25 Friday Apr 2025
Posted in bitesize sevilla, sevilla, spain, substack, tapas, tapas bars, writing
The latest Bitesize Sevilla🍊 post on Substack includes a signature tapa, an origin story, a recipe and 10 great spots in Sevilla to try it. Have a look and give it a “like” (if you like it) and if you really like it maybe consider becoming a free or paid subscriber… Thx!
The Curious Tale of Sevilla’s Solomillo al Whisky
(spoiler alert: there’s no whisky!)
24 Thursday Apr 2025
Posted in sevilla, sherry, tapas, tapas bars
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After more than a month without any work I have not one but two Sherry & Tapas Tastings this week! I mean, I obviously need the money but also I just really miss doing this. Going out to meet people, show them a great time, teach them stuff, and just in general have a lot of fun. As you can see, today’s tasting went well. 🥂
17 Thursday Apr 2025
Posted in culture, sevilla, spain, tapas, tapas bars
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Today I went out mantilla hunting… love seeing the women dressed in black on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, so elegant with their black lace mantillas draped over a tall tortoise shell comb. I especially love the older women (some of the younger ones are in tight black mini-dresses with cut-away fronts like… wtf??). The idea is that the women are in mourning because Christ has died, and it’s a lovely tradition when done properly.
As I had to get deep into the Cathedral zone and my old neighbourhood Barrio Santa Cruz to catch the mantilla ladies out in force we ended up stopping in at Casa Román on the off chance they had a free table… and yes they did, a perfect spot by the open door. Half an hour later the place was pretty much mobbed, so we got the timing right. Then on the way home I saw a couple of things that made me, well, sad. So when I got back I started writing about it… look for a new post on Substack tomorrow!
27 Thursday Feb 2025
Posted in gastronomy, sevilla, sherry, tapas tours
You may remember Katie & Paul, who visited here back in the fall of 2023. We’d met through social media and then also got to meet in person and we’ve stayed in touch ever since. Katie runs food adventure company Bowland & Bay in Lancashire UK and this week she hosted her first “trial run” Sevilla Getaway with six close friends, and of course Paul (aka Sherry Boy) came along too.
At first Katie had wanted a Triana Tour and a Sherry Tour but of course I CAN’T WALK, which I didn’t think was still going to be an issue when we first started organising things last October. Well okay, I can’t walk much. So since there were going to be eight of them requiring a slightly modified itinerary anyhow, I basically came up with two new “experiences” for them which would require less walking (and taxis home) for me. And both of them went so well I may start offering a version of these shorter tours on my website. Because, other than still being able to do my Sherry Tastings, the tours have been on hold since last summer. We shall see.
Meanwhile, Katie is already organising her next Sevilla Getaway for next October and I’m already looking forward to it.
11 Tuesday Feb 2025
Posted in food & drink, friends, sevilla, substack
Jeffrey was in town over the weekend and on Saturday he invited me out for THIS AMAZING LUNCH at La Carmela. But before that we had to stop in at Las Golondrinas so Jeffrey could get his radish fix. This is a guy who regularly eats out at Michelin starred restaurants, as well as having his own place in Marbella called Andala, so it’s kind of cute how giddy he gets about these radishes. But they really are simply spectacular.
Somehow we both ended up starting on Substack at the same time last month and it’s actually been quite fun and helpful having a Substack buddy. We give each other encouragement and – really important at the beginning – helped each other figure out how the damn site worked (many whatsapp chats and calls). It’s quite a steep learning curve but works great once you get the hang of it. Anyhow, here are links to both our publications so go have a look and, if you like what you see, please consider subscribing for free, and if you REALLY like what you see you can opt to become a paid subscriber.
Substack – Bitesize Sevilla
Substack – Xtreme Foodies
casa azahar 