10 Tuesday Dec 2019
Posted in food & drink, friends
Dan, Paige, Mark, Deb
I first met Dan & Deb when they visited Sevilla earlier this year, but had previously known them for ages on social media. This past weekend they were back in town with Deb’s brother Mark and his wife Paige. We did a little tour of Triana, finishing up on the rooftop of Alfarería 21. And D&D even surprised me with this lovely London bus Christmas ornament (with matching card) to remind me of my visits to London, where they live. Hope they come back soon!
04 Wednesday Dec 2019
Posted in food & drink, friends, sevilla, tapas, tapas bars
What a great day! FINALLY found a date in the calendar that worked out for both me and Pilar to “jamonear”. This time we met up in the centre and went to Bodeguita Romero for lunch. Afterwards I took the Pilars (mother & daughter) over to meet Esteban at Vermutería Yo Soy Tu Padre and we had a lovely visit there. I even got an invitation to Christmas dinner from another mutual friend, Jota (bonus!).
Then it was time to go home and sober rest up because I had made a date with Lucy to go and visit another brand new bar in the evening – Tapas Research! La Casa del Tigre is a joint venture between four friends, one of whom (Emilio) I’ve known since he was a little boy and his mother ran Bar Campanario across the street from my first home in Sevilla. So it was a long but very happy day. Oh, and La Casa del Tigre is fabulous, so if you are in Sevilla be sure to go.
19 Tuesday Nov 2019
Posted in food & drink, friends, gastronomy, restaurants, sevilla, sherry, tapas, tapas bars
So there I was yesterday morning, settling in for a morning of writing with plans to take my WALK after lunch, when I got a message from my friend Gabriella (AKA Shawn of the North) that she and some friends were coming to town. That day. For lunch. In fact, she was texting me from the runway at Bilbao airport and wanted to know if I could recommend somewhere nice where they could eat before heading to Jerez. Tricky as they would be arriving when most (good) bars and restaurants close for the afternoon, and on top of that it was a Monday, but I knew La Antigua Abacería de San Lorenzo would be the perfect choice. And it was.
I was also invited to join them! Gabriella’s friends were a group of six, winemakers and tour operators from Rioja, so we hit it off right away. We opted for Lo Que Diga Ramón (What Ramón Says), a set menu that Ramón makes up as he goes along, and I paired our dishes with different sherry wines, giving the group a bit of sherry education before they hit Jerez. I also recommended that they eat at Mantúa while there, so they will be doing that tonight.
Needless to say I didn’t get any more work done that day. Nor did I take my walk. By the time we said our goodbyes (7-ish?) I knew I had a serious date with my comfy chair, Netflix and the cats. What a great day though! 🙂
Ramón & Carmen with son Ignacio
13 Wednesday Nov 2019
02 Saturday Nov 2019
Posted in food & drink, friends, sherry, tapas, tapas bars, wine
This is Brad from Atlanta with a personalised bottle label made by Esteban at Vermutería Yo Soy Tu Padre. I had popped over for “just one” as it’s such a cosy spot and it’s close to my house. Plus Esteban is one of my favourite people. Did we actually close the bar and end up in Triana until the wee hours? Photo evidence on my phone says we did. 😉
casa azahar 