ekscrunchy

Trying again...

When I first learned, from Maribel of course, that my favorite restaurant from Sevilla was poised to open shortly after my arrival in the area, I was quite enthused! Since I could not locate an exact location, or a phone number, I took a drive to EL PALMAR, the closest beach to Vejer and the purported site of the new AZOTEA. I ended up taking several drives, but all I could find at the stated address (found with much sleuthing, since believe it or not, there is an AZOTEA SEVILLA and another AZOTEA, both slated to open at EL PALMAR in the coming season) was construction, and it did not seem as if a restaurant, or anything else, would be opening on that site within a few days, no less! I phoned AZOTEA in Sevilla and they gave me first one number, which was answered by I have no idea who but they were very rude (!!)---and then a second number, which was not a working number!

While I was on my reconnaissance mission, I spent a lovely few hours at EL PALMAR, a seemingly unending swatch of fine white sand with clear blue-green water and waves whose height and ferocity varied day by day if not hour by hour.

This is part of the Costa de la Luz known as CADIZFORNIA, and I expected Jan and Dean to drive by in their GTO convertible any second now. The road paralleling the beach was lined with surf shops and open air bars advertising local beers, interspersed with a few more upscale-looking eateries. Impromptu parking areas along the road were filled by vans from whose open doors spilled young people in wetsuits, or with their wetsuits pulled down halfway since they were on lan, revealing bikini tops. It was a scene straight out of a film about the South Bay in the 60s or 70s..all we needed were a few Volkswagen vans sporting painted daisies on the panels! Along the sandy lanes running perpendicular to the sands, guesthouses sprouted from the greenery. Lots of bicycles, lots of laundry hanging..... And wafting in the cool, dry air were the sounds of..I kid. you not, BOB MARLEY!!!

I took a long walk on the wide beach, populated only by a few happy dogs, a couple of walkers, and those surfers heading to the ocean.

It was glorious; the exact opposite of the beaches I had visited further east, along the Costa del Sol. The white structures of Conil de la Frontera rose in the distance...this is a larger town, also a beach resort but with more facilities. I did not have time to visit Conil.

After my walk on the beach, I decided on a take-out lunch of a favorite dish: Sashimi of ventresca (belly) tuna, prepared with the standard Japanese accoutrements, as is done in this area.
My choice for the take out was EL ALFEREZ, a family owned restaurant endowed with one SOL from the Repsol guide, and a mention (not a star; may confuse these distinctions) in Michelin. I decided that if I was pleased with the snack, I might return to EL ALFEREZ for lunch one day.




https://www.restauranteelalferez.com


I want to get this posted before I lose it, and of course, I am now late for my lunch at LA CASTILLERIA!!

Maribel

Hi eks,
Just another question: Did you not make that reservation at La Azotea that you forwarded to me in an email for last Saturday? Or is this Azotea lunch installment coming up soon?

ekscrunchy

EL PALMAR, one of the coastal beaches near Vejer

One of many slatted wood walkways to PLAYA DEL PALMAR, Vejer

PLAYA DEL PALMAR on a weekday in mid March

PLAYA DEL PALMAR is a certified BLUE FLAG beach..one of about 115 in Andalucia, certified for their cleanliness, clarity of water, and other factors

ekscrunchy

EL PALMAR BEACH

EL PALMAR BEACH

Does this look as if it will transform into a top-tier new restaurant at the end of this week? To me, the answer was an emphatic, "NO!" But I was wrong! The future home of AZOTEA EL PALMAR

Entrance to dining room of Restaurant, EL ALFEREZ, one of El Palmar's vaunted addresses for seafood.

"Para llevar." Ventresca Sashimi lunch from EL ALFEREZ, to eat in handsome containers in my very own private dining space---vanity area of my room at the Inn!!

Maribel

Isn't it nice now that one can easily get a "to go" bag at any restaurant? During the pandemic, the restaurants forced to close for several long months had to survive on take out and delivery only, so they all now have their nice "para llevar" containers. We've taken home several of these recently!
Our last one came from the very nice Repsol recommended "Luz De Lumbre" with pizza oven and wonderful charcoal grill in San Lorenzo de El Escorial--the delicious pizza that I couldn't finish.

And about Azotea Palmar...I see you're keeping us in suspense! Report yet to come!

ekscrunchy

You know, Maribel, I've not been to El Escorial since I was a teenager. Why do so few on this forum seem to visit EE on a day trip from Madrid? And I know (from you) that there is some good eating in that town, besides the grandeur of El Escorial itself!

My goodness, between the electrical emergency brought on by my charging my Waterpic to the (now second) small in-room mishap with my little cat here, and browsing hundreds of real estate listings and just dreaming.....I don't know how I get a thing done!!! Returned from LA CASTILLERIA a few hours ago, and if I hear that GPS woman screeching over and over and over again, "make a u-turn where possible" one more time, I might just put her to bed for all eternity. (Just because I decided to do some exploring from Santa Lucia to Los Parellelejos by the road through LA MUELA. What gorgeous countryside..just below the heights of Vejer...the landscapes around here are so beautiful, so many shades of green despite the terrible drought they've suffered recently.

This is NOT the landscape that a less-experienced traveler might conjure when thinking of the coastal stretches of Andalucia. I can't imagine how different this area must be from the "famous" towns, for example, of the Costa del Sol. All I've seen of that area in recent years, apart from the city of Malaga, were the views along the highway when we drove from Gaucin to Malaga..it looked grim....billboards announcing new condo developments, some abandoned cement towers, etc...but I'm sure there is a lot more to see beyond that bare glimpse that I got..I have friends who seem to like spending a month in Estepona but then, I think they are leery of getting out of their English-speaking comfort zone.

OK...let's get to the new AZOTEA EL PALMAR, and then return to briefly cover a few days before the Saturday that I had lunch there.

I already described how difficult it was to get any info on the place, even though I had a few e-mails from Elena and Juan from the Gran Poder AZOTEA. It seems that they are having difficulty with installing the phones and this is compounded, as I mentioned, that online you will find one mention of "your" AZOTEA (the one you linked, and quite a few mentions of another AZOTEA group, based not in Sevilla but (I think) in Madrid...very confusing right now. For the moment, I'd skip any online searching.

In the end, I managed to book a table via e-mail for 2pm last Saturday. And, indeed, it was the same place that I had passed and snapped some photos of..the one that was under construction and still bore the name of "Club Papaya."

Even though I had booked, I still had to snuff around and ask (on site!). where exactly is AZOTEA from Sevilla...turns out that it occupies (with your back to the beach). the left portion under a large palapa roof that is, or was, shared by Club Papaya. Club P, with its giant A-frame thatched roof, looks as if it could be well suited to the scene of a "club de playa" in Zihuatenejo 40 years ago. Or maybe a remote Panamanian beach today, if there is such a thing.


So I walk up a few steps and there are tables filled with young people in beach or sort-of-beach attire and a few more elegant, sleek urban-looking couples and, way in the back, I spy a sign "Azotea."


I'd made it!!!

So I'm very happy when Juan G. spies me and comes out to say hello and to give me a table. (I'm not sure the reservation meant anything; I got a small table down a big step, in full sun, but I was so happy I could have cared less..until later that is, when the "spectacle" unfolded.)

There is a printed menu and I want to order just about everything on it. But then I spy the "Fuera de Carta" chalked on the stand-up blackboard.
Four selections (see photos).

With a lot of back and forth cause, again, I know everything will be good (don't ask me but I can tell) and I want to order so many things which is my usual predicament.

So I place my order for a menu-listed entrante (starter):

Saquitos brick (Brik) con queso cremoso, puerros (leeks) AND langoustine......oooh la la...Tunisian-style thin and crispy Brik pastry encasing melty cheese that I think was from a sheep's milk, sautéed leeks, and generous, sweet chunks of langostino. You could really taste the shellfish; it was not overwhelmed and, therefore, lost in the sauce as sometimes the priciest ingredients in a dish tend to be....and each of the two bricks ) were swaddled in a blanket of the most delicious puree of orange pepper-- I could have then a bath in this sauce. Each "Saquito" was priced at 4.50euro and there was a minimum order of two per person. Absolutely fantastic! That dish alone would have made a grand light lunch.

I then select two out of the four "off menu" choices: Coquinas (tiny clams) with equally tiny artichokes.(19 euro) I ask if they will prepare media raciones of each and the kind waiter says they do not do this but they will make an exception. I was so very happy. So excited to be there, and it was so beautiful to be sitting outside with temperatures in the 70sF....finally I was at AZOTEA once again!

I also order a second off-menu dish: Navajas (razor clams) with habitas (tiny beans) in a mint sauce. I never tasted such lovely beans..ever!!

By now I've finished the brik and am longing for a few more. And longing for the rest of my meal.

It begins to get a little hot in the sun cause of course, I've left my hat back at the homestead. I love to people watch, so I do a lot of that. I then get up and walk across the road to look at the beach, and feel some breeze. Then go back to my table and wait. And wait.
I understand, totally. This is opening day and they clearly need more servers. but the food so far has been FANTASTIC and I am so happy for them cause I know Juan and company have a huge hit on their hands (eventually they will get the phone lines set up!!)

So I keep waiting, and have some desultory chatter with my neighboring diners....smart looking couples, maybe from Sevilla..who knows....everyone speaks Spanish.

Finally, after trying so hard to be patient, I realize that almost 90 minutes have passed and I'm a little hot and hungry and I'm getting a tired, too. AND I KNOW I WILL HAVE SO MUCH WORK TO DO ONCE I REACH MY ROOM AND HAVE TO PUT THIS REPORT IN WRITING (joke!!)

And then I spy Elena, who I got to know in Sevilla and with whom I had corresponded by e-mail the previous week. Juan, the owner,, told me she was coming over to my table to say hello but by then I wanted to eat and go home. So when I spied Elena in the rear of the space, behind the open-air bar, I get up intending to go over and say hello and (subtly) inquire about the rest of my meal.

Well, I do manage to get up, but before I know it, and am not up anymore. In fact, I am splat back, face down, on the ground, since I had tripped on the step separating my table from the main dining area. I think I blacked out for a second and when I come to, I'm woozy, and surrounded by what looks like the cast of ER dubbed in Spanish, back when George
Clooney was the star. First on the scene was a handsome man who announced himself as a cardiologist.....a moment later, cardio man is joined by an ER doctor (I am NOT making this up!!). there are nurses and nurses-in-training and do-gooders of every stripe and my table becomes transformed into an ER zone.....tubes of ointment, rolls of gauze, alcohol pads materialize on my table where my razor clams with tiny beans should be by now!!.....

I just cannot convey how kind everyone was to me. I think even people off the street came over cause there was a big crowd around me and I was a little dizzy and scared so I'm not sure exactly who was there except they were ALL so lovely and they ALL left their lunches to stew in the sun (or maybe they had those shady tables!!) and were so concerned and kind......in the end it will be an enduring/endearing memory!

And yes, the food did arrive and I have to tell you I have never eaten razor clams that were so fantastic--such a lace of char on the edge and those habitas complemented them in a way I still don't really understand.

And the coquinas with the littlest baby artichokes I'd ever seen and those were insanely great as well!

I was very sad to learn that AZOTEA EL PALMAR is open only on weekends until June, but I'm already planning to visit a few times when I return to this area next March!!! IF I CAN GET A TABLE!!

Fantastic food, lovely and kind people, both staff and patrons, and I'm sure service will improve before long. And to think, if service had been snappy, I would not have gotten up from my seat to approach the bar and, therefore, never have been the star of my own spectacle!!

Maribel

eks,
Your adventures are truly remarkable! And thank god you're ok, you were looked out for promptly and those navajas finally arrived!

Just to explain the difference between the two AZOTEA groups.

One, the largest, is Madrid based and deals primarily with very trendy rooftop terrace restaurants, thus the name Azotea.
In Madrid they have the concession to the Círculo de Bellas Artes rooftop, they've taken over the Palacio de Cibeles rooftop (which used to be in the hand of Adolfo from Toledo), they also have the Picalagartos rooftop terrace, and now the wonderful Club Financiero Génvoa, facing the Plaza de Colón, which is a private club but open to non-members during certain times and the restaurant is in the hands of the Grupo La Ancha, great dining (our friend is the maitre there).
In Sevilla, they're in charge of the Justa Rufina at the new Madison Collection.
And in the Costa de la Luz, they have built in El Palmar the new Valhalla Beach Club, after their first venture in Chiclana de la Frontera with a former Guardia Civil barracks, now called the Cuartel Del Mar, which is THE place to be and be seen on the Barrosa beach there.

so that's the Madrid based AZOTEA group.

For the Seville group, there's our favorite Azotea at Conde de Barajas and La Tienda next door, plus the one on "restaurant row" in Santa Cruz, the one on Mateos Gagos. You dined at the very first Azotea outside of Sevilla. And lucky you, but thank goodness you're OK!

ekscrunchy

Maribel...thank you for clearing that up!! I actually got myself on the waiting list for the Valhalla Azotea, when I was so confused about all this....would there not be some kind of copyright issue here? Don't even bother to answer all that,.my main concern is the food and boy was that fantastic!!!!! I had a feeling it would be great but one never knows do they? When I heard Juan and Elena were coming down here I had very high hopes which were entirely fulfilled!!!

Tomorrow I will post the photos, or even later tonight if I can stay up...I have only two full days left and still have missed so many places! I will be making my reservations here for NEXT March before I leave!!

I still have to get a handle on the areas with those gorgeous houses you linked, above. I think our friend Mike here, stays in a pretty great rental..but for the moment I'm set up very nicely right here.

I noticed that the neighborhood of Santa Lucia seems to have an interesting mix of residents....I passed a little shop with local cheeses and they had a table displaying what looked like greens picked from the garden a minute ago. But I STILL did not find VENTA AL TORO..from the map it looks as if it is just past LA CASTILLERIA...have to investigate...


BTW: As you know, I'm sure, many places in or around Vejer are closed on Tuesdays, tomorrow..

Maribel

Eks,
You would have directly PASSED Venta el Toro on your way into town, right before reaching La Castillería. It´s on the right side of the street with the outdoor patio and across the street another outdoor dining spot next to the brook. Coming into or out of La Castillería you have to pass right by it.
It was where José Andrés' daughter Carlota said "this is my very favorite restaurant" when the family was seated outside in that segment of "José Andrés and Family Go to Spain" on the Disney Channel, then broadcast on CNN.

Here is a photo of the outside and also photos of the dishes.
https://gotocadiz.com/vejer/restaura...oro#tab-con-11

There are several YouTube videos about it. One that I posted a while ago on another thread is by Fernando Huidrobo, the gastro critic and member of the Academia Andaluza de Gastronomía.

ekscrunchy

Oh, Maribel, of course! I've passed it many times coming off the main road and heading into Santa Lucia!! I did not see a sign, that's what threw me, but when I looked, again, at the photos on the link you pasted, I realize that I've parked my car right in front, across the street!!! I got confused, once again, with the car GPS which told me I had to PASS La Castilleria. VENTA AL TORO is so picturesque it could double as a film set. Its right next to that little store (green and yellow sign in second photo) that I noticed yesterday..the one that had a table of such fresh-looking and unusual greens in the courtyard... They are closed today but let's see if I can fit in a snack tomorrow!!

ekscrunchy

PHOTOS FROM OPENING DAY OF AZOTEA EL PALMAR:




AZOTEA EL PALMAR, across from beach

Entrance to AZOTEA

AZOTEA EL PALMAR

Plates painted with food images, similar to the ones at AZOTEA GRAN PODER in Sevilla. Beautiful!!

ekscrunchy

AZOTEA MEDIC COMES TO THE RESCUE AFTER EKSCRUNCHY TRIPS AND FALLS FLAT ON HER FACE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RESTAURANT

CREAMY CHEESE, LEEKS AND CHUNKS OF LANGOSTINO INSIDE "LITTLE SACKS" OF BRIK pastry. Luscious sauce of orange pepper

The delectable stuffing oozes out of the thin pastry...this was one fantastic dish. From the printed menu at AZOTEA EL PALMAR, near Vejer de la Frontera


Off-menu dishes to come....

tonyee

Wow nothing like Azotea in Sevilla lol. The beaches on that coast are incredible. If you want to escae the wind the Calas de Roche are lovely little sandy beaches in rocky coves which offer some shelter just north of Conil.

tonyee

I have friends who seem to like spending a month in Estepona but then, I think they are leery of getting out of their English-speaking comfort zone.

Estepona is absolutely lovely, not like the rest of the CDS at all. The whole town has been transformed in recent years into an urban park, the coastal main road has been diverted inland and is now probably the best paseo in all of spain. It is an all year round town as well as resort and caters mainly to spanish tourists although it has a cosmopolitan feel with many european nationalities, much like Vejer, certainly not dominated by brits at all. The old town is lovely, full of flowers , mini parks and fountains and statues everywhere. There are hundreds of bars and restaurants, you can eat well but nothing we found that's outstanding yet.

ekscrunchy

Tony that is great to know thank you! And thank you so much for the tip on the coves north of Conil. For all the time I've spent around here, I realize that I've covered only a very small area. As far as beaches, for example, I've only peeked at El Palmar, Bolonia, and the beach of Atlanterra by the restaurant ANTONIO. I'm so much more confident with driving now; last March was the first time I rented a car anywhere in Europe, alone. Having a car is really necessary in this immediate area as you will know.

I'd like to visit Estepona sometime...I did get what sounds like a great tip (from Maribel, of course!!) for a restaurant not too far from there, named LOS MARINOS JOSE. I passed that name along to my friends who said they had an excellent meal there last week. They also told me that they cannot find any "great" restaurants in Estepona itself, but it sounds, and looks in online photos, like such a pretty town.

Tomorrow I will go to Barbate to visit the market and maybe do some tuna shopping at Gadira before lunch at EL CAMPERO. And then I want to drive back via Canos de Meca, another place I've never seen. I always like to get an overview of an area so I can figure out where to return...

Shocking but I have no dinner plans for tonight; I wanted to just relax around this dreamy place. There will be no dinner on site tonight so I might venture out, not too far, though. But many places are closed on Tuesdays so maybe I will go to VENTA PINTO, a very short drive and one I would be comfortable with, I think, even in the dark.

Maribel

We're going to Los Marinos José in Fuengirola in just a week, when spending the end of Semana Santa in Málaga. It's widely considered one of the seafood temples of the south. I'm really sorry I'll be missing you in Madrid (we've been like ships passing through the night), as we leave Thursday for Córdoba, but I promise to be in residence in Madrid next March when you return.

I really like pretty Conil de la Frontera, and next March if you have time, you could drive there to explore that lovely whitewashed town (relatively flat compared to Vejer) and have a seaside lunch at La Fontanilla right at La Fontanilla beach.

Enjoy your final (?) lunch at el Campero tomorrow. Hope you've left room in your suitcase for a few tins of Gadira.

mike1728

Hello Eks,
sounds like your having a wonderful time in my favorite area of the world. The rich and famous you refer to in Zahara reside in an area that is only viewable from the Cabo Playa de Bunker which is situated at the very southern part of the lengthy Zahara beach (a very in tact WW2 bunker is located there-hence the name). From this end of the beach you look up to multi million dollar mansions that rise up very high to the end of the Atlanterra road, but because they are so set back from the road you can only see them from the beach. All of the homes are different in structure and are architecturally magnificent looking. A great vision from the beach. I don’t think you ventured into town where I stay, my September rental is located at 7 Calle El Penon (Sunset Apt). Directly behind the Green Whale Restaurant/Bar. If you visit El Campero in Barbate, be sure to walk 5 minutes towards the Barbate Port and check out Delicias de Barbate. It’s a wonderful store that sells all kinds of seafood in the tins you crave/probably all brought in by the numerous fishing vessels you will see along the port. They have a website. Deliciasdebarbate.com. You also mention Cano de Meca. A wonderful beach and the the location of the historically famous Trafalger Lighthouse which you can walk to from the beach. Great for photos. Really enjoying your reports although I am not a foodie when I visit it’s usually lomo mentaca sandwiches and retinto burgers. Although I do start the day every morning with the famous tostado with olive oil and tomato purée and the excellent coffee in all of Zahara’s cafes. I have to enjoy Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria next month before I venture back to the Costa de Luz but your reports are sure getting me excited for September/October!

tonyee

Hi Eks unfortunately LOS MARINOS JOSE is about an hour up the coast from Estepona.

Canos de Meca has some nice beach bars , I doubt they will be open yet unfortunately, not flash but laid back boho, sandy floors, great music, cheap!

Maribel

For your next trip there's also FEDUCHY PLAYA, but it's seasonal, like so many of the chiringuitos in Conil plus FEDUCHY in town.

Yes, Los Marinos José is within a 40-min bus ride west of Málaga, which is how we're going, since we won't have a car. Not from Estepona.

ekscrunchy

Drove past Canos de Meca today and true..it's pretty much shut tight right so early in the season.

I have to leave tomorrow, so need to pack (did a nice shopping at Gadira today, and bought a few containers of the manteca at the Barbate market...along with some Payoyo cheese...

Will get back to this as soon as possible, probably not. until I reach Madrid....very sad to leave this area, though!!