Category Archives: work

family-run bars

27 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by in sevilla, tapas, tapas bars, work

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brothers and previous owners Antonio & Lupe

With over 3,000 tapas bars in Sevilla, and more than 300 listed and rated on my Sevilla Tapas website, you can imagine that keeping up with new openings and revisiting bars to update their reviews is a very time consuming (and expensive!) endeavour. Sometimes even years can pass between visits, as was the case when I stopped in at Bar Bistec the other day and I noticed that the last time I’d been there was in 2012.

At first I noticed that the place had been spruced up a bit, and that they had much younger staff than before. I recalled meeting the two brothers who owned the place on my previous visit but didn’t see them around, so I got talking to one of the young barmen and showed him my website on my phone, and as he was scrolling through the photos he said – “that’s my dad and my uncle!”.

Turns out that since my last visit there had been a “changing of the guard” and now the two sons of the two brothers are now running the show. So I got the boys to pose in the same place their fathers had posed five years previously, as you can see. They got such a kick out of it, and so did I. All part of loving my job. 

cousins and co-owners José Antonio & Lupe

blasts from the past

12 Saturday Aug 2017

Posted by in casa azahar, life stuff, sevilla, spain, tapas tours, work

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The other day I was wrapped up in all the IKEA nonsense, feeling abused by corporate bullshit, and then I happened to see that – once again! – one of the new corporate tapas tour companies in town had copied another of my tours. So I mentioned on Twitter how disheartening this is, to not only have people copy things I have created, but they even use the same bars FFS, as if nobody will notice that the bars no longer have actual clients in them, just food tour groups. As if bars don’t have their own eco-systems. Grrrrr…

Then the next day I got a mention on Twitter linking to this photo taken almost exactly 6 years ago (Sept 2011), with a great comment from Tim being very supportive. And I remember this tour! I almost didn’t do it because I was still getting over that emergency op but at that point I also really wanted to get out of the house. So I arranged it that I would meet them with Peter at the first stop, just to say hola, and that Peter would take it from there, since I didn’t think I could manage a whole evening out. But I actually made it to the second stop (this photo was taken at Bodeguita Romero) and I remember not only having a great time before leaving Tim and his friends in Peter’s capable hands, but also enjoying my first glass of wine in over a month.

Anyhow, what a great memory to be reminded of, and curiously this was my second “blast from the past” from 2011 this month, since Ross & Annie are also back in town. All of which is reminding me to enjoy what I have and embrace all the GOOD. Because sometimes I forget.

más flamenco!

26 Monday Jun 2017

Posted by in andalucia, flamenco, music, sevilla, spain, tapas, tapas bars, tapas tours, work

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So excited that my long-time Flamenco & Tapas Tour partners – the fabulous Museo del Baile Flamenco – have updated and upgraded their Momentos Flamencos show to include an extra dancer and singer. It adds not only more dancing, but more colour and passion. I mean, it was always wonderful, but now…? You really need to see this.

luís

09 Tuesday May 2017

Posted by in gastronomy, tapas tours, work

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Peter & Luís at La Azotea

I’ve known Luís (and his biz partner David) from Really Discover for many years. So it was great to run into Luís at The Office (AKA La Azotea Santa Cruz) during a meeting there with the We Love Tapas team. After the meeting Peter and I ended up having lunch with Luís and “talking shop”, which proved both interesting and illuminating. We may also end up collaborating as our tour companies are complementary rather than being in direct competition. Love chance meetings like this…

mehrunnisa & omair

17 Monday Apr 2017

Posted by in andalucia, flamenco, food & drink, friends, gastronomy, sevilla, work

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Alternative title… When Sevilla Tapas Tour Guests Become Friends.

Last night I met up with Mehrunnisa & Omair from London, who had come my way via mutual Twitter and Instagram pals. They had actually arrived in Sevilla couple of days previously but, due to Semana Santa and other obligations, it was only possible to take them out on their penultimate night in town for a flamenco & tapas tour. But we made the most of it!

I knew things were off to a great start when conversation started flowing fast and furious even before we got to the flamenco venue. And by the time we got into the sherry and tapas after the show it was clear that we were kindred spirits. It was a great night out and the time passed far too quickly, but I will look forward to getting together with M & O again on my next London Getaway – I have been promised a Pakistani food tour (yay!).