friday night fun

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friday fun

I was just mentioning how I am almost never go out at night anymore and, when I do, it’s usually for a tapas tour. But today ran away with me and by the evening I was feeling restless and suddenly HAD to go out. But where? Then I remembered I’d had an instagram message from a local craft beer company who asked if I would please try their azahar-infused pale ale and, as I knew they had it at Casa Moreno, I thought why the heck not. Also I LOVE this bar so much. You may remember Emilio who is locally famous for his charming hand-written bills (he also made a special one for my 30th Sevilla anniversary). So we tried the beer (actually quite nice) had a couple of tapitas and, when we were back in the street Peter suggested stopping in at Bodeguita Romero around the corner.

My first response was that we’d never get in but when we arrived two people sitting at the bar in my favourite spot (in front of the open doors) suddenly paid up and left. Done! Then this happened. I was on my way to the loo and passed three ladies (all about my age I think) at the far end of the bar who I realised had also just been at Casa Moreno. And they recognised me too! So we got to chatting and they were a bit surprised at my local knowledge of tapas bars so I had to fess up about being Queen of Tapas and even gave them my card so they could have a look at my website. It was fun. Then of course they made mention of my ACCENT (what? after 30 years you sound like this? etc etc) but lately I’ve decided to stop feeling embarrassed when people make fun of my accent and so I informed them that it is actually quite cute, in fact it’s ADORABLE (which made them laugh). Honestly from now on I am OWNING my fucking accent. So there.

Anyhow… on their way out they passed by and said “guess where we’re going now!”. I said Casa Morales because these are the three best trad bars in the ‘hood, but no. So they said “ok, here’s a hint, we’re going for tortillitas de camarones” and I said BARBIANA! Well. They almost fell over. So not only do I have an adorable accent but I also KNOW ALL THE BARS. Anyhow, it was so fun, going to both bars, having a snack and a drink at each, just getting out. Honestly I need to do this more often.

 

yin

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yin

I first met Yin in person a couple of years ago (after knowing her for years virtually) and this week she was back in town for a quick overnight stop. Happily she had time to meet up for lunch and we headed over to Palo Cortao, a new spot for Yin although she’s no stranger to Sevilla. Lovely afternoon and, as always, she somehow got me to pose for a selfie. Well, she also always allows me to “hide” so there’s that.

brunch power meeting!

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brunch meeting

Well okay, not so much a “power” thing really. And yeah it wasn’t even real brunch (which I hate). But it was a meeting! With me and three friends who share a similar philosophy when it comes to food & wine tours, which sadly most others here in the biz don’t share. For example, we only want to do proper small groups (2-6 people, not 10-12) and leave options open for special requests. Yes, this means we will never be rich, but I knew that 15 years ago when I embarked on this whole crazy tapas tour ride. I mean, it’s not like I wouldn’t like to be rich, but at what price, you know what I mean? And so this was a great meeting, connecting with these guys and setting up what I hope will be a nice network of like-minded friends who want to offer people a… fabulous gastronomy experience!

I have the platform and I get so many requests all the time. In fact I’ve been turning away clients like crazy lately and feel terrible about it, but I’m just one person and there’s only so much I can do.  Now suddenly I am four people! We’re all independent, so the other three pals are their own bosses, but it’s such a relief that I now have these wonderful people to recommend when I’m not available. This meeting really boosted my spirits this week. Thanks guys. x

brunch meeting 2

night time sevilla

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night time sevilla

More and more I am opting to do lunchtime tapas tours simply because I AM OLD NOW and staying out until after midnight really takes it out of me. Much prefer going out with people in the afternoon and getting home by 5 pm, having a shower, getting into my day PJs and that’s it.

BUT… then I’d miss out on seeing the streets at night on my way home, all quiet and beautiful