Tag Archives: tapas

what time is it?

14 Friday Oct 2022

Posted by in sevilla, sherry, tapas, tapas bars

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sherry time (1)

Sherry time? Beer O’clock? How about tapas at any hour? It seems that some people are under the impression that I am either eating or drinking (or both) at the actual time I post food and wine photos on my various social media accounts. I mean, really? Sherry at 9 in the morning? Tapas at 11? You know, when bars haven’t even opened yet. Or else assuming that I am actually eating or drinking everything I post, which has led to more than a few fat-shaming comments (from assholes, obviously).

Truth is that I take a LOT of photos when I am out and about. This might be when I’m out for a cold beer, out for tapas with friends, on a tapas tour with clients, at an event, and sometimes even grabbing some shots of good looking stuff coming out of a restaurant kitchen when I’ve stopped somewhere for a quick sherry. I do this because people seem to like all the food pics I post on my Sevilla Tapas Twitter and Instagram, not to mention all the updates on the Sevilla Tapas website.

Later I spend quite a bit of time editing the photos and texts and putting them into drafts so I can easily post them when I want to. The only posts that go up in real time are my Beer O’clock ones, because they just take a minute. To be honest, it would be rude of me to spend all my time eating out with friends uploading pics and comments onto Instagram. It’s bad enough nobody can eat until I take photos of the food (the camera eats first!).

This week ought to confuse a few people since I am still putting up at least one photo a day, much like I did during lockdown. I bet more than a few are going to wonder how I’m out there having tapas when I’m supposed to be at home with Covid. At last count there are more than 40,000 photos in my iPhone, most of them food and wine related. So hey… the illusion is easy.

love when this happens

20 Wednesday Jul 2022

Posted by in food & drink, gastronomy, sevilla, tapas, tapas bars

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rincon tito (12)Luis, owner Luis Barceló, Jonathan & Carmen

When you stop off somewhere you’ve never been before for a quick beer (because the other bar you were going to was closed) and end up chatting with the bar owner, then stay for lunch, and then make friends, not only with the owner and staff, but also with two couples sitting at other tables, then all of us finishing with orujo chupitos together… so much fun. Delicious too. This is El Rincón del Tito, about a ten minute walk from my house. Founded in 1982. l couldn’t believe I’d never been here before. Present owner Luis Barceló has been running it for the past 15 years. He also couldn’t believe I’d  never been here before (what?? you’ve been to Eme’s and not here??). Anyhow, review going up soon on Sevilla Tapas, and yes, I will be back here soon. Love this place! Also loved the serendipity.

rincon tito (15)

9 year anniversaries

08 Friday Jul 2022

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

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9th anniversary (1)Adam, Thomas, Tiffany & Jack

The other day my Twitter pal Simon @sj_bowden posted a photo of us on a tapas tour saying it was 9 years ago this week that he and his friends were out with me. And then today I had a tour with Jack @centrejack and Thomas who had also been here in 2013 (and were back with friends for more!). It’s so great when stuff like this happens and it reminds me of how many people I first met on a tapas tour who ended up becoming friends (you all know who you are!). It really is a wonderful job. Also, check out quality difference between the iPhone 4 photos and my latest one. Wow.

9th anniversary (2)Brad, Chad, Jack & Thomas – May 2013

9th anniversary (3)Simon, Metani, Tim & Pete – July 2013

redemption

21 Tuesday Jun 2022

Posted by in restaurants, sevilla, tapas, tapas bars

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redemption

A couple of weeks ago I ran into a friend of mine enjoying snails outside a very popular snail bar (they’re in season now) and he was with a pal who happened to be a chef at a restaurant I wrote a rather scathing review about a few years ago (2013, this chef wasn’t there at that time). Anyhoodle, I took a pic of them and posted it on my Instagram and the next day got a message from the new owner of this place, asking me if I’d like to come and have a meal to see if I might enjoy it better than last time. I said sure, I mean why not, and then asked if I could bring a friend. And so I brought my friend Fourat with me, the same person who had been with me at that last disastrous meal back in 2013, it just seemed fitting. Fourat thought so too.

So today we showed up for lunch and it was lovely. Since Covid the new management (brother and sister team) has redone the whole place, including the menu, which now has a few Peruvian influenced dishes as Pedro has spent years in Peru running a restaurant there. It looked like a very interesting menu.

Gotta say, the main ISSUE of the previous visit had been the absolutely appalling and frankly rude service. It was only when I saw Fourat’s jaw drop open at one point after an especially rude bit that I knew I wasn’t just being over sensitive. We paid. We left. We never went back. Because you can have the best food in the world (and trust me, this wasn’t that) but if the service sucks then so does the entire experience.

Of course today we were going to get the VIP treatment, so I was mostly focused on the food. Which was excellent. Original takes on traditional dishes, the aforementioned Peruvian ones, lovely lemon and cava sorbet for dessert, all of which left us wanting to come back and try more. I really appreciate that Pedro got in touch because of course things change and he gave me – and Fourat – the chance to take another look.