Posts Tagged “Spanish”
Discover the Legendary Small Bites of Basque Country. For the first time the recipes for pintxos, the small savoury and sweet dishes found in bars in the Basque country, are collected into one volume. The Book of Pintxos is an overview of Basque tapas. Author Marti Buckley is an American writer and chef from Alabama….
Spain in Wales. Bar 44 in Cardiff is just around the corner from its siblings, Asador 44 and Parador 44. They are a wonderful Spanish restaurant and a smart hotel above. I have not visited Bar 44, but this sumptuous Spanish cookbook, Bar 44 Tapas y Copas, attests to the high quality achieved by the…
Deliciously unmissable. A short time ago I wrote about Parador 44. That’s the superlative-inducing hotel found just up the stairs from Asador 44, its stylish sibling restaurant. Asador 44 has a convenient location just around the corner from the Principality Stadium and the castle in Cardiff. Shoppers are well-served by the wide array of independent…
Spain in the Heart of Cardiff. 20 years ago, brothers and sister Tom Morgan, Owen Morgan and Natalie Isaac opened their first Spanish tapas restaurant, Bar 44, in their hometown of Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales. Since then, they have opened another three sites, two in Wales and one just across the…
International foods at Waitrose and Ocado It might seem a bit early to be thinking of planning your festive meals, but a bit of organisation now will really help Christmas catering run smoothly. Unearthed products will fit perfectly with your traditional foods but will add a little international interest. Most of us will have missed…
Well, what a strange year. We have had full Lockdowns, fluctuating Lockdowns and threats of Lockdowns. Sipful might add a little cheer to changed circumstances, and we can all do with that! A little sparkle is most welcome. Sipful produce canned cocktails and organic sparkling canned wine. The neat, slim and textured tins are ready…
We in London will recognise SW7 as a postcode. The area is 4km west of the City of Westminster, and contains South Kensington and Knightsbridge, two of the smartest parts of the capital. The Melia London Kensington Hotel and its SW7 restaurant are a welcome addition. SW7 is a bright and contemporary restaurant. Blond wood…
Mayfair is one of the swankier neighbourhoods in London. It has everything the well-heeled might need: classy boutiques, jewellery, galleries and some great restaurants …expensive great restaurants. And then there is the gem that is known as El Pirata. There isn’t much in Mayfair that could possibly be described as cheap – not even good…
Opera Tavern is a beautiful two-storey bar and restaurant in the heart of central London’s theatreland. Located on Catherine Street opposite the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and seconds from the eponymous Opera House, it’s a stone’s throw from The Strand. Read my dinner review here. Catherine Street has been a thoroughfare since the 1600s. Its…
Ember Yard is the fourth restaurant from the celebrated Salt Yard Group. It has an enviable location off Oxford Street. Yes, ‘off’ is preferable to ‘on’ in this case. These streets are for those in the know rather than those who are lost on the way to Primark. There is great food to be had…
A cookbook laced with personal narrative and charm This is a full-colour illustrated cookbook but there isn’t a single photograph. This is The Flavours of Andalucía by Elisabeth Luard and she is a European food expert and an artist. Her work is displayed here in every element of this beautiful book. Ms Luard has long…
Located near Covent Garden in the heart of London’s West End, Eneko at One Aldwych is one of this writer’s favourite eateries. It is a delightfully stylish restaurant and wine bar from the acclaimed Basque Chef Eneko Atxa. This basement space takes advantage of a 2-storey ceiling at one end which offers diners in that…
One Aldwych is a smart and celebrated hotel and, as its name suggests, occupies the front near-side corner of that sweeping crescent called Aldwych. Eneko is its latest restaurant, taking the basement place of Axis, which I had always enjoyed. Eneko opened in London last year. It’s a sibling of one of the Basque region’s…
Independently-owned Alhambra Beers, a celebrated brewery in Spain, was founded in 1925 and is named after the Alhambra Palace in its home town of Granada. Alhambra Reserva 1925 is the foremost artisan beer of the Alhambra Company and expresses its tradition and quality. Tasteful elegance One might not know too much about beer but the…
[This venue is now closed] The name La Mancha will be familiar to all in West London and many from further afield. It was a veritable culinary institution in Putney but it’s found a new home, and to my mind a better one. La Mancha is, in fact, a history-rich region of central Spain, south…
From Stop and Shop Serve the Spanish Beef over fluffy rice to take advantage of the flavourful juices. Ingredients 1 2-1/2 pound boneless bottom round roast 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 cups chopped Spanish onions 1 large clove garlic, minced 1/2 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives with 1 Tbsp olive juice 1 14.5…
[This venue is now closed] We love that Continental lifestyle – a Southern European restaurant, near the water, filled with animated diners, tapas and good wine presented by a convivial host and a shoal of enthusiastic waiting staff. Yes, this is La Mancha …in Putney. No, dear reader, we are not talking about Putney sur…
Sounds like another cookbook describing methods of encouraging your kids to eat sprouts. Well, no, not this time. The Family Meal has its focus on a different style of family. Not Mum, Dad, 2.4 kids, a dog called Barry, and Grandma on Sunday. The author, Ferran Adria (where have I heard that name before?) considers…
It’s the modern way of enjoying a meal out. Perhaps not even a full meal, but a few small and perfect plates to graze on while sipping a glass of sherry, a full bodied red or a crisp white. Tapas is indeed more popular than ever outside Spain, its country of origin. Tapas are rumoured…
Opera Tavern was built in 1879 by the then celebrated public house architect George Treacher. Those were the days when there was a traditional pub with tiled facade and etched glass windows on almost every street corner. This more ornate example was considered the most striking of his 1870s buildings. Catherine Street, under that or…