This week I was invited to Panrallao for the third Come y Comparte (Eat & Share) blogger’s lunch, a new initiative organised by journalist Ángel Fernández (@angelfdezmillan) and Cristóbal Bermúdez (@tapeoporsevilla), which brings together not only food bloggers but foodies from other walks of life, such as journalists, architects, artists and photographers. My lunch companioins on Wednesday were foodblogger María (@losblogsdemaria), private chef Lochy (@cocinoparati), and eco-journo José María Montero (@monteromonti).
I’d been to Panrallao before and they are listed on Sevilla Tapas, so I had an idea of what to expect and was looking forward to it. This is a small neighbourhood bar in Nervión run by two friends, which opened in March 2011. Miguel Bauzano runs the bar and dining area and chef Luis Bonet takes care of the kitchen. The decor is fresh and light, tall tables with stools in pale blue, white and natural wood. Handy antique hooks run along walls hung with tiny pictures in rustic frames, and the large windows and glass doors let in a lot of natural light. There’s also a good – and free – wifi connection.
For our “tasting menu” lunch we were served five tapas and a dessert to share between two. First up was one of the house specialities that I’d missed on my first visit – breaded and fried aubergines served with cheese sauce, which were crispy-fried to perfection. Then it was on to the steak tartare – a generous portion that came with little homemade toasts. I’m not able to give a reliable opinion on this one since I can’t stand raw meat, but my “sharing companion” José María assured me it was very good. Next up was the braised octopus in oyster sauce with “rin-ran”, which I’d quite enjoyed on my first visit. This time round the sauce was overpowering (perhaps because there was so little octopus in the dish?). What was there was very tasty, but there needed to be either more pulpo or less sauce to balance it out. Moving on to the bulltail lasagna, which came piping hot in cute mini casseroles. This had to be the biggest disappointment of all the dishes served. My companion and I struggled to find any hint of bulltail, cheese or bechamel sauce, but it was simply and utterly flavourless. Happily this was followed by what for me was the star dish of our tasting menu. A lovely sous vide bacalao served with migas and morcilla. On its own the bacalao was pleasant enough but teaming it with the other two ingredients was inspired. Our meal was accompanied by Cerro Encinas, a light red wine from Córdoba. Dessert was a pair of hot freshly baked chocolate cookies served with a cup of hot white chocolate.
Overall it was a pleasant experience and I look forward to taking part in future Come y Comparte events (the “sharing” bit means I write a blog post about it and also do some tweeting during our lunch). The plan is to mix it up so that every four weeks or so I’ll get to join up with a different group of local foodies. I think it’s a great way of meeting like-minded people over a shared passion. Thanks again for the invite Ángel and Cristóbal.