Tag Archives: tapas

brand new wlt ott

23 Wednesday May 2018

Posted by in sevilla, tapas bars, tapas tours, we love tapas

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One of the great pleasures of running my “little sister” food tour company We Love Tapas is that I can create and develop different tapas tours. One of my favourites is the Oldest Taverns Tour. The first version of this tour included 4 bars that were all over 100 years old, but then sadly one of the bar owners passed away. The next version included 4 bars 75 – 165 years old, but it didn’t feel quite right. So this week I met with Team WLT and introduced a revamped OTT tour, which now includes visiting 5 bars, all of them over 100 years old, all family run, all fabulous. The first one is tomorrow with the amazing Delia and I’m really excited to see how it goes.  🙂

andy & stella

21 Monday May 2018

Posted by in friends, gastronomy, tapas

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A few years ago I briefly met Andy Hayler @wyahaw at a Foodie Hub event in London. I had already been following him on Twitter because he is a very interesting guy, having eaten at EVERY 3 Michelin star restaurant in the world (as of 2016). The next challenge is to complete that same feat this year. Hence his visit to Andalucía to dine at Ángel León’s Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María.

Happily he and his wife Stella decided to also spend a few days in Sevilla and we got to meet up a couple of times. First for a spontaneous “tapas tour” and then for a lovely lunch at Cañabota. Both times we ate and drank very well, and it was just so fun spending time with kindred spirits. Hope to see them again, perhaps in London.

a surprise visit!

19 Saturday May 2018

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

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A delightful surprise visit from my friend José Pizarro @jose_pizarro yesterday. He is on a research trip around Andalucía and had one day (not enough!) in Sevilla. He asked me to take him and his team to a few traditional tapas bars “con solera” and I was more than happy to oblige. It was a fun and slightly crazy afternoon, and sadly I had to opt out of going to the Cathedral with them (after which they were heading to Jerez) because I had a tapas tour in the evening and needed to rest up a bit. Still, it’s always lovely to see my lovely friend.

palo cortao

27 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by in sevilla, sherry, tapas, tapas bars

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Palo Cortao opened two years ago in a teeny-tiny spot in El Arenal, and it was an instant success. Run by husband & wife team Ana and Ángel, it specialized in charcuterie and luxe tinned fish, along with a handful of exquisite tapas prepared by Ángel in a “kitchen” that was the size of a small closet. It also had an amazing wine list, including some wonderful sherries.

Yesterday I received a message from A & A saying that Friday was going to be their last day (!!) so I hurried over to say goodbye. Turns out it wasn’t the sad affair I thought it might be. It’s actually good news as Ana and Ángel have been planning to move to bigger and better premises but just haven’t had time to look while still working. So they are going to take a couple months off to find a perfect spot and then reopen as soon as possible. Looking forward to seeing Palo Cortao chapter two.

chance encounters

24 Tuesday Apr 2018

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

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Pepe, Cinta & José María

Love when stuff like this happens. After a lovely “tapas research” lunch with my friend and We Love Tapas colleague Cinta @LaCocheraAbuelo (in this case the company was much better than the food) we stopped by Bodeguita Romero because I wanted to talk to Alejandro about a couple of special bookings coming up. And we walked straight into a group of guys from Montilla-Moriles (fortified wine region in Córdoba), as well as my pal Pepe, owner of La Fresquita.

I was introduced to José María from Bodegas Toro Albalá @toroalbala and told him that I was supposed to go to the big Montilla-Moriles tasting event in Córdoba last week, and meet up with my friends Erik & Laura @MMWinesUK but the only day I could go was the same day they were going to visit Toro Albalá! So in the end I didn’t go, and as soon as I mentioned knowing Erik & Laura he insisted that Cinta and I try their lovely Dos Claveles (Two Carnations).

Meanwhile, Pepe and I were “talking shop” a bit about food tour guides, and also about his brother Manolo who owns the most fabulous Taberna Manolo Cateca – a fact that Cinta hadn’t known before, although she knows both bars well.

So it was like a coming together of various parts of my life here, all in one chance encounter at one of my favourite bars (the Romeros are my family). And I ended up with an invitation to visit Bodegas Toro Albalá anytime. When I explained to José María that I don’t have a car so would have to go to Córdoba by train (the bodega is about 50 kms away, in Agullar de la Frontera) he said just let him know when and he’d come and pick me up. Bonus!  🙂