Tag Archives: restaurants

día de la hostelería

13 Tuesday Oct 2020

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dia hosteleria

Every year the second Tuesday in October is designated as the annual Día de la Hostelería. This year it’s more important, and also more poignant, than ever. I’m watching my friends struggling to stay afloat, most are not even making ends meet but they keep on working, they keep on trying. Sadly others have lost their businesses. It’s been a heartbreaking year.

The jury is still out on how safe indoor dining is. Luckily in Sevilla people can eat outdoors pretty much all year round. But for those without terraces it’s harder to comply with the health and safety regulations and still cover costs. Though I do see most trying, in spite of the difficulties.

There has been a scandalous lack of government support for the hospitality industry here in Spain, as well as elsewhere in the world. Even though these places are our second homes, they are where we go to celebrate, to commiserate, to enjoy our lives, to meet up with friends, to not feel alone. They are the heart and soul of our neighbourhoods. And they need our support.

So even if, like me, you can’t afford to go out like before, then change it up. Just stop by a favourite place for a couple of tapas. You don’t have to spend a lot, but it will all add up if enough people do it. Also, go midweek when bars and restaurants are quieter, because that’s when they need us the most. And remember to help them keep things safe for everyone by wearing your mask when you’re not actually eating or drinking, or any time you get up from your table. Also when the waiter comes to your table… if you pull your mask up then you’re helping to protect them too.

We’re all in this together. Ánimo amigos.  ❤

azahar traducciones

21 Monday Sep 2020

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So this is something I’ve been doing off and on for many years, when friends who have bars, restaurants, hotels or wineries have asked me to help them with translating their stuff into proper English (as opposed to google translate mashups). And over the years I’ve had to learn specific terms and vocabulary used in these fields – translating winery sites and articles has been especially interesting. And so this is a new project which I hope will help keep the wolf at bay. Also, it will be fun to do and will keep me connected with the people I already enjoy working with. Fingers crossed!

 

 

chef john

08 Tuesday Sep 2020

Posted by in gastronomy, restaurants, sevilla

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Back in July chef John Grabecki @grabecki1 got in touch with me about his new project Gitana Tapas @gitana.tapas which he hopes to start up in Sevilla soon. So after a bit of whatsapping, and also waiting after he arrived here to pass 14 days without any obvious covid symptoms, we met up for lunch at La Barra de Inchausti.

Some people (me included, initially) might think it’s a crazy idea for a chef from London to come to Sevilla in the middle of a pandemic to start a new business. On the other hand, well, why not? I should know better than anyone that sometimes you just have to follow your heart, and John not only has some family ties here (his sister is married to a Sevillano) but he also just loves it here.

Anyhow, lovely lunch, lovely company, and I am happy to help him out with connections, etc. So watch this space! Also go give John and Gitana Tapas a follow on Instagram!  🙂

bread baskets of death…

04 Friday Sep 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, restaurants, sevilla, spain, tapas bars

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For the most part the tapas bars and restaurants I have been to over the past couple of months have been doing their best with taking precautions and keeping their establishments as safe as possible for both staff and clients. But you know, nobody’s perfect and also, as time passes, people tend to slack off a bit. Even as a second wave looms (reported cases and deaths keep mounting) some people are still in denial. Not me though! I am not only at a higher risk of catching this fucker due to previous cancer and chemo, but with my age, etc, I am also not likely to survive it. So yeah, you could say I have a vested interest in how the public is behaving in terms of the pandemic.

The other day I posted this photo of stacked up bread baskets on my Instagram. Some of you may remember that this disgusting practice has always been, well, disgusting to me. I mean, the baskets (filled with bread and often also napkins and cutlery) are put on tables, placed on chairs, passed from person to person, then taken away, stacked up, NEVER CLEANED, and then reused. In some cases, even the uneaten bread is “recycled” (yes, I have seen this happen with my own eyes). And while it was always an unsanitary and disgusting practice before COVID, now it’s actually criminal.

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putting your money where your mouth is

03 Thursday Sep 2020

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The topic of restaurant booking deposits has been a hot one in London for quite some time now, and I think it is about to become an issue here too. Frankly, since lockdown was lifted, the bars and restaurants that have managed to reopen are all in “survival mode” and, if they are lucky, are just breaking even. So when I saw my friend Javi report on Twitter that he has had groups of 6 and 10 as no-shows this past week and that he has decided to ask for a deposit upon booking, I completely agreed with him.

I have always thought this was a totally reasonable request, with a 24-hour cancellation policy, otherwise you forfeit your deposit. Even at the best of times restaurants seriously suffer from no-shows, especially when more than one happens during a service, or if they are larger groups. It seems there have always been assholes who will book 3-4 restaurants and then decide last minute which one they want to go to and then don’t have the decency to make a quick call to cancel their extra bookings. Clearly these are not the best of times and so a deposit would help put a stop to this.

I honestly don’t understand the resistance to this policy. As I said to Javi, if these people don’t want to pay a deposit then they are not your people. Because a no-show is even worse than a last-minute cancellation as the table is held… and held… and other possible walk-in clients are turned away until it’s too late.

I should think that with all our favourite bars and restaurants struggling to reopen and get back on their feet we would all be happy to put our money where our mouths are and make sure they are covered in case of… I don’t know. Possibly forgetting we had a booking? Because I don’t personally know anyone who would just not show up. But as I say, it’s a problem because people can often be thoughtless and selfish, as we have been shown many times during this pandemic.

What do you think? Would you be fine about leaving a deposit on your credit card for a bar or restaurant booking?