Category: sevilla

Museo Bellver | Casa Fabiola

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The inauguration of Sevilla’s newest art museum in the Casa Fabiola, housing the collection of Mariano Bellver and his wife Dolores Mejías, took place on October 11, and a week later I went to see what was on offer. I have to say I was very impressed.

Casa Fabiola is an excellent choice for the collection, and can be found opposite the upper end of Mateos Gago, on the edge of the old Jewish quarter (a short section of the remaining wall can be found just along the street) in the heart of the historic centre. It’s a late 16th century Casa Palacio built around a typical courtyard with marble columns and floors and decorative tiling, and takes its name from the novel Fabiola, written by Nicholas Wiseman, who was born in the house in 1802 and went on to become the first Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster.

The Bellver collection is housed in the rooms around the courtyard on the ground and first floors, and consists of 567 pieces: 299 paintings, 112 sculptures, 57 figures in ivory and bone, 44 pieces of furniture, 42 pieces of porcelain and ceramics and 13 clocks. And the building itself is a work of art – be sure to check out the ceilings in each room.

The museum has a great atmosphere, small enough to avoid art fatigue, large enough for a good variety of styles and types of art. For me it particularly managed to encapsulate something of the essence of Sevilla in its paintings of patios and street scenes, and the decorations and furnishings of a typical upper class house, so that I was constantly reminded of the reasons why I made Sevilla my home, and the things I love here. It’s a delightful homage to Sevilla and Andalucía.

I will certainly be paying this one another visit in the not too distant future, can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone visiting Seville. A few photos below…

Museo Bellver
Calle Fabiola 5
Open: 11.00 – 20.00
Closed Monday

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Quimera Rooftop Bar by Meliá Sevilla

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Thursday evening (October 4) saw the inauguration of the new Quimera bar-restaurant on the rooftop of the Hotel Melia Sevilla, and since I’d been invited, and am ever curious to discover more about the facilities available for tourists, I went along to join in the fun.

As well as the new rooftop, the Meliá has recently undergone a major renovation of all its facilities, and although this was my first visit (so no before and after comparisons) I was impressed by what I saw. We started with a tour of the main reception area and downstairs bar, which are very cleverly designed with “open frame” partitions that preserve the feeling of spaciousness, while giving a sense of intimacy to the different areas, followed by the various conference rooms, this obviously being a major target market for the hotel.

We then went upstairs to see a couple of the new rooms, a very nice standard double, and a distinctly luxurious suite with separate bedroom and living room, with a distinct “I could live there” feel to it. As a bonus there are great views of the back of the Plaza España, and also of the new rooftop bar (which is on the lower roof above the reception area, not on the top roof), complete with swimming pool).

Finally to the new restaurant-bar Quimera itself, where we got to spend a pleasant couple of hours by the pool, sampling the food (actually pretty good) and wine, and listening to the entertainment – a not too intrusive disco, and a rather fun singer Juanlu (borderline lounge lizard – crooner, but skilfully done, and with just enough tongue in cheek). A nice place to unwind for an hour or two if you’ve been at a conference all day, or for a final drink before turning in. This is a side of what’s available in Sevilla that I don’t see very much of, as my own focus is on a different area, so it was a fun and interesting experience, and the hotel is certainly one I can recommend.

 

Hotel Meliá Sevilla
Dr Pedro de Castro 1
Tel: +34 912 764 747

Restaurante Ispal – New Seasonal Menu

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This week (on October 4) I was invited, along with other journalists, bloggers and regular commentators, to the presentation of this season’s tasting menu at Restaurante Ispal. Ispal has been the dream of Pedro Sánchez-Cuerda Rodríguez (director of Grupo La Raza) for the past 15 years, and together with Antonio Bort (his executive chef), and Ispal’s new head chef Rubén García Chacón, Pedro’s dream has now been realised.

The objective of Ispal, which opened a year ago, is to showcase the traditional cooking of Sevilla, using indigenous products and providing support for local family businesses, and then reinterpreting these popular dishes by elevating them to haute cuisine. This, by definition, involves the use of the highest quality ingredients, meticulously prepared and presented.

The local ingredients include salt from the salt flats of Utrera, cheeses from Castilblanco de los Arroyos, the famous tomatoes of Los Palacios, goat kid from Los Corrales, fish from La Puebla del Río, wines from Sierra Norte de Sevilla, Ronda, and sherry wines from Jerez.

The tasting menu, which you can see below, was spectacular. Many thanks to Fernando Huibrodo for the invitation, and to the entire Ispal team, including maître Alonso Reche and sommelier Cisco Nuñez.

Pedro Sanchez-Cuerda Rodriguez – director of Grupo La Raza
Antonio Bort – executive chef of Grupo La Raza
Rubén Chacón – head chef at Ispal
Fernando Huidobro – president of Andalucía Academy of Gastronomy & Tourism

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Orio Basque Restaurant

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The new Restaurant Orio has been open for a few weeks, but the official inauguration for a select group of press and hospitality professionals was held this week (October 3), and I was fortunate enough to be invited.

The Sagardi group also has Orio locations in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, which are aimed at a more day to day market, incorporating a Basque style pintxo bar (Sagardi was founded in the Basque country) as well as a restaurant featuring Basque cuisine.

The front of the premises is a spacious pintxo bar opening onto Calle Santo Tomas, with a terrace facing the Archivos de India, and the bar itself on one side, with a very appetising array of Basque style pinxos so typical in Bilbao and San Sebastián, but something of a novelty in Sevilla. We got to try a few as an appetiser, my favourite being the chistorras (small spicy sausages).

Beyond the bar are two dining rooms leading out to a second terrace on Calle Miguel Mañara, with space for around thirty diners. Decoration is minimalist, but with lots of wood, and a big mural of a fisherman (Orio is the name of a Basque fishing village).

Lunch was a nine course tasting menu (including dessert), starting with oysters and working through a prawn carpaccio, salad, monkfish, and roasted piquillo peppers to the grilled beef finale. The quality was excellent throughout, and it looks like Orio will be a welcome addition to dining out in Sevilla. Check out the photos below (but only if you’re not hungry!)

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World Tourism Day Sevilla

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Yesterday (September 27th) was World Tourism Day, and to mark the occassion Prodetur (Turismo Sevilla Provincia) held a Gala event, Sabores de Sevilla, at the Diputación de Sevilla, with speeches and a live music show, followed by catered food and drink showcasing various products from the province of Sevilla. A big (air-conditioned!) marquee had been erected in the main courtyard for the event.

Local and global publicity for the food industry in the province of Sevilla, and the work of local government and other groups in promoting food tourism, was the main point of the evening, and this part of Spain really does have a wonderful range of high quality food products. It’s not just the ham, or other Iberico pork products, or even the famous oranges, there’s olives and cheeses, rice, the world’s best tomatoes, and a wine industry that has improved a lot since I first moved here.

Live entertainment was provided by Pastora Soler, a very popular singer in these parts, who performed the Spanish entry in the 2012 Eurovision song contest. She is also taking part in an international video campaign promoting the food and wine of Sevilla. Although I had heard of her, I wasn’t familiar with her performances, which turned out to be essentially modern/pop, but strongly influenced by the local flamenco tradition, and all sung with a big, passionate voice. Very enjoyable, and she received a standing ovation at the end of her set.

cocktails galore!

jamón galore!

The food and drink turned out to be pretty good too, certainly by the standards of large catered events. I found myself a very nice local white wine – Ocnos chardonnay by Colonias de Galeón – as a mainstay, and also tried a very pleasant fruity cocktail called The Widow of the Guadalquivir (!!). The food that was passed around included ham and cheese, but also croquetas, anchovies, spinach pate, and other delights.

All in all it was a fun and delicious evening, in a good cause.