Foreño

Posted on August 12, 2018 by Shawn

Foreño opened its doors in Sanlúcar’s Plaza del Cabildo about a year ago, and when I was in town for Manzanilla Day, I took the opportunity to pay a visit. It’s the latest addition to the Tribeca group (Tribeca and Cañabota in Sevilla) run by the brothers Eduardo and Jaime Guardiola, and specialises in fish and seafood (the name Foreño is the local name for the wind that blows in from the sea).

There’s a pleasant bar inside, with both low and tall tables, and what I think is the prettiest terrace in Plaza del Cablildo. Efficient and attentive service too.

The menu is mainly big plates, but with some tapas. We had croquettes (choco and jamón), a scorpion fish paté, sea bream, and “postre de yema Calbarro”, the signature egg yolk cream dessert at Tribeca. All delicious.

Plaza del Cabildo 6
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Tel 956 960 185
€ € € €

Food 8 | Wine 9 | Service 8 | Ambiance 8

cabracho (scorpion fish) paté

croquetas: chocos and jamón

a side of garlicky potatoes

sea bream a la plancha

postre de yema Calbarro

pretty terraza!

Mesón Asador Toro

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Shawn

I was first introduced to the Mesón Asador Toro by friends, and have returned on subsequent visits. It’s a fairly traditional bar-restaurant with plenty of space round the bar, a large dining area in a separate room to the side, and an outside terrace, and an overall very pleasant ambience. Service is efficient and friendly too.

The food is very good, with an emphasis on char-grilled meat (top choice the parrillada mixta – mixed grill – more than enough for two), but there’s a fair range of fish and seafood too. I probably wouldn’t have come here by chance, but now it’s become one of my go-to places in Jerez for no-frills homestyle cooking.

Porvenir 11
Jerez de la Frontera
Tel 628 353 282
€ € €

Food 7 | Wine 6 | Service 6 | Ambiance 6

marinated carrots (complimentary)

papas aliñadas (complimentary)

dressed baby gems with anchovies and tomato

croquetas Ibéricas

artichokes in sherry sauce

gambas al ajillo

pork meatballs in salsa

presa with jamón

solomillo in oloroso sauce

retinto beef entrecôte

pork ribs

mixed grill: presa, solomillo, costillitas, lagarto,
chorizo criollo, morcilla de burgos, chips

Hierbabuena

Posted on July 29, 2018 by Shawn

My “home away from home” in Málaga is in the same barrio as Hierbabuena and so I’ve passed by many times over several visits, but it was only recently that I decided to try it out. It’s a real neighbourhood bar with an attractive interior and spacious terrace in the square, which is a great place to be on a summer evening. And it turns out that the food is quite nice too. Also … all day kitchen!

There’s a small selection of tapas on the menu, but it’s mostly medium-sized plates for sharing. Love the gambas al ajillo and the fritos, as well as their simple fresh tomato salad. Nice cold Victoria beer, decent wines, good service and fun casual vibe.

Calle Puerta Nueva 1
Málaga
Tel 692 830 267
€ € €

Food 7 | Wine 6 | Service 6 | Ambiance 6

tomato salad

pork skewer “pincho moruno”

lagrimitas de pollo with alioli

lamb skewer

breaded rosado

sizzling gambas al ajillo

rice of the day

La Curiosidad de Mauro

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Shawn

Mauro Barreiro has a considerable reputation as a chef, having worked at various big name restaurants before opening his own in Puerta Real, and then recently relocating to Cádiz. This was just a brief “end-of-tapeo” stop for us, and the experience didn’t leave much of an impression. Modern style “tapas with a twist”, you can see Mauro is trying to be inventive. And it’s certainly popular enough, with plenty of people packed into the long, narrow bar space (there’s also a restaurant at the far end, but I couldn’t get through the crush to get a photo). Will have to give it another shot on our next visit to Cádiz.

Veedor 10
Cádiz
Tel 956 992 288
€ € € €

Food 7 | Wine 7 | Service 6 | Ambiance 6

cola de toro (oxtail) bomba

presa Ibérica and aubergine with creamy cheese

pullet cannellone with truffle bechamel

chef Mauro

Salicornia

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Shawn

Salicornia is owned by chef Juan Höhr, who returned to his native Cádiz to branch out on his own, and opened Salicornia in November 2016 in Calle Plocia, currently becoming fashionable as a good area of town to eat. We were taken there by our friends, Cádiz locals and serious foodies Pilar and Juan Antonio, and immediately fell in love with the place. It’s small (seating for just 22, and a small bar) and cosy, and the service very friendly. The whole experience was very enjoyable.

The menu is full and half plates, with Spanish origins and some novel twists, innovative and delicious. Among other things we shared a carpaccio of presa, some butterfish, and an off the menu salmon tataki, and all were excellent. Definitely recommended.

Plocia 2
Cádiz
Tel +34 856 661 403
€ € € €

Food 8 | Wine 8 | Service 8 | Ambiance 8

tuna tartare with guacamole

creamy rice with Cádiz mountain mushrooms

presa Ibérica carpaccio

chef Juan Höhr

Ultramar&Nos

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Shawn

Opened in the summer of 2015 by the brothers Ruibal and Pancho Jiménez, Ultramar&Nos takes its name via a play on words from the traditional Spanish ultramarinos (corner shop) that previously occupied the site. That corner position and the large windows give the premises plenty of light, and with fairly minimalist decoration that combines an element of rustic with a kind of “industrial chic”, the restaurant seems quite spacious. Service was efficient and friendly enough for a good background to the food.

The menu is of modest size, and combines traditional Spanish and international food in an interesting way. Although enticed by several of the menu descriptions, in the end we only tried two dishes, a starter of housemade beef sausages wrapped in chard instead of the usual intestine casing (very tasty), and the cachopo – a kind of big flat flamenquín with beef, cheese, aubergine and cecina (air-cured beef). The cachopo was so big, in fact, that we were left unable to try anything else. Next time!

Plaza de Mina 1
Cádiz
Tel 856 076 946
€ € € €

Food 8 | Wine 8 | Service 8 | Ambiance 8

marinated carrots

beef sausages wrapped in chard

inside the sausage

beef and cheese cachopo

Mini Bar

Posted on March 26, 2017 by Shawn

Mini Bar is one of those little hole in the wall tapas bars with a limited menu (basically fried fish) that nevertheless succeeds in exuding atmosphere and being very popular. It has a convenient location between the market and the Plaza Candelaría, so it’s great for a snack and beer stop between other activities. Owner Paco has been running the show for over thirty years and makes you feel at home as soon as you walk in the door.

Doctor Dacarrete 3
Cádiz
Tel 856 174 303
€ €

Food 8 | Wine 6 | Service 8 | Ambiance 7

affable owner Paco

fritura variada

Venta Esteban

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Shawn

esteban (1)

Founded in 1983 by the five Ballesteros brothers, Venta Estevan moved to its present location just outside Jerez in 2002. It is located in a large chalet-style building with ample parking (if you don’t have a car it’s about a 9€ taxi ride from Jerez). I’d been hearing about this place for years from various foodie friends and so finally did the taxi thing on a recent visit to Jerez, to try it out.

As you walk into the bar area there are displays of jamón, fish and seafood and local wines. There’s also a large terrace and several light, spacious dining rooms. The menu offers classic dishes, with just a few tapas in the bar, so best to go with a group of friends so you can share big plates (raciones). We sat in the bar, which felt a bit less stuffy than the dining area. Of course we had to try the house speciality El Antojo (The Craving) which was a huge plate of chips and fried onions, fried eggs and jamón. Then we tried the breaded artichokes and finished with grilled presa Ibérica (pork shoulder). Everything was very good quality, but perhaps another visit with more people would make it feel more special. And perhaps with someone who knows the staff, because although the service was okay, we felt a bit like we were being given the “tourist treatment”.

Colonia Caulina (Seville-Cádiz motorway)
Jerez de la Frontera
Tel 956 316 067
€ € € €

Food 8 | Wine 7 | Service 6 | Ambiance 7

esteban (5)

esteban (4)

esteban el antojo El Antojo: fried eggs, fried onions, chips & jamón

esteban artichokes grilled artichokes

esteban presa grilled presa Ibérica

esteban (2)

esteban (3)

esteban (9)

Tabanco Las Banderillas

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Shawn

Updated August 2018

Opened in 2012 by Fernando Lobato and Lucas Soto, Las Banderillas replaced an existing bar-restaurant of the same name. As well as sherry and vermouth from the barrel there are preserves and delicatessen products to eat on the premises or take away, and a good selection of hot tapas. In fact, it has more of a tapas bar than tabanco feel to it. It’s a fun and lively place to stop and is also excellent value for money. Don’t miss the house speciality rabo de toro (slow braised oxtail) and the sizzling gambas al ajillo (garlic prawns). And if you’re feeling a bit decadent, the fried pork ribs or the housemade chicharrones.

Service is a bit frenetic, but super friendly. There’s a good selection of wines, including some excellent sherries. This is my favourite place for traditional tapas in Jerez.

Caballeros 12
Jerez de la Frontera
Tel 619 006 988
€ € €

Food 9 | Wine 9 | Service 9 | Ambiance 9

las banderillas (13)

las banderillas (7)

las banderillas (6) queso payoyo

sheep cheese aged in manteca

las banderillas aubergines fried aubergine (eggplant) with salmorejo

las banderillas calamar calamares a la romana

las banderillas gambas ajillo sizzling garlic al ajillo

las banderillas croquetas spinach roqueforte, bulltail croquetas: spinach & pinenut and oxtail

croquetas ibéricas

chicharrones

las banderillas fried goat cheese with bacon leek sauce fried goat cheese with bacon & leek sauce

pisto with fried egg

las banderillas prawns aubergines prawns wrapped in aubergine

chocos fritos

las banderillas hake breaded hake

puntillitas al ajillo

las banderillas riñones kidneys in sherry sauce

pork meatballs

fried “broken” pork ribs al limón

carrillada – braised pork cheek

las banderillas presa grilled presa Ibérica (pork shoulder)

las banderillas rabo toro cola de toro – braised oxtail

las banderillas (2)

las banderillas (10)

Updated August 2018

El Bichero

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Shawn

el bichero

El Bichero (The Boathook) is a relatively new restaurant just off Jerez’s main Arenal Plaza, opened in 2011 by Fermín Anguita. There’s a pleasant outside terrace, a restaurant upstairs and – my favourite spot – a small bar downstairs for tapas (though you can also order from the restaurant menu at the bar). Specialities are local fish and seafood, but there are some good meat options too. Good wine list, nice staff… a must-visit whenever I’m in Jerez.