Cordoba:
Cordoba is a beautiful city - with the renowned Mezquita (mosque) and the impressive gateway that welcomes you from across the river. It also has rather impressive food - we did not go hungry in Cordoba I can assure you.
Our first stop was at 'Taberna Luque', (Calle Blanco Belmonte) situated in the old part of town. We were given gorgeous chorizo iberico and bread served with their olive oil (which was offered very enthusiastically by the waiter) when we sat down. I have to say the oil was so delicious. We had ham croquettes and a potato dish served with fried eggs and chorizo, in madrid they call it 'huevos rotos' but I can't remember the name of it at this place although it was on the breakfast menu. All food was very fresh and so tasty, we wanted to sit there all day and sample everything on the menu.
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| Calleja de las Flores |
Dinner was spent at 'Taberna San Cristobal' (Calle Rodolfo Gil) and I really cannot praise the food enough. The portions are huge - we had four dishes between 3 and we were struggling by the final plate. The food is wonderful - rich in flavour and incredibly moreish. The staff were friendly and the drinks were generous in size!
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| Rabo de Toro |
Rabo de Toro is very típico in Cordoba so we obviously had to try it - to be honest I was a bit wary, Oxtail doesn't sound immensely appealing - but I couldn't have been more wrong. The beef was so tender and just fell off the bone, cooked in a stew, the meat was succulent and delicious. I absolutely love this dish and urge anyone who's visiting the region to give it a go.
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| Salmorejo and Berenjenas Rebozadas |
Another very traditional dish of the region is Salmorejo (pictured at the back) - a thicker version of gazpacho made with bread and served with Spanish ham and boiled egg. It is so tasty and I could honestly eat it every day for the rest of my life quite happily. The Berenjenas were nice but I would sacrifice those for another bowl of salmorejo.
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| Tinto de Verano - incredibly easy drinking! |
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| Pulpo a la Gallega |
Pulpo (octopus) - you either love it or you hate it. If you love it, the Pulpo a la Gallega served here, although traditionally from the North, was excellent.
Puerto de Santa Maria:
Just across the water from Cadiz, this lovely little town was rather sleepy when we went as it was out of season and many of the beachside restaurants were closed. Consequently, we probably didn't try the best of the cuisine (being right on the sea this is mainly fish and seafood) but we did our best.
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| Tostada con jamon |
I love tostadas, a popular offering for breakfast throughout Spain. Usually served with tomato and oil and occasionally with ham, they are ever so reasonable. This little cafe by the beach served breakfast for €3 - a tostada and a coffee. On the drive over from Badajoz to Cordoba we managed to get 3 breakfasts for a grand total of €5! Amazing!
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| Puerto de Santa Maria |
Seafood is obviously very popular as the town is right on the sea and it is so fresh. We tried loads of different types of fish and they were all excellent. It's cooked and served very simply but because it's all so fresh it speaks for itself. Try chocos - like squid but not - one of our favourite discoveries! This mixed plate of fish - served in Casa Paco on Calle Ribera del Marisco was divine and although some may be put off by the fish with their heads attached - just close your eyes and try it - it's wonderful!
Jerez:
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| Jerez Cathedral |
One of my favourite stops on the whole tour - Jerez is known for its sherry and its sports events. The Fino sherry, I wasn't so keen on - far too dry for me but there are plenty of bars with barmen who know what they're talking about to help find one to suit your tastes.
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| Jerez Fino |
The food market in the main square is bright, buzzing and loaded with fresh delights.
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| Snails! |
I wish we had rented an apartment because I would have loved to buy all of the produce on offer and cooked up a storm. Having said that, we would've missed out on the fantastic tapas bars Jerez is home to.
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| Churros for breakfast! |
For dinner we decided to try a few of the tapas bars, most of which I can't remember! One that was recommended by several of the locals we spoke to - Bar Juanito - was located in a little cobbled back street (Calle Pescaderia Vieja) with only one other restaurant. It's famous for its Artichokes (alcachofas) so we opted for those. Simple and delicious artichoke hearts served in garlic and olive oil - we could've done with a few more! As I recall it wasn't particularly cheap but for a couple of tapas it didn't break the bank.
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| Alcachofas at Bar Juanito |
Another bar served toasted ciabatta with onion jam and goats cheese, scrumptious!
A very typical Galician seafood bar 'El Nuevo Jerezano' on Calle Arcos offers fried seafood priced by the kilo. Essentially, the spanish version of fish and chips without the chips and with a whole variety of seafood instead. With no tourists in sight - if you want to experience a basic, very traditional bar this is the place. We had a plate of chipirones (mini squid) - lovely!
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| Chipirones in El Nuevo Jerezano |
Possibly our favourite find in Jerez was Tabanco San Pablo in Calle San Pablo. An unassuming little sherry bar, which we just chanced upon because it was busy and thought we'd give it a go. For simple, cheap and tasty fare with great atmosphere this is the place. They offer uncomplicated grub - a selection of hot and cold tapas. You must try the chorizo in oluroso - packed full of flavour and one I must try at home! We had several of their sandwiches (montaditos) - fresh bread rolls with typical spanish fillings - ham, chorizo, pork etc. This is a great place for those on a tight budget!
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| Tabanco San Pablo |
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| Some wee words of wisdom in Tabanco San Pablo |
Seville:
The final stop on our tour was Seville - a beautiful city, we didn't have enough days to do it justice. We will just have to return again!
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| Plaza España, Seville |
Los Coloniales on Plaza Cristo de Burgos was our first meal in Seville as it had been recommended by a friend. Be warned! If you are going at peak dinner hours (9-11) on the weekend you will be in for a wait. We, in fact, waited 3 hours! Mad I know but it was so popular we didn't want to miss it and with tinto on tap we didn't mind the wait.
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| Los Coloniales |
These little morsels of eggy heaven were so welcome after waiting 3 hours. I loved the presentation and the egg and jamon on little toasts were every bit as good as they look. We had to argue who got the last 2.
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| The Salmorejo went down well! |
We also had some calamares, salmorejo, salad and a delicious pork dish with roquefort (solomillo al roquefort), which seemed to be particularly popular in Seville and one I would definitely recommend.
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| Flamenco! |
Seville's oldest tapas bar 'El Rinconcillo' on Calle Gerona offers a very traditional experience. Standing room only, as you drink at the bar the barmen write your tab in chalk on the bar itself. It's full of locals and has lots of atmosphere. Their speciality tapa is a lightly spiced spinach dish with chickpeas, heavenly!
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| Writing on the bar at El Rinconcillo |
We ended our visit at Bar Alfalfa (Calle Candilejo). Chancing upon it by accident for breakfast, I absolutely loved this place, where jamon serranos hang high and wine bottles adorn the walls . Tiny but so inviting and the food is delicious. They do some set deals where tostada, coffee and juice is included. The orange juice is freshly squeezed and wonderful. Well worth a visit if you can get a seat!
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| Bar Alfalfa |
That was our trip of Andalucia in a nutshell. We visited wonderful places (make sure you visit all the Alcazars) and ate fantastic food. I long to go back again and I'm sure I will before long - can't keep away from €1 beers for very long after all!
