Tag Archives: friends

lucky grapes

31 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by in christmas, friends, holidays

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grapes

I can’t remember the last time I went out on New Year’s Eve! But the other day a friend called and said she and her husband were having family and a few friends over for dinner and drinks, and that they’d love me to come. So off I went and I had a wonderful time. And I got to eat my 12 lucky grapes at midnight – another thing I haven’t done in years. The last one was a bit tough to get out of the glass, but I managed to munch it down before the last bell tolled. Lucky me!

Wishing you all a wonderful 2016!

girl power

30 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by in andalucia, tapas tours, welcome

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girl powerIt was a great week with Tomoko visiting from Jerez. We got to hang out a lot, talk a lot, and I also introduced her to some Sevilla friends. Best times were hanging out with other chicas (Aldara from We Love Tapas and Eva from I Show U Sevilla), which naturally turned into impromptu brainstorming sessions.

g power

Tomoko is busy starting up her own food & wine tour biz in Jerez, Tomoko Tours, specialising in promoting sherry experiences to Japanese visitors. Together we are working on setting up a network to support and promote each others tours, which will also extend to northern Spain and Portugal. Go us!

turning japanese…

28 Monday Dec 2015

Posted by in food & drink, friends, sevilla, sherry

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japanese lunch (3)chef Kosei Takakura

…at least for a day. One of the things I miss living in Sevilla is that there is very little good international food here, especially Asian food. Sure, there’s a “sushi bar” on practically every corner these days, but you can imagine what they’re like…

So when my friend Tómoko said she was coming to Sevilla with other friends from Jerez to have lunch at a Japanese restaurant run by a chef she personally knows,  I reckoned it would be the real deal. And it was.

japanese lunch (1)Tómoko preparing our shabu-shabu

We had a wonderful selection of sushi, sashimi, shabu-shabu and other things I can’t remember the names of. All delicious. But what made it extra special for me was that sauces such as wasabi, ponzu and yuzu-koshou were all made from scratch by chef Kosei, and they were outstanding. Unfortunately, this delightful discovery will soon be no more as Kosei is off soon to try his luck in Málaga. But hey, I can always catch up with him there.

japanese lunch (2)pringá for dessert!

After lunch Tómoko and I decided that the rest of the gang couldn’t leave Sevilla without trying Bodeguita Romero’s award-winning pringá montadito, so we popped across the street and shared pringás with some lovely sherries for our “dessert”. It was a great afternoon and I’m happy that Tómoko is spending a few days here with me in Sevilla. I’m sure I’ll be posting more of our adventures here during the week.

family christmas

25 Friday Dec 2015

Posted by in christmas, food & drink, sevilla, sherry, twitter

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becky

With someone else’s family! A few weeks ago I started chatting with Becky @withpaprika on Twitter, as I saw she was planning a trip to Sevilla. I offered her some advice on places to eat and she ended up taking a We Love Tapas Tour with the fabulous Delia. Everyone had a great time and the next night I saw Becky and family at the Flamenco Museum. They were having problems getting a booking for Christmas lunch and so I helped them with that, and said I’d stop by and have a drink with them on Christmas afternoon. Which turned into – ahem – more than one. In fact, I sat with them through most of their lunch (mine was mostly prepared and waiting for me at home) and it was so much fun. The kids were inquisitive and charming, and Becky, Scott and I really hit it off (next visit Scott wants a sherry tour!). It was a lovely way to spend my Christmas afternoon, and I came home much cheered and enjoyed my own (late) lunch and an evening of Christmas films.

So, a little Twitter magic helped make this Christmas extra special.
How was yours?

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ángela & mikel

19 Saturday Dec 2015

Posted by in food & drink, friends, Malaga, malaga getaway, travel, trips

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mikel angela

So remember when, about a year and a half ago, I went to Antequera and stayed at the Parador Hotel? Well, that was also when I finally got to meet Ángela & Mikel, the foodie couple behind Pollo y Ensalada. Aside from doing a tapeo with them I also joined them for a memorable tasting menu lunch at Arte de Cozina. And today we did it again in Málaga, trying out the new El Tres location at Malagueta Beach.

And it was WOW. We loved every bite (except maybe the fried artichokes that didn’t taste of artichokes). But everything else was exceptional. Just one amazing thing after another. More on that later over on Azahar Tapas. It was a lovely afternoon, catching up, chatting, with great food and wine. Afterwards we caught the sunset at the port (yes, it was a four-hour lunch) and then parted ways. Looking forward to seeing them again soon in Antequera, and maybe even in the Basque Country, where Mikel is from.