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Up early today to catch the train to Córdoba as I’ve been invited to the 100th anniversary celebrations at Bodega Toro Albalá. I have to go and pack now. More later!
27 Friday May 2022
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Up early today to catch the train to Córdoba as I’ve been invited to the 100th anniversary celebrations at Bodega Toro Albalá. I have to go and pack now. More later!
07 Monday Feb 2022
Posted andalucia, culture, food & drink, gastronomy, getaways, michelin star, restaurants
inThis truly was a dream come true. I mentioned last week that my friends Xavier and Nina were coming to town with their friends Wade and Ginny, and that Xavier had seen my interview in Bon Viveur where they asked which one restaurant I was dying to go to… and my answer was NOOR! So as the gang had already planned to go there Xavier very generously invited me to go with them.
NOOR, which means “light” in Arabic, was opened in 2016 by Cordobés chef Paco Morales. His concept is all about tasting the history of al-Andaluz (the moorish name for Andalucía) and for his first season he began in the 10th century, using ingredients that were available to the people of that time. With the help of documentarians, historians, archaeologists and designers, Paco has told the culinary story of the times with skill and imagination, which has earned him two well-deserved michelin stars. Each season he has moved up a century (with a retrospective in year 4) and so, for this visit, we found ourselves in the late 16th century. And for the first time at NOOR new world comestibles have been introduced into the menu.
I won’t say too much about what happens there because there are some lovely surprises, but the space is simply gorgeous, all light and open and elegantly minimalist. The tables all have a clear view of the open kitchen and the service is beautifully choreographed without being pretentious or stuffy. Maître/Sommelier Pilar Vargas keeps everything running smoothly and is charming and helpful, as are all the staff.
The food. I’m not going to go into detail here because it would take all day. So much detail, so much care, so much going on. And so just go have a look at the photos and, yes, they were all as delicious as they look. Not a wrong step, though I will say that a couple of personal favourites were the cured meat starter with pickled onion and albaqdunis, the almond curd with tuna, and the grilled sea bass. But honestly, I loved every bite.
The wines. In the end we did the wine pairing and omg it was fabulous. While there was an emphasis on Montilla Moriles (of course) Pilar also surprised us with some international choices and then a special 2014 Moscatel de Alejandria by Pérez Barquero made exclusively for NOOR and served from a gorgeous green damajuana.
There are three menus available. Xavier chose the middle one “rihla” with the wine pairing option, but you could also order a bottle of wine and have Pilar “fill in” with a couple of special tastes during the menu tasting.
At the end of our meal we huddled together with Paco for a group photo and asked him what he was planning for the upcoming season. He made a show of asking one of the team, Josef, to come over so he could translate Paco’s answer to our group into English… and the answer was IT’S A SURPRISE. Honestly, if you can, go. Pics below…
04 Friday Feb 2022
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So the plan was that we would all meet up in Córdoba, poke around a bit, and then head for lunch at NOOR. After a walk to the centre from the train station we made the obligatory stop at Bar Santos for a slice of their famous monster tortilla, then spent some time in the Mezquita. After that we split up because I wanted to see Plaza Corredura, which was more or less on the way to the restaurant. And some 15,000 steps later I was at NOOR. More on that later, but for now here are a few shots of Córdoba.
31 Monday Jan 2022
Posted food & drink, friends, sevilla
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So remember when I did that interview for Bon Viveur Magazine and, when they asked me which restaurant in Spain I especially wanted to visit, I said NOOR! I mean, there are actually so many but Noor has been on my radar for ages and the main interest for me is that the menu is based on Andalusian food history and culture, which then chef Paco Morales puts his own personal twist on… and two michelin stars later he is still going strong.
And so… imagine my surprise when the other day my pal Xavier (who is returning to Sevilla this week with his wife Nina and their friends Wade and Virginia) sent me an email inviting me to join them at Noor on Friday. I mean OMG. I’ve been organising their Andalusian adventure for them, and this included a day trip from Sevilla to Córdoba to eat at Noor. I never dreamed I’d be going there with them! But Xavier said he had read the article and that prompted him to invite me. How amazing is that? Stay tuned…
26 Saturday Jan 2019
Posted andalucia, history, spain, tapas, tapas bars
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Taberna El Gallo is probably the most emblematic traditional bar in Córdoba. Great wines and food too! It is my favourite spot in the city. So I was very sad to read that it was going to close after the death of the owner, who ran the business with her husband. Rent issues, along with the ages of its present staff, some of whom have recently retired, have led to the bar closing its doors after 83 years.
Then I saw that someone has started a Change.org petition to preserve the bar and keep it going. Presumably under new management, but hopefully retaining its charm, character and heritage. Here is the link so you can sign the petition and help save Taberna El Gallo.