaking down of a fish, in this case a 15.2 kilo grouper, showing how every piece is used and nothing is wasted. And then it was time to eat!

The menu was a bit like a “showdown” with both teams creating different dishes using the same main ingredient (prawns, sea anemone, squid, grouper, skate…) along with a couple of joint efforts. Each dish was paired with well-chosen wines, including two manzanilla sherries to start off with, then two white wines (Albariño & Priorat), and moving on to two reds, dry (Mallorca) and sweet (Alicante).

The food was spectacular, and my only complaint was that there was just too much of it to comfortably finish all the dishes (luckily a friend sitting next to me was happy to help out). And while I appreciated the more clever and complex dishes, my personal favourites were the ones that were the most simply prepared, either lightly steamed or chargrilled. But it was all wonderful. Of course the service was  impeccable and the overall experience was one I will always remember.

Many thanks to Fernando Huidrobo for the invitation, and to the fabulous Tribeca and Cañabota teams. Photos below…

Tribeca
Chaves Nogales 3
Tel 954 42 60 00

Cañabota
Orfila 3
Tel 954 870 298 / 690 876 523

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chance encounters

24 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by in friends, sevilla, tapas, tapas bars, tapas tours, twitter, wine

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Pepe, Cinta & José María

Love when stuff like this happens. After a lovely “tapas research” lunch with my friend and We Love Tapas colleague Cinta @LaCocheraAbuelo (in this case the company was much better than the food) we stopped by Bodeguita Romero because I wanted to talk to Alejandro about a couple of special bookings coming up. And we walked straight into a group of guys from Montilla-Moriles (fortified wine region in Córdoba), as well as my pal Pepe, owner of La Fresquita.

I was introduced to José María from Bodegas Toro Albalá @toroalbala and told him that I was supposed to go to the big Montilla-Moriles tasting event in Córdoba last week, and meet up with my friends Erik & Laura @MMWinesUK but the only day I could go was the same day they were going to visit Toro Albalá! So in the end I didn’t go, and as soon as I mentioned knowing Erik & Laura he insisted that Cinta and I try their lovely Dos Claveles (Two Carnations).

Meanwhile, Pepe and I were “talking shop” a bit about food tour guides, and also about his brother Manolo who owns the most fabulous Taberna Manolo Cateca – a fact that Cinta hadn’t known before, although she knows both bars well.

So it was like a coming together of various parts of my life here, all in one chance encounter at one of my favourite bars (the Romeros are my family). And I ended up with an invitation to visit Bodegas Toro Albalá anytime. When I explained to José María that I don’t have a car so would have to go to Córdoba by train (the bodega is about 50 kms away, in Agullar de la Frontera) he said just let him know when and he’d come and pick me up. Bonus!  🙂

yo soy tu padre

09 Monday Apr 2018

Posted by in food & drink, sevilla, social media, spain, tapas, tapas bars, wine

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The other day someone got in touch with me by email. I didn’t know this person, but it turns out they come to Sevilla every spring and spend a month in Triana… and they often check my tapas bar info against their perceptions. Fair enough! This time they wanted to tell me about a new discovery of theirs, a new vermutería that just happens to be in my barrio. So of course I had to check it out.

It’s called Yo Soy Tu Padre (I Am Your Father) and the name stems from what Venezuela born owner Esteban’s grandfather always liked to say to his father, and also is in no small part a reflection of Esteban’s obsession with Star Wars. Below you can see a photo of Esteban’s grandfather, who also became the image for his logo. This is the third location and the newest. I am thrilled! Because not only does Esteban create all his vermouths from sherry wines, but they also do breakfast at this bar … with bagels! Did I mention it’s just down the street from my house? Will be breakfasting there soon, I think.

Meanwhile, how cool that someone I have never met went out of their way to put me in touch with this wonderful place. Thanks Sally!