Author: azahar

Jerez de la Frontera | Nuevo Hotel

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nuevo hotel (1)
I had been invited to Vinoble in Jerez de la Frontera, which meant having to stay over at least one night. I had told a friend that I was looking for somewhere “cheap & cheerful” where I could lay my head for a few hours – I knew I wouldn’t be spending much time wherever I stayed. And The Nuevo Hotel turned out to be perfect. At 25€ for an individual room with a single bed you obviously wouldn’t be expecting the Ritz, but I was very pleasantly surprised at my cheerful clean room and comfy bed, with a balcony that opened onto a small side street. My room was on the first floor of the two-storey hotel, and I was happy there was a lift as I was still on crutches due to a recent accident. The bathroom was small but serviceable, with a small bathtub and shower.

nuevo hotel (2)

Nuevo Hotel is centrally located just off the Plaza de Arenal, near the Alcázar, and is about a 10-15 minute walk from the train station. There are plenty of good tapas bars nearby and it felt like a nice cosy neighbourhood. Breakfast at the hotel is 5€, served in a big bright dining area on the main floor, but I’m always happier going out to find a small bar. There are a couple of charming common areas and excellent WiFi connection throughout the hotel. The hotel staff were welcoming, friendly and helpful. I would definitely stay again.

Nuevo Hotel
Calle Caballeros, 23
Jerez de la Frontera
Tel 956 33 16 00

Ronqueo at La Azotea

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 ronqueo azotea tuna almadraba
It was definitely not your average Tuesday morning. I had been invited (along with a few journalists, bloggers, photographers and friends) to a “ronqueo”, the skilled cutting of an almadraba tuna. The almadraba (Arabic for “the place of striking or beating”) is an age-old technique for catching blue fin tuna that continues to the present day. Every year during the tuna migration from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean (May-June), mazes of nets are set, creating a channel of nets which direct the tunas to a larger “floor net” which is then raised to the surface, enclosing and capturing the tunas.

azotea ronqueo scenes

La Azotea had arranged to have a tuna delivered to their Jesús del Gran Poder location to give us a demonstration of the traditional cutting art know as as the “ronqueo” – the name comes from the rasping sound made when the knife cuts through the spine (from Spanish “roncar”- to snore). The 233 kilo tuna arrived and, with some difficulty, was transferred from the truck to the restaurant, which had been stripped of all tables and chairs and had a protective layer of plastic covering the floor. The master cutter then wasted no time in getting down to work.

ronqueo azotea bulletFirst the head was removed and it was discovered that the tuna had been killed “Japanese style” with a bolt to the head while still in the water. Then the belly (ventresca) was removed and shortly afterwards we heard the rasping sound of knife against spine. The massive upper and lower loin and tail sections were next to come out and then the cutter went to work on the head, removing the cheeks, mormo, morillo (don’t know how to translate those last two).

Then we were treated to the freshest tuna tataki ever – straight out of the fish and onto the griddle. It was a fascinating experience and, as with jamón cutting, it was easy to see that hand-cutting the tuna in this way is truly an art form. I’m so glad I got a chance to see my first ronqueo. Thanks Juan!

This is pretty much the end of the almadraba season for this year so make sure to get over to La Azotea this week while the fresh tuna lasts.

La Azotea
Jesús del Gran Poder 31
Zaragoza 5
Mateos Gago 8

ronqueo azotea jesus josemaria juanchefs Jesús and José María with La Azotea owner Juan

Málaga | Urban Living Holiday Apartments

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liborio apt 4 (1)
A couple of weeks ago I booked a two-bedroom holiday apartment with Urban Living in Málaga for a three-day getaway with friends. I shared the apartment in calle Liborio with one friend (our other two friends were staying at another Urban Living apartment in calle Fajardo). The apartment was located on the third floor with balconies in every room, which gave a lot of light. The beds (one double, two single) were very comfortable and both bedrooms had lots of closet space. The open kitchen was well-equipped and the living room next to it was bright and attractive. The only complaint about the apartment itself was that the bathroom was missing a light over the mirror (there were just wires sticking out of the fixture) and it really needed some shelves – both in the room and in the shower – to put toiletries. In the end we had to leave our things on the floor.

liborio apt 4 (2)
Calle Liborio runs between Larios and Nueva streets, an ideal central location, though it can’t be directly reached by taxi and is a few minutes walk from the main road. The Atarazanas market is nearby, as well as a supermarket, so it’s easy to pick up food and supplies. The Urban Living office is located on the fourth floor of the building, which was convenient for leaving our bags after checking out (my train wasn’t until 7 pm), but checking in was a bit of a fluke. I’d made arrangements for someone to meet me there at 2 pm because I was on crutches at the time, and they forgot – it was just by chance that someone else was in the office when I arrived.

But my main complaint – and it is a big one – is that I had specified before booking that I needed to have an excellent WiFi connection because I had to work that weekend, and I was assured of this. But the connection was very poor. I mentioned this immediately after arriving on Thursday and was told that something would be done to “boost” the connection. By late afternoon Friday nothing had been done and when I called the office nobody was there. Finally someone brought over a router (while we were out) which didn’t work at all, so we went from having a poor connection to none at all. And nobody returned my calls for the rest of the weekend. VERY disappointing. The connection should have been tested before we arrived, as it had been a specific request and had been guaranteed.

Overall it was a pleasant stay, in a nice bright apartment right in the centre of town. But I’d hesitate to book with Urban Living again because of the management issues.

Urban Living Málaga
Calle Liborio García, 1
Málaga
952 60 22 47

Sherry & Tapas Tasting Menu

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sherry tasting menu vineria
It’s International Sherry Week and, along with offering my Introduction to Sherry & Tapas Tours, I also worked with Vineria San Telmo owner Juan Tarquini on this fabulous Sherry & Tapas Tasting Menu which I was invited to try yesterday along with friends and fellow bloggers Fiona @Seville_Writer and Rai @ComiendoporSVQ. The four-course menu features four sherries from four different bodegas:

  • Jamón Ibérico de Bellota and cured sheep’s cheese
    Manzanilla La Guita
    Bodegas Hijos de Rainera Pérez Marín
  • Bacalao a la Roteña
    Amontillado Botaina
    Bodegas Lustau
  • Pluma Ibérica with curried pumpkin
    Oloroso Gobernador
    Bodegas Hidalgo
  • Chocolate cake (by @Gollerias)
    Pedro Ximénez Nectar
    Bodegas Gonzalez Byass

sherry week vineria
The Vineria San Telmo has long been one of my favourite tapas bars in Sevilla with consistently good food and an excellent wine list. This is a beautifully balanced menu with well-matched wines, and great value at 25€. You can try it yourself at the Vineria until Sunday June 8th. Be sure to book ahead and let them know that you’ll be wanting the menu.

Vineria San Telmo
Paseo Catalina de Ribera, 4
tel. 954 410 600
Open 7 days a week 11.00 – midnight
Kitchen closed 17.00 – 20.00 with cold snacks and desserts available

sherry tasting fiona rai juanThe aftermath! Fiona, Rai and Vineria San Telmo owner Juan