Ajonegro

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Shawn

ajonegro

I’ve been to Ajonegro twice now. First time was just over a year ago when I was attending a special sherry event and invited there for lunch (in a small group) by one of the bodegas. And it was fabulous! But of course I did wonder if it would be as good if I just went on my own without any “VIP treatment”. So on a recent visit to Jerez I stopped in with a friend to try some of their tapas, secretly pleased that the owner wasn’t there. But I needn’t have worried because we had very good service from one of the young waiters and the food was excellent. I’ve included photos of dishes from both visits below.

Ajoblanco is a bit of a walk out from the centre, but it is worth the effort. It’s a relatively new bar in a modern building across the avenue from the Sherry Park hotel. The setting is spacious and bright, with lots of natural light from the massive floor to ceiling windows. There is also a terrace, though it’s on a rather trafficky street.

The menu has both tapas and raciones and is a nice mix of traditional and fusion (mostly Asian influences). Must tries include the beautiful artichoke “flowers”, which taste as gorgeous as they look, and I was particularly surprised by the chicharrones de Chiclana, with payoyo cheese and tomato pesto. A simply amazing combination. We also liked the marinated chicken in panko with guacamole, but the mini beefburger with bacon was pretty much just a mini-burger. The grilled presa Ibérica (not a tapa) is also excellent.

Avda Alcalde Álvaro Domecq, 10
Jerez de la Frontera
Tel 956 33 23 71
€ € € €

Food 9 | Wine 8 | Service 8 | Ambiance 9

ajonegro bar
ajonegro lobster

ajonegro peppers

ajonegro chicherrones chicharrones de Chiclana with payoyo Villaluenga and tomato pesto

ajonegro artichokes artichoke flowers with lots of evoo

ajonegro burger mini beef burger with bacon

ajonegro chicken panko breaded chicken with guacamole

ajonegro patatas fried potatoes with alioli

ajonegro stew chorizo a la Riojana

ajonegro prawns king prawns in tempura

ajonegro presa grilled presa Ibérica and chips

ajonegro dessert leche frita

ajonegro chalkboard
ajonegro talbes

La Carboná

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Shawn

carbona (3)
I had been hearing so much about “sherry chef” Javier Muñoz Soto from various friends and colleagues that while in Jerez for Vinoble at the end of last May I convinced two friends to join me for lunch there. I was keen to try the place for myself as I had also been recommending it to clients who were visiting Jerez. And well, either we were unlucky and the chef was having an off day, or the place has been over-hyped. The other day I saw another friend praising her meal here on Twitter and I was dumbfounded. Then again she was with a VIP group visiting Jerez so perhaps they pulled out all the stops for them.

The restaurant itself was unexpectedly massive, with tall beamed ceilings, which felt less barn-like as it started to fill up a little. There are also a couple of attractive private dining rooms that you can book for private parties (btw, apologies for quality of photos here – the restaurant was very dimly lit inside, even at midday).

Wines were good and reasonably priced (all things considered) with starters ranging from 4.50 – 12.50€ and main courses from 12 – 22€. Although the food was pleasant enough (other than an overcooked turbot, which in the end we weren’t charged for) it also wasn’t sensational – and for 20€ a plate you really do expect something above average. Most dishes were accompanied by a sherry sauce of some sort (hence the “sherry chef”) but it was only really apparent in the presa dish that came with a lovely PX sauce. All in all we found it a lacklustre experience. Not bad, but not really worth the money.

Finally, we were not only charged 1.25€ each for bread (5€ for bread?), but the IVA was not included in the prices on the menu. The latter not only feels like a cheap trick, but I believe this is also not legal in Andalucía.

San Francisco de Paula, 2
Jerez de la Frontera
Tel 956 34 74 75
€ € € € €

Food 6 | Wine 8 | Service 7 | Ambiance 6

carbona bar the bar

carbona (5)

carbona (6) presa Ibérica and mushrooms

carbona (1) artichokes with sweetbreads

carbona (4) whole turbot

carbona (2) tuna belly with rice noodles

carbona fireplace

carbona private dining room private dining room

La Sorpresa

Posted on November 23, 2013 by Shawn

Updated March 2019

La Sorpresa, a few minutes away from the central market, is a small abacería (a shop selling mainly traditional specialties) and tapas bar, with the emphasis on jamón Ibérico, tuna almadraba (the eco-friendly sustainable seasonal catch off the coast of Cádiz) and sherry, here supplied by Bodegas Delgado Zuleta, with the casks making a “wall” between the bar and the back room. A nice unpretentious local to stop in for a few starters at the beginning of your tapeo.