5 days in Seville
Right now I'm ill and I'm sick of being ill! I'm sitting in the sun behind the window and trying to rest and recover. At least there is some sun to enjoy.
I went to Seville a bit earlier this year to break my winter blues (and get more sun). Sitting in the sun, I'm now reminiscing. Seville is a great place full to the brim of things and places to explore. Also you should go if you love eating. There's an amazing amount of tapas bars (over 3000 I heard) and all within walking distance.
Here's a sample of what I had.
Squid croquetas
Fried tortilla in whisky sauce
Salted and grilled shrimp:
Fried fish in adobo and fried squid (at a freiduría)
Fried baby squid (known as puntillitas in Seville but often found as chipirones in the north of Spain)
Cheeseboard at a vermouth/wine bar
Torrijas (a truly magnificent pudding!)
Deep Fried Aubergine with Honey, Patatas Bravas, Pringa Sandwich, Spinach with 3 cheeses at Bodega Santa Cruz. I don't think I can tire of this place: it's busy, it's loud, it's full of life.
Also I had peppers stuff with meatballs and cheese and a small plate of paella
A nice octopus at Hijos de E.Morales. Specialise in local wines.
Spinach with chickpeas at the famed El Rinconcillo. A popular dish in Seville and one that is greater than the sum of it's parts - delicious!
Salted cod with tomato sauce (Blanca Paloma)
Deep fried stuffed mussels (Blanca Paloma)
Black sausage, goats cheese, caramelised apple lasagne (Blanca Paloma)
Bodega Mateo Ruiz. A wonderful experience. Bustling bar, bills chalked up on the bar table. As far as I could tell it was a father and two sons running the whole restaurant (from cooking to service) and it was a marvel to behold. They are known for their salt cod here but I was taken in mainly by the garlic prawns and the theatre of them cooking it.
Mojama de atún (kind of like tuna ham)
Awesome HUGE pizza slices at Pizzeria La Tradizionale. They were piping hot and perfect as a late night snack.
Some fancier tapas at Puratasca. Unassuming place but with highly rated food. It was delicious, particularly this cold mussels in curried sauce with mangoes.
Back to more traditional tapas at Casa Pepe Hillo. Starting off with some tortilla covered with salmorejo.
And...pork cheeks
And an aubergine gratin (with tomato - similar to a parmagiana). Surprising but tasty!
Somewhere else we got fantastic patatas bravas (where you get crispy small potatoes). These can be found at slightly fancier places.
And if you made it this far, here's a bonus recommendation. Go to one of the Bolas ice cream shops and get the Pedro Ximenez & Cream Cheese flavour. You'll thank me later!