mdn

Hi!
We're back from an awesome trip to Andalucia and Catalonia, with a couple of quick days in Madrid thrown in for good measure. A heartfelt thank you to everyone here for their advise in response to my thread titles Catalonia and Andalucia in December from September 2023!!

Mid-December, bound for Seville: It had been two years since our last trip to Andalucia, also in December, but at a very ruinous time when the Covid Omicron strain suddenly emerged and ran wild. Back then we were so happy when we checked into the Mercer Hotel in Seville and to learn that we were the only guests in this boutique and beautiful property, a haven in a harried time. This time was no different--we were greeted by our names and welcomed with a glass of cava! It had been a long journey: Miami-Madrid-Seville, but not an overly exhausting one thanks to the Time Shifter app that we use regularly to mitigate jet-lag. The app works like a charm and I highly recommend it! The Mercer and their staff always deliver!

It was already 13:30. So after quickly freshening up, and after trying and failing to get a lunch table at La Barra Inchausti for our first meal, the hotel suggested we try El Pesquero, a seafood specialist, in the Mercado Arenal nearby. This proved to be an amazing recommendation and my fears of a mediocre first meal quickly dissipated. We chose to stand at the bar from where we had a good view of all the shellfish and fish behind the counter as well as of the various dishes coming out of the kitchen. On display were carabineros (bright red prawns), cigalas/langostinos, the delectable gambas de Huelva, berberechos (cockles), coquinas (baby clams).... In short, everything we wanted! We started with something warm and hearty, a very flavorful sopa del dia of seafood broth with chickpeas, shrimp and mint. It was exquisite and a modern day facsimilie of what the fabled old inn keeper served weary travelers needing nourishment. Then some coveted gambas de Huelva boiled and commonly served cold (I'd have preferred warm) and an order of fried puntillitas (tiny baby squid). My wife has Celiac and thus ordered another sopa del dia of squid with chickpeas. Simply satiated, we walked back for a nap after a surprisingly strong start.

For dinner, we'd reserved Sobretablas, which had eluded us on our last trip when they has a Michelin star, if my memory isn't failing me. Now it gets Bib Gourmand nod. We decided to walk, to stretch our legs but to also see this stunning city in its orange evening glow. Few places are as encantadadora (enchanting) as Seville is in December! Past the crowds by the Catedral, then the Alfonso XIII hotel lit up for Christmas, on through the quiet Parque Maria Louisa and the gleaming, stunning Plaza de España within, where high schoolers were singing carols. After some stops for pics and an apertif, we reached Sobretablas in the El Porvenir neighborhood. I don't know if choosing the Tasting Menu was a mistake. It was a long meal--the amuse bouche forgotten by the time the besotted mignardises arrived--yet, made delightful by the service. But these wouldn't be our best remembered bites in Seville. Hopes were high for the next day, a Sunday.

Sunday, a late start: We hadn't felt it, but I suppose we were tired. We had easily hit 15,000 steps the previous day. We'd booked La Cochera del Abuelo for lunch at 2 pm when they open on Sundays. Again, after meandering through the orange trees and chariots by the Catedral, we walked past the Corte Ingles, the always packed Bar Dos de Mayo (which we will try next time), Plaza San Lorenzo and the Escuela de Clown!!... until we arrived at Cochera, which looks and feels like eating in someone's home. We got the same table as our last time two years ago. We chose the salmon marinated in beet juice, the ajo blanco (An Andalucian almond and garlic soup or white gazpacho), mushrooms of the day (today lengua de buey mushrooms whereas they were Nizcalo mushrooms on our last trip) and a stew of seafood and beans (gazpachuelo malagueño con lubina y gambas), the chef's signature that's been on the menu forever. All fantastic and hearty with warm service. Perhaps we could have had one more dish, but we had La Azotea coming up for dinner and we wanted to have a good appetite after our 3 visits on our last trip + a stop at their Tienda across the street for a tapa.

After some sight seeing in the afternoon, and a brief rest, we set off eagerly like hungry hounds that can sniff their way to a good bone, or well, truffles! La Azotea on Conde de Barajas was a true gem (coquinas with baby alcachofas, navajas con favas, puntillatas, carabineros, chopitos a la plancha, higado de corvina and so much more), on our last visit and our pace picked up as we got closer. Surely a glass or cava was in order to begin the feast! As we sipped and perused the menu, the cava went flat. On this Sunday, there were no coquinas, no alcachofas, no carabineros, no puntillatas and very few gluten free options. The owner, Juan, who we'd gotten to know on our last trip was not there. I had a rabbit ribs with fries, which were merely fine, my wife had to make do with the special of the day: a grilled snapper with grilled veggies but sans any sauce and a tapa of anchovy on toast with eggplant. I know there are a lot of Azotea fans here. I don't know what happened. Maybe it was a Sunday night and the menu is more limited. I suggest people check the online menu. I would still go back, but I'll call to check the specials, before we give it another try.We left hungry looking for another place open on a Sunday.

Luckily, we found Zelai ( Maribel 's friend Azahar rates it with 5 oranges), where we had an excellent cauliflower with almonds, a slightly spicy Peruvian Huancaina sauce and parmesan and perfect oxtail croquetas! With that, I'll say good night until my next post, Cordoba and more Seville.

Maribel

Eager to read about your remaining adventures, mdn

Lucky you to be back at the Mercer!
I'll have to go to El Pesquero when we go for Semana Santa. I've been to the Mercado del Arenal but completely missed it. I must have gone in to the market through the wrong door.

That's really strange about your disappointing meal at La Azotea. I'll have to ask my "spy" what's up with that....

Sunday night is tough for great sit down dining.
Next time, try Tradevo Centro, where I had a great lunch recently, as did Lrice, if you haven't already been. It's open for Sunday lunch AND dinner.
And I'm going with my "spy" friend to Salmedina, on the Plaza de la Alfalfa, which she loves, also open on Sundays.
If you find yourselves in Triana, I had a fine meal recently at Alfarería 21 Las Montalbán, which is housed in a former ceramics factory, covered with gorgeous tiles and sporting a lovely indoor courtyard.

Looking forward to your Córdoba notes!

mdn

Cordoba: The next day was a Monday, when many restaurants are closed, but it was also a more convenient day for a day trip as we had some pesky work calls on Tuesday that would've interfered with a day trip. It had been twenty years since my last trip to Cordoba. We set off in the morning, which felt like the wee hours as it was still dark at 8 am, for the 45 minute train ride from Seville. We had time to stroll through the streets of Cordoba before our ticket slot for the Mezquita. Of course, in the old town it didn't feel like much had changed in this city. How could it have? Twenty years is a blink of an eye in light of the history here. Of course, now there's a 3 Michelin star restaurant, Noor, and it's casual sister, Bar Paco Morales, both of which were closed on this Monday, to my chagrin. We did the usual walks across the Roman bridge, through the old town and then stopped for a glass of Palo Cortado sherry at Bodegas Mezquita. Then I just had to make a quick stop at Garum 2.1, next door, to try their salmorojo that's reputed to be among the best ones in town. The bartender here was a friendly fella, and he'd poured me a wine glass sized pour of sherry. With lunch at La Cuchera San Lorenzo coming up shortly, I couldn't do the big pour or the salmorojo full justice. But what's life if you don't know what's more than enough!

On to lunch at La Cuchera San Lorenzo, a popular place that's fortunately open on Monday. San Lorenzo was packed by the time we got there; def. make a reservation. We had the artichokes with iberico, the arroz negro de lunares and some croquetas! A very satisfying meal with wonderful service. I will say that at every restaurant, tapas bar, taverna, vinoteca, tabanco, cervecheria, vermuteria, can and perhaps ultramarinos too (tiny shops selling primarily dry good or preserved stuff to people going overseas; Maribel will likely correct me if I'm wrong), the awareness of allergies and in particular Celiac needs is so impressive and every single place offers good GF bread, bread sticks etc. After a bit more walking around to digest the multiple bites, it was time to hop on the train back to Seville. More soon.

ekscrunchy

This is great!!!! So glad you are taking the time to recount your adventures and I love the food details!! I stayed at the Mercer a few years ago and shared your high opinion!! That cava at reception!!!! I loved their breakfasts, too, and often spent so much time chatting with the wait staff (I remember a lovely guy from Jerez, especially) that I often did not make it out of the hotel until almost noon!

Very odd about Azotea, which was my favorite, amid one of my favorites In Andalucia...I think I ate there 4 times during that week...will let Maribel get to the bottom of this issue!!

Very good to hear about Cuchara de San Lorenzo cause I will be in Cordoba soon for 5 nights and one is a Monday...I've got it marked already but great to hear your positive opinion. (Also booked Noor).

I like your travel style..keep up the great work on this report!!

mdn

Maribel thanks for offering to put a spy on La Azotea! : ) I have the owner Juan's Whatsapp, but thought he may take offence if I asked about my meal.
ekscrunchy thank you! Your reports over the years have provided me with much inspiration and insight. Few people eat as well as you manage to do; even fewer write about it in earnest, enlightening detail as you do.

And on we go, back from Cordoba and in Kansas City's sister city of Seville! We had a reservation at Con Tenedor this night, a new neighborhood and restaurant for us. We'd taken the gambit and had decided to broaden the scope of places we visit on this trip. What I forgot to mention in my earlier post was that our dear bartender, Salvi, at Zelai was a true romantic. When we mentioned that Sanlucar de Barrameda was on our list of town to visit on this trip, he said "oh, Sanlucar, Sanlucar: it should be the center of this world; so serene and beautiful with the freshest seafood anywhere and the friendliest and the most honest people one can find." We had also stopped by the Casa de la Juderia hotel's bar (the hotel where I'd stayed 20 years earlier) the day before, where the bartender had also sung the praises of all seafood Sanlucar and of Casa Bigote, In fact, he got a piece of paper and wrote down the various dishes we needed to order at the restaurant since there was no better version to be found.

How could this not cement our plan to visit the town, which we'd only known as being renowned for its langostinos de Sanlucar! These langostinos don't look like the orange white langostinos with claws that we Americans envision. The Sanlucar specimens look like shrimp. An old NYT article explains that their taste and resulting fame is due to the fact that they're found where the Guadalquivir river meets the Gulf of Cadiz. They'r anadromous; i.e. they begin life in the shallow, muddy river water and move to the deeper sea as they grow and come back to spawn at the mouth of the river where they began life. As many shrimp connoisseurs know, the best tasting shrimp always come from where the river meets the sea.

But back to Con Tenedor, a slightly eccentric place. The maitr d' sounded Teutonic. Owner's art on the walls. A blackboard listed the menu. We ordered a bottle of Ribera to start, then a salmon tartar with avocados and mangoes on a bed of cashew cream and topped with mushrooms. Very good. Then GF spinach and ricotta gnocci with chanterelle sauce and red pesto from nuts. Finally, the signature dish, confit duck with crispy rice and a mushroom reduction. A great way to polish off a dinner. It's a menu different from many in the city, but everything is done well. I'd put in on the "should try" list. I'll caveat saying we're more seafood aficionados. This place does get 5 oranges from Maribel's friend, Azahar.

After a quick stop at the Vermuteria down the street from the Mercer for a night cap, it was time for bed after a long day. The next day was loaded with two restaurants high on our expectations list: La Barra de Cañabota and La Barra de Inchausti.

ekscrunchy

Thank you, MDN!! I am relishing this report!! I hope you do get to Sanlucar. I went only once, for an overnight from Seville, and we had a wonderful lunch at CASA BIGOTE. But that was about 10 years ago..I'll be really interested in your comments if you do go. I will be in Vejer I March, but (for me) it's kind of a long drive (anything over 45 minutes is long when I am driving!!). But if you sing its praises, as I know Maribel does, maybe I will be brave!!

Maribel

Be brave, ekscrunchy!
Casa Bigote and Casa Balbino (el templo de las tortillitas de camarones) are waiting for you!

natylou

Looking forward to more deliciousness, mdn, and taking notes!

plambers

Enjoying your trip report. We were in Andalucia for 2 weeks last Christmas and had a wonderful time. We ate at Azotea (also ate here a few years back) and were again disappointed, as we were with Contendor, which was our Christmas dinner. Tradevo Centro was fantastic-we ate dinner here twice we enjoyed the food and service so much. Keep the report coming-I am so hungry!!

Maribel

mdn,
Just a quick question: which do you dine in, T by Tenedor or ConTenedor?

Maribel

mdn,
My "spy" has now responded. She had a wonderful lunch there in December and sent me her photos. She is a good friend of Juan's. Maybe it was just an "off night"?

mdn

@Maribel We were at Con Tenedor and not at T by Tenedor, although T does sound appealing. Our decision was swayed by our bartender Salvi from Zelai, who was going to celebrate his anniversary at Con Tenedor. Also, good to know your "spy" friend had a nice dinner at La Azotea. Thank you for checking!

@plambers and @natylou Thanks for the encouragement and for following along! Afterall, if a TR drops on Fodors and nobody follows along, did the trip even happen? Or if you traveled and didn't Instagram every minute of it, did it even happen? : ) I digress!

@ekscrunchy I'll get to Sanlucar shortly. I'll be bold and say there will be a few things coming up in this report, which may sway you to change a couple of minor things you've planned for your March trip!

With that, sorry for the silence over the past couple of days, but picking back up in Seville. I'd put a reminder on my calendar to book Sacha in Madrid for our final dinner of this trip. I was thrilled that I'd booked the table without any issue. So EKScrunchy, fear not... you should be able to find your seat as well when the time comes. The Mercer staff had called to ensure their menu would have gluten free options for us as the Sacha menu changes daily. We were told it wouldn't be any problem at all. Excitement was building.

I awoke in Seville excited for the day ahead. We grabbed a coffee and then meandered through the streets, walking towards the Seville "mushrooms". We were just a few days away from Christmas and the streets were full of people seemingly going to Joyerias (jewellery stores) as they seemed to be busier than bakeries and coffee shops. 'Tis the season of joy. It was a new word for me, a new student of Spanish.

La Barra Canabota, located close to the mushrooms and adjacent to Caabota, its Michelin star sister restaurant. We were the first to arrive and chose to sit at the bar with a full view of the fish on display. One look and it was clear the fish were very, very fresh! I had almost started humming Bryan Adams's "look into my eyes, you will see..." when my wife interrupted my reverie to order a cava. I already knew we were in for a treat! The service here is attentive and polished. We started with a glass of Juve and Camps Brut Nature cava. Our waiter brought a tray full of the day's special offerings: langostas de Isla Cristina next to Huelva, gambas rojas y blancas de Huelva, berberechos (cockles), almejas (clams) and navajas. BTW, have you noticed how expensive clams are in Spain compared to their rock bottom prices in the US? Generally, all seafood is much, much cheaper in Spain, but not so for clams! There was also urta fish and a few other fish varieties as well as a grilled fish neck. We ordered a platter to sample the various shell fish, each of which were simply prepared but to perfection. Then Cantabrian 00 anchovies, a salad Boston lettuce salad with monkfish liver. Then a salted fish tasting comprised of mojama (dried salted tuna, kind of like tuna prosciutto), cured salted tuna roe,sliced thin and cured mullet roe sliced thin served with a very green and herbacious olive oil. This cured platter is a bit strong anf an acquired taste. I loved sampling the various bites; my wife was less of a fan. Then a sea anemone croquette (ortiguillas) and clams with artichokes that we'd missed at La Azotea. All excellent and I would put this place on my favorites in Seville list.

After lunch we walked to the Palacio de Las Duenas, a beautiful property that's worth a stop. After a quick later afternoon nap, it was time to simply walk around Arenal through the maze of streets to surprise ourselves with some new find. But as we left our room, we were pleasantly invited to a book reading happening in the Mercer hotel's courtyard. They said there'd be free drinks!

I couldn't focus much on the Spanish reading as I was keen on our dinner at La Barra de Inchausti just down the street. Somehow, we had missed this place on our last trip and it had been difficult to reserve a table. I was eager to try it as the menu looked right up our alley. As soon as we entered, my wife looked at me and exclaimed "this is the place where we waited and pleaded our way in for a late lunch on our last trip" after a visit to Seville's Alcazar. Indeed it was and now I knew why we'd found it hard to get seated without a reservation on our last trip. If you like seafood, this is perhaps one of my favorite places in Seville. Fairly extensive menu, very fresh and some unique dishes. So tonight we had ortiguillas, sauteed fish roe in olive oil, langostinos, salmonetes (red mullet) and canaillas. Inchausti may very well become my very favorite restaurants in Seville.

Stuffed, we walked back to the Mercer and talked for a while to the hotel's staff about how much we'd enjoyed both meals that day, but also about our final day in Seville the next day and the journey to Jerez de la Frontera , Sanlucar and Vejer thereafter. When I mentioned I was bummed that the renowned blue fin tuna restaurants like El Campero in Barbate and Antonio Zahara in Zahara de los Atunes were closed for the winter, the bartender quickly did a search and recommended La Pena del Atun in Barbate, which is open during winter. It had thousands of fantastic Trip Advisor reviews, even though I'm a bit skeptical of those. We also talked about how the Seville oranges are bitter oranges and only the British and the French harvest these oranges to make marmalade, as they have limited use otherwise. The wine pours were rather large on this evening and as our eyes were getting droopy, we figured the hotel was probably trying to use the excess wine left over from the book reading earlier in the evening! A win-win kinda evening!

After all the food, wine and conversation that went late into the night on the previous day, we got a late start to our final day. We'd saved one of favorite restaurants for last: Bar Eslava! It had changed hands since our last visit nd we were crossing our fingers hoping nothing else had changed. We checked in for our reservation on the dot and requested bar seats in front of our friendly bartender from last time: Pepe! Pepe remembered us and was happy to see us!! I can report that this place is still the same amazing place as before: lively, packed to the gills and still with sensational food! This is not a place for a quiet, romantic lunch or dinner. The energy here is alive, the place is frenetic and the menu full of stunning bites. We had a chickpea stew with green beans called Oua Gitana, croquetas de pringa, grilled large calamari with garlic and guindilla peppers (exquisite), artichokes, coquinas and puntellitos (baby squid). All sensational! After a pic with Pepe, we left feeling glorious, feeling as though we had just had lunch among friends in a foreign land. This is the magic of Eslava.

We then walked to Mercado de Triana, which is a lovely market with a variety of vendors selling groceries, seafood, meat and so on alongside a few small stalls selling prepared seafood, oysters, champagne/cava etc. Malaga's Mercado Central de Ataranzas still remains my very favorite... more than Boqueria in Barcelona, more than Mercado de la Paz in Madrid and others. Perhaps Maribel has a few others that are up there for authencity and variety... perhaps something in Galicia. Regardless, Seville's Mercado de Triana had what we needed: a few oysters, a glass of wine and a couple of rooftop bars to enjoy views of Seville from across the river.

We weren't going to be hungry for dinner on our last evening in Seville. That was actually fine, as we had had our heart's fill on this first stop of many on this Spanish adventure. So the evening was spent walking around, burning some of the calories we had gained, eating a few tapas, and included a stop at La Isla, just down the street from our hotel. It's also a seafood centric place, but with a more limited selection compared to Canabota or Inchausti.

The next morning we'd hop on the train to Jerez de la Frontera and bid adieu to the Mercer with a packed itinerary over two days before things shut down for Christmas. More soon.

Maribel

Wow, you really did eat well at La Barra de Cañabota, my favorite seafood bar in town along with La Barra de Inchausti! And you´re so right, the service at La Barra de Cañabota is very polished.

And really good to know that you enjoyed Eslava as much as before, even with the retirement of Sr. Tovar and the new management by the Ovejas Negras group.

(For market authenticity, in Santiago de Compostela-- the Mercado de Abastos, in Oviedo-- the Mercado Fontán, in Alicante--the Mercado Central, and of course, for Valencia--Mercat Central)

Eager to hear about your trip to Jerez and Sanlúcar!

natylou

I can see we will eat well in Seville! We love our seafood!

You may have mentioned already but I’m wondering how far in advance you booked restaurants in Seville?

Maribel

natylou,
Jaylu in Triana is another seafood restaurant (not a barra) you might want to have on your radar in Sevilla as seafood lovers. One Repsol sun.

https://azahar-sevilla.com/sevilletapas/jaylu/

mikelg

A question you asked that I think has gone unanswered (wonderful food report...). An "Ultramarinos" is (and sadly, slowly disappearing) is normally a small supermarket, family owned, where they used to bring products from "ultramar" (beyond the sea), that is, when Spain had colonies in almost half of the world (that was until late 19th century). Also called "Coloniales" in the old times in some cities.

mdn

Onward we go, next stop Jerez de la Frontera. If you want to learn more about the ___ de la Frontera towns of Andalucia, I found this site informative.
https://www.visit-andalucia.com/de-l...wns-andalucia/

We'd visited Jerez before, but both the days we had in Jerez were rainy and cold. The Casa Palacio Maria Louisa hotel is a remarkable sanctuary and we were excited to be back for two nights. The lobby was resplendent with Christmas decor and we were taken to our truly magnificent and large room, #1. We had bought tickets in advance for the noon show called How the Andalucian Horses Dance at the Fundacion Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre. This equestrian academy is one of the Big Four most prestigious riding schools in the world. The school was a short 15 minute walk from the hotel and we got there an hour early in order to see the various exhibits and equestrian museum on campus. Pro tip: If you get tickets in rows E or F, you'll find that the canteen and bathrooms are close by. Thie is important as there is an intermission during the show and service at the canteen is rather slow. It helps if you get there before all the other spectators line up for refreshments or a bite of the tortilla espanola.

The show as well as the museum are very interesting and unique to say nothing about the magnificent horses and their trainers. I'd recommend it to any equine lover! We'd arranged for a taxi to pick us up outside the academy when the show ended, so that we could dash off to Sanlucar de la Frontera, a mere 30 minutes away. We'd heard such pleasant things about this town and the langostinos de Sanlucar are a delicacy coveted in Andalucia. The town is a small fishing village and part of the sherry triangle. Most of the action at the lunch hour seems to happen around a cluster of restaurants by the harbor, the most famous one of which is Casa Bigote. Everyone from the bartender at Hotel Casa de la Juderia in Seville to the taxi driver who drove us down from Jerez seemed to agree that Bigote was the best one in town with 1 Repsol sun and a Michelin Bib Gourmand nod. That same bartender from Seville had scribbled a list of things we must order at Casa Bigote: Papas Aliña, Huevas Aliña, Langostinos, Tortillas Camarones, Tapaculo, Marrajo, Sopa Galera and a manzanilla sherry.

We ordered the manzanilla without hesitation, afterall only sherry made in Sanlucar can be called Manzanilla, else its merely Fino. Given Sanlucar's maritime location, the manzanilla sherry is distinctly more saline than an ordinary Fino sherry from elsewhere in the sherry triangle. We had a wonderful table on the second floor overlooking the harbor, beach and Donaña park beyond the bay. I knew manzanilla sherries have the lowest alcohol content amongst its sherry siblings, but what I saw next made me think I was drunk already! As we enjoyed the view, I suddenly noticed a chariot riding along the beach with two properly attired charioteers! I stood up and managed to take a pic as the chariot came and "parked" right in front of Casa Bigote. I suppose this is the Sanlucar version of taking the convertible out for a spin! A site we may not see again and this little town was already delivering some astonishing experiences.

For lunch, we had langostinos de San Lucar served warm just how Ilike them, grilled zamburinas or scallops, a tortilla de algas (sea algae/seaweed which was so tasty), a sopa de pescado, a sopa de galeras, marrajo (thin sliced sword fish) in vinegar and olive oil, and artichokes in a tomato and red pepper salsa. There was a lot more on the menu, but we could not eat any more. We took a quick stroll through town and then took a taxi back to Jerez as we were feeling a bit tired after a rapid fire half day. We needed to energize for the evening in order to enjoy the hotel, the tabancos of Jerez and for our dinner reserved at La Marea de Marcos. Coming up next!

natylou

Filing away for next year's trip. Thanks for continuing. It is a chunk of time and work. Appreciate it.

mdn

In Sanlucar, we would have liked to tarry a while to see the fishing boats returning to the harbor and witness the fish being auctioned off, or to take a longer stroll through town to a local sherry producer. But after our lovely lunch, we were a little tired and the town seemed to be in holiday siesta mode. We were told, in summer many people from around Andalucia head to twins like Sanlucar for the beaches when it gets busy, but not so a few days before Christmas. So we headed back to Jerez where we had the hotel’s signature mascot, Matteo the stuffed teddy, waiting for us in our room along with a bottle of Crema sherry, compliments of the hotel!

In the evening, we started the the hotel’s beautiful bar in the back garden, and then walked around the old town, and along Calle Larga, where all families in town seemed to be to enjoy the Christmas spirit. After a quick stop at a Tabanco, we were ready for our reservation at La Marea de Mariscos. Hopes were high as @ekscrunchy had sung its praises along with the likes of Josè Andres and the Roca brothers. I was surprised to find a small little restaurant, which appeared to be closing down for the day. The glass counters where they’d usually display the day’s seafood offerings were barren. There was nobody in the restaurant, not even the proprietor. I was afraid this place was not open due to the holidays, but I did have a reservation and I’d exchanged messages with the owner to secure it with a minor deposit. At last, the owner popped out from a back room and confirmed they were open indeed.
His wife came out soon after him and my worst fears were put to bed.

the menu is simple: a variety of fish and shell fish listed on a page in Spanish—no English menu here! Soups, salads, fried and grilled items is the choice you’ll have. After our big lunch, we could only order some Gambas Blancas and some langostinoa de Sanlucar along with a Centollo crab (baked spider crab). The restaurant remained empty except for one other patron. Also, when we ordered the crab, an assistant darted out to the street and returned 10 minutes later with two plastic bags full of spider crabs. The owned out two of the smaller ones that could easily feed two people of trays to allow us to pick what we wanted. Hence, the atmosphere was a bit soporific, but the freshness of the fish and the crab’s flavor kept us from our slumber. This is a no frills marisqueria that serves fresh, simply prepared seafood. We were pleased, but could have used a bit more energy. Perhaps a better place for lunch. Regardless, it was just what we needed for this dinner.

The next morning, Enterprise car rental had a representative at our hotel at 9 am sharp. Our plan was to drive to Vejer and then to Barbate for lunch. The concierge at Casa Palacio had cast doubt over our lunch choice of La Peña del Atun saying she had been there and didn’t find it remarkable even though Trip Advisor reviews were solid. I immediately knew we should trust the local concierge and not rely on TR reviews. The ride to the Enterprise car office from the hotel only confirmed this. The agent who had come to pick me up was a lovely fellow. When I said I’ll have to return some other time in order to try El Campero or Restaurante Antonio, he concurred and said instead of La Peña del Atun, I should try Restaurante Roqueo in Conil de La Frontera. Alas, this too was closed for the season and the hotel and the car agent concurred that at this time of year my best bet was to go to the Barbate fish market and try the stalls within the market for some delicious and truly local seafood!

This only complicated my over-full itinerary for this day. The plan was to try the renowned Huevos Rotos at Venta El Toro for brekkie, the see Vejer before driving to Barbate for lunch. Upon reaching Vejer, we realized Venta El Toro was just outside the town, which ai should have known as it is a Venta, restaurants beside a highway. But having found a nice parking spot we decided to walk through Vejer first. It’s a beautiful Pueblo blanco, with beautiful views of the valley. When we walked by El Jardin del Califa, a Moroccan Andalucian restaurant, I knew we had to stop for a tea on their rooftop. The views here were magnificent and I’d recommend a stop even if it’s not for lunch.

As we walked further up the hill, past a few more arches and vista points, we came to El Muro, a cozy new restaurant that’s just won a Michelin nod. I believe Maribel had recommended it! At this point, my wife was a little exasperated with my plans for Venta El Toro, lunch in Barbate but also my desire to grab a tapa at El Muro. I did was any wise person would do in this situation and handed over the reins. A swift decision was made to have Lu ch right there at El Muro and it proved to be a glorious one!

The menu is fairly small, but there are a handful of specials. We had the tuna cubes marinated in togarashi ina warm gazpacho with tomato flavored bread, a stew of country chicken with Alivia’s (large white beans) and, AND a rack of Corvina fish ribs with shishitos and a spicy saffron sauce. Each dish was very good, but the rack of fish ribs would turn out to be one of our best bites of this trip! Perfectly cooked, with the gelatin from the bone and roasting juices incorporated into a splendid rust orange colored saffron sauce that had spicy, tangy and floral notes. Just a fantastic dish all around and an example of how one sauce can take a dish 10 levels higher! After this, as my better half had guessed already, we were in no mood to drive to Barbate for more food, especially since we were unsure if the fish stalls at the market would be open at all. We had a long dinner coming up that night at Mantúa, our final one before we left Andalucia. We spent the early evening walking all around Jerez and all of a sudden, we came upon a bonfire in the middle of a plaza with a bunch of people singing and dancing around it. There was a makeshift table selling beers and wine and everybody seemed to be fully in the holiday spirit on this Friday before Christmas! We soon learned that this gathering is called a Zambomba. We were thrilled we got to witness this as they only happen on the few days right around Christmas.

Mantúa: a Michelin starred restaurant serves only 12 patrons at a time. There was one other couple at the restaurant when we arrived. White table cloths, wood floors, no music and quite an austere room. We were greeted and seated promptly. The tasting menu consists of multiple courses, served with the precision of a surgeon and the synchronicity of ballet dancers. Two waiters marched out from the kitchen, one bearing glasses of wine and water, the other with bottles, that were then placed and poured without allowing either of to bicker about who got a slightly smaller pour. So it went with each course: two waiters in complete lock step, each dish touching down on the table along with the other. I’m sure this is good service, but with the austerity of the room and the silence inside, we could hear every word the other couple was saying even though tables here are spread apart. The food good, but it became a side show to the click-clack of the marching steps and the eerie silence in the room. Some may like this clinical precision of the cooking and the service. We left admiring the effort, but having missed the warmth and merriment that a cozy restaurant provides.

we were going to fly to Morocco for a few days over Christmas next and then on to Catalonia after that. I’ll skip Moroccos on this TR and pick up in Catalonia next.

Maribel

Yes! You got to experience a Christmas zambomba in Jerez!
Glad you enjoyed El Muro in Vejer! I love that town!