Pan con Chocolate is a delightful new bakery that opened this week right just off the Plaza Encarnación. It specialises in organic products with a good range of breads, cakes and pies, and savoury pastries. You can also find preserves, oils and vinegars, free range eggs and artesanal cheeses. Cakes and breads can also be made to order, including the impressive six-kilo loaves that are hanging on the wall. Owner Fran is still feeling his way in terms of products and opening hours, but it’s a charming little shop and the service is very welcoming and personal.
José Luis Luque, 8
(next to Plaza Encarnación)
Tel 638 308 903
Open: 9.30 – 2.30 / 17.00 – 21.00 Monday – Saturday
(open Sundays during December)
So this is what I did yesterday! Met up with some Twitter pals and fellow bloggers for a Tapeo Extremo, a term coined by travel writing legend and hardcore tapeo phenomenon Annie Bennett. Taking part were Fiona (Scribbler in Seville), Kate (Tales of a Brit Abroad), Kate’s friend Nicki, and Kim (Becoming Sevillana). I’ve known Fiona for quite awhile now, and Kate and Nicki had been on a tapas tour with me last summer, but it was the first time meeting Kim. Everyone knew that this was going to be pretty darn demanding and they had a lot to live up to if they were going to reach “extremo” standards. And well, the girls did good.
MY challenge was that nobody in the group ate meat, and one only tolerated fish in small amounts, so it had to be a pescatarian/vegetarian affair. Was I daunted? Hell no. Though it has to be said that the tour focused more on fish and seafood until the fourth and final tapas stop. But I’m getting ahead of myself…
From the opening night round table with super-chefs Juan Mari Arzak, Dani Garcia and Carme Ruscalleda to the closing cooking demonstrations by Juan Roca and Dani Garcia, this year’s Andalucía Sabor had something for everyone. It was great being able to meet and chat with Andalusian food and wine producers, as well as sample their wares, and take in the various activities scheduled on the exhibition floor (two of my favourites were the jamón slicing and best new chef of the year competitions). In the conference area you could sit comfortably and watch presentations, round table discussions and fabulous cooking demos by some of the best chefs in Spain.
My only complaint about the exhibition was that, especially for a food and foodie related event, the tapas on offer were both expensive and uninteresting, and after the first day we took to having our lunch break at nearby tapas bars. But overall it was a well-organised, informative and entertaining three days and I look forward to being a part of the next Andalucía Sabor in 2013.
Below are some pics taken at Dani Garcia’s closing demonstration during which he invited fellow Twitterers (seen furiously at work in the front row) up on stage to taste the various dishes he was making. Given the prominence of social media coverage this year it was a fitting way to close the show.
So this is what I’ll be doing over the next three days – attending the Andalucía Sabor Fine Food Exhibition – which kicks off this morning with a jamón slicing competition. Though in fact it began yesterday evening with an interesting and entertaining round-table discussion with three of Spain’s top chefs (Juan Mari Arzak, Carme Ruscalleda and Dani Garcia) about the Mediterranean diet and why eating locally and in season is so important.
Last year I had wangled an invitation to the Best New Chef competition so I guess I was still “on file” because of that, and so I was happy to receive an email a few weeks ago inviting me to attend this year’s Andalucía Sabor as Press or, more accurately, one of the bloggers that will be not only be allowed entrance (normal admission price is 75 euros) but also will have a blogger’s area with access to tables and plugs for laptops, etc. This would be an ideal moment to use the iPad I still don’t have. So I will just be armed with my iPhone as both laptops are too heavy to lug around all day, especially as I’m still having to wear the “faja” to hold my operation incision together.
And as if attending a three-day conference wasn’t enough I also have Sevilla Tapas Tours tonight and Thursday night, plus a presentation meeting with a prospective social media client tomorrow evening (another instance where an iPad would come in handy). Meanwhile I still have my daily work with my other clients to keep up with…
Speaking of which, best get that done while I down another cup of coffee, then I’ll have to hit the shower and get out of here. The conference centre is way the hell out near the airport, about half an hour on the bus, but at least there is a direct route there with the stop just five minutes from my house. So gotta run – expect a full report once it’s all over!
I was invited to an ice cream tasting this morning by my friend Eduardo who runs Different Spain, a fabulous private travel and concierge service. You may recall that a couple of months ago Edu and I went to an olive oil tasting together at the Basilippo Hacienda just outside Sevilla, and it turns out that this ice cream tasting, held at Mascarpone as a part of their new “Flavour Sensations” range, was going to include three flavours made from Basilippo’s exquisite extra virgin olive oil.
Have to admit I’m not much of an ice cream person. Or maybe I’m a purist? I only eat ice cream once or twice a year and my favourite flavour has always been vanilla. But it was fun to try a few very different flavours, such as:
vanilla olive oil
gazpacho topped with balsamic vinegar
chocolate with hot chilis
vanilla bonbon filled with wine and covered in dark chocolate
chocolate bonbon filled with olive oil and covered in white chocolate
mascarpone with salted sunflower & pumpkin seeds, mixed with dulce de leche
The surprise hit for me was gazpacho – it really worked! I also quite liked the mascarpone ice cream and the wine-filled bonbon. Later Eduardo and I were given some frozen fruit pops to try. They are not on the menu yet but I quite enjoyed my strawberry one, which was made from 45% fresh fruit. As for the rest, it was all very interesting and some of the flavours were quite nice, but I think I’ll stick with vanilla…
Pan con Chocolate – Panadería y Dulces Artesanos
