The "Guiri" Gourmet

5 Seasonal Foods for Spring

2026-03-23T18:58:08

Last Friday, March 20th, was the vernal (Spring) Equinox, which marked the beginning of astronomical Spring in the Northern hemisphere.

Day and night were of equal length.

[BBC]

Certain foods are now in season, arriving along with the change in season.

According to an unattributed article in the magazine "Mia", the rise in temperatures and longer days cause the body to change its rhythm. As we shed layers of clothing, so we are keener on feeling and looking slimmer and lighter.

[Portadas]

The markets are full of fresh vegetables, fruit and fish at their peak. These are all foods which, picked in season, have a more concentrated flavour and which retain much of their nutritional value.

From an eco-point of view, they tend to be locally grown, so require little transport and less preservation, thereby reducing environmental impact.

[La Tercera]

Eating foods in season is a simple way of introducing variety, increasing the consumption of fibre, anti-oxidants and vitamins. These all lead to a less heavy digestion and a greater feeling of well-being.

Which foods?

The "Mia" article picks the following: spinach, broad beans, strawberries, sardines, and quinces.

As it happens, I have all these in my garden, except the sardines of course - they're in a can in the pantry!

[Wikipedia]

Spinach (espinacas)

The young leaves of Spring spinach are more tender than Winter ones.

That means they can be used raw in salads. Spinach is rich in folates, vitamin K and complex anti-oxidants.

Avoid over-cooking.

Combine with foods rich in vitamin C which facilitate the body's absorption of iron from the spinach.

[Directo al Paladar]

Broad Beans (habas)

Not in the shops for long, as their growing season is short.

Tender and slightly sweet when recently harvested. They provide vegetable protein, fibre and folates.

Don't overcook, so that they retain their texture and some of their nutrients.

Can be eaten raw when small.

[RTVE.es]

Strawberries (fresas)

This has been a tough year for the strawberry.

The heavy rains and fluctuations in temperature have made the harvest in Huelva province, Spain's principal producer, complicated.

The intense red colour indicates the presence of anti-oxidants and strawberries are loaded with vitamin C.

[Wikipedia]

Sardines (sardinas)

With the good weather, the fresh sardine season is at its best.

The sardine is a very nutritious fish, rich in omega-3 oil and vitamin D.

In season sardines are tastier and cheaper.

Prepare them on the grill or in the oven.

Don't cook for too long in order to preserve the healthy fats and their texture.

[Pescado a Casa]

Quinces (nísperos)

Quinces appear for a few short weeks and disappear "without notice". They remind us that the good weather is here just because of their colour.

Their slightly acid flavour and juicy pulp make quinces a refreshing dessert. They bring fibre and carotenoids which are associated with skincare and good eyesight. Best to pick them when firm but ripe and consume them quickly before they deteriorate.

[ABC]

© The "Guiri Gourmet"

Pictures:

ABC, BBC, Directo al Paladar, La Tercera, Pescado a Casa, Portadas, Wikipedia

Thanks:

Mia, Paul Whitelock,

Tags:

ABC, anti-oxidant, BBC, broad beans, carotenoids, Directo al Paladar, espinacas, fibre, folates, fresas, habas, Huelva, La Tercera, Mia, nísperos, Paul Whitelock, Pescado a Casa, Portadas, quinces, sardinas, sardines, spinach, Spring, strawberries, The "Guiri Gourmet", vernal equinox, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin K, Wikipedia

The newly-opened Don Manuel, Ronda

2026-03-02T17:11:37

We had originally booked for dinner on the Sunday after the hotel re-opened under new ownership the day before. However, we received a message early on Sunday evening from new owner David Garcia saying that they had no food left - they had been eaten out of house and home by the lunchtime crowd! Some 300 covers, we were told. "¡Impresionante!"

A week later we decided to try again, but at lunchtime.

The Big Day

We arrived at just after 3.00 pm and sat in the new and modernised main restaurant.

Rita suggested we share a starter and a salad, so we went for patatas arrieras and ensalada de queso de cabra, frutos secos, mostaza y miel. Both dishes were outstanding and the portion size generous.

The re-furbished restaurant [Hotel Don Manuel]

For her main course Rita chose medallon de solomillo a la brasa and I went for merluza en salsa verde, both with chips and a guarnicion of vegetables.

[Tik Tok] [www.clara.es] [Cooking-El Mundo]

The pork loin and the hake were a little dry, it has to be said, yet I enjoyed mine anyway.

We were full, so opted out of a pudding.

To drink we both had cerveza sin, San Miguel 0,0% tostada.

The bill came to a very reasonable 55 euros.

"Afters" were live music on the terrace. "La Escalera", a modern flamenco band from Ronda, entertained what had become a large crowd for two 50-minute sessions. They were very good.

Towards the end it was getting a bit nippy as the sun went down and people started to drift off.

Nevertheless I had spent an enjoyable five hours eating well and listening to high quality live music.

The next gig is planned for two weeks' time - band to be announced.

Links:

(16) Facebook - about "La Escalera"

Good News! Ronda Valley Hotel to re-open soon!

Grand Openings! - includes a section about the "Don Manuel"

© The "Guiri Gourmet"

Pictures:

Cooking-El Mundo, Hotel Don Manuel, Paul Whitelock, Tik Tok, www.clara.es

Thanks:

David Garcia, Facebook, "La Escalera", Paul Whitelock, The "Guiri Gourmet"

Tags:

cerveza sin, Cooking-El Mundo, David Garcia, Don Manuel, ensalada de queso de cabra frutos secos mostaza y miel, Facebook, hake, "La Escalera", medallon de solomillo a la brasa, merluza en salsa verde, modern flamenco, patatas arrieras, Paul Whitelock, pork loin, San Miguel 0,0% tostada, The "Guiri Gourmet", Tik Tok, www.clara.es

Bengal Feast

2026-02-23T07:14:02

Our planned dinner on Sunday night at the newly opened Hotel Don Manuel in Fuente de la Higuera was cancelled by the hotel because they'd run out of food. 300 diners had shown up at lunchtime and scoffed the lot!

We were already togged up and ready, so where could we go?

I suggested we try another new-ish restaurant that we didn't know -

BOMBAY SPICE in Calle Nueva, Ronda.

This is a Bangladeshi Restaurant, something quite new for the City of the Tajo.

We'd heard good reviews from friends, so that's where we went.

[Instagram]

Introduction

We arrived at 8.00 pm and were quickly seated. I asked the waiter which language he preferred, Spanish or English?

"Hindi", he replied with a straight face, which quickly broke into a smile. "A Bengali with a sense of humour, eh?" I quipped.

The restaurant was light and airy and quite unlike the Indian restaurants of Longsight in Manchester or Walsall near Birmingham which I patronised as a student 50 years before.

No carpeted walls, no sticky floors, no pictures of India / Pakistan / Bangladesh and no terrible Asian background music.

[Facebook]

Instead, the walls were painted off-white, the pictures were of Andalusian sites, like Granada and Seville, and the music was Western.

The waiters were not wearing stuffy tunics, but standard waiter-wear, black.

Our meal

We ordered cerveza 0.0% tostada to drink and got down to studying the extensive menu. I quickly decided but Rita needed longer.

We ordered two poppadums, onion bhajis, chapatti with garlic to start.

We also had a spicy chicken dish to share.

As main courses Rita chose a mixed Biryani with beef, pork and prawns and I opted for a vegetable Biryani.

[Trip Advisor]

When the food started to arrive they brought three poppadums - one more than ordered - with dips of mango chutney, yoghurt with mint and an onion mixture. Delicious!

The spicy chicken was not small and we got four onion bhajis and four chapattis. All were good. Our Biryanis were huge. I got through most of mine but Rita left a lot of rice.

We were well-sated and had no room for a dessert.

The bill came to slightly over 53 euros which I made up to 58 euros to include a tip.

It won't be long before we go here again, I suspect.

[Facebook]

© The "Guiri" Gourmet

Photos:

Facebook, Instagram, Trip Advisor

Thanks:

Bombay Spice, Hotel Don Manuel, Paul Whitelock

Tags:

Asian background music, Bangladesh, Bangladeshi, Bengali, Bombay Spice, carpeted walls, chapatti with garlic, City of the Tajo, Facebook, "Hindi", Hotel Don Manuel, India, Instagram, Longsight in Manchester, mixed Biryani with beef pork and prawns, onion bhajis, Pakistan, Paul Whitelock, poppadums, Rita, spicy chicken, sticky floors, The "Guiri" Gourmet, Trip Advisor, vegetable Biryani, Walsall near Birmingham,

Fine Dining at New Year 2025/26

2025-12-26T13:32:27

As if we hadn't fine-dined and party-ed enough at the close of this year! And at our age! Blimey! Whatever next? Discos till dawn?

We ate well at home on Christmas Eve and also on Christmas Day in Arriate.

We party-ed on the 27th in Montejaque - a house-warming, planned to dine for the first time at a new-ish Indian restaurant in Ronda

[LaSexta]

..... tried out a local venta that was new to my wife and ..... and we just saw in the New Year with a delicious "menú de degustación" in Fuente de la Higuera.

There's still a celebration to come - Three Kings Day on January 5th/6th.

***

Christmas Eve (Noche Buena)

Like most Spaniards do we ate at home. Rita suggested "raclette", so that's what we had. Before the meal we opened presents, typical in Germany, where Rita is from originally.

Read more about our Christmas Eve here.

[Apartamento Costa Blanca]

Christmas Day (Día de Navidad)

On Christmas Day we took it easy in the morning, phoned our families and got ready to go out for Christmas lunch at El Muelle de Arriate, otherwise known as Frank's.

[LaSexta]

Frank Röttgering and his chef Isa Molinillo García had put together a fascinating fixed menu. All drinks were included for a total price of 68 euros per person. Superb food! Great value!

Read more about our Christmas Lunch here.

December 27th (Fiesta de inauguración de una casa)

New arrivals in Montejaque, a Hungarian/German couple, Kryszta and Karl, threw a house-warming party for the handful of friends and near-neighbours they had already got to know.

We met them shortly after they bought the house, two doors down from Rita's. In fact they visited us for Kaffee mit Kuchen at the end of November.

[Dreamstime.com]

Karl was away in Germany for Christmas with his family, while Kryszta's son and daughter were visiting their mum in their new home.

We knew most of the people there. There were four other newcomers to Montejaque, whom we didn't know: a Belgian mademoiselle, a French/Spanish man, another Hungarian lady and a Canadian fellah.

All in all it was quite an international gathering:

UK: Paul, Jill, John, Steve and Marg
Germany: Rita
Canada: Kevin
Belgium: Karin
Hungary: Agi, Kriszta and Ana
Fr/Sp: Miguel
Malta: John and Lorraine

December 29th

We had planned to go to this recently opened Bengladeshi restaurant for the first time with our Maltese friends John and Lorraine who were soon to fly back home on New Year's Eve.

In the end none of us went. You can't go out all the time! We'll do it the next time "The Maltesers" come.

[Facebook]

Instead Rita and I went to Venta El Pelistre in Llano de la Cruz.

I'd been going here alone a fair bit since my local - the Ronda Valley Hotel - was sold and closed for refurbishment.

[Diario SUR]

El Pelistre has been a revelation to me, not at all like the old "spit and sawdust" place I used to frequent for lunch years ago when I worked in Arriate.

Rita chose a tapa of salpicon de mariscos and calamares a la plancha, while I splashed out on a fresh lubina a la plancha con patatas and mixed vegetables.

[OK Diario]

All washed down with cerveza sin tostada, although I did have a glass of verdejo with my fish. Delicious!

46 euros plus tip = 50 euros!

December 31st (Año Nuevo)

Restaurante La Cascada at Hotel Molino del Puente is one of our favourite dining venues.

The food is first class and mine hosts, Ian and Elaine Love, have become friends over the years.

Their chef, son-in-law Tom O'Connor, is an outstanding cook, with experience on the Costa del Sol and in Tenerife.

Ian, formerly the chef, has retired from the kitchen and now runs the bar and helps out with waiting at table.

Family Photo - L to R: Ian, Elaine, Carly, Tom [Selfie]

He has also established an estate agency, LOVE Viviendas, with daughter Carly, Tom's partner.

Their office is at the hotel.

[Paul Whitelock]

So, to New Year's Eve. This year the restaurant offered a weekend package with accommodation, breakfast, the New Year meal included plus a guided tour of Ronda and a visit to a bodega. For locals who only wanted the New Year meal the price was 100€ per head.

We thought that was quite pricey, but at least all drinks were included, even a bag of 12 grapes! And it is Christmas-time when prices are loaded in any case.

For those who had stamina, there was a free bar until 3.00 am! We were in bed and fast asleep by then!

[Turismo de Ronda]

However, the food was outstandingly delicious, and we shifted some alcohol, I can tell you. Well, it was a long stint until after midnight.

We had an amuse-bouche, followed by four platos and a home-made dessert (see menu above left).

Rita enjoyed her glass of cava to start and the various wines which were matched to the food. No cheap supermarket plonk here!

Restaurante La Cascada dining room [Spain.info]

gravadlax y blinis [Paul Whitelock] ensalada de pechuga de pato [PW]

"Darby and Joan" [selfie] tarta de gruyere y cebolla caramelizada [PW]

ravioli de mariscos [PW] mousse de chocolate y Cointreau [PW]

As for me, a Type-2 diabetic, who shouldn't drink alcohol at all, I made an exception last night. A beer to start with, then the appropriate wines with each course: rosado de Barbadillo (Cadiz) with the first three courses, a white from Galicia with the fish dish and finally un tinto de Rioja with the carrillada de ternera. I had a nice tawny port after the meal to settle my stomach.

I thought I would most probably regret it in the morning.

Come midnight I had my 12 grapes ready. The idea is that as the clock strikes midnight you try to "polish off" your 12 grapes. If you do, you can make a secret wish for the new year.

I failed miserably to get through my grapes, but I made my wish anyway!

[Spain.info]

This ritual is similar to the British tradition of whoever gets the wishbone from the turkey or chicken on Christmas Day and snaps it gets to make a wish. And at midnight everybody gets to make their "New Year's Resolutions". It's similar in Germany.

January 1st, 2026 (Año Nuevo)

Surprisingly I had no hangover this morning and nor did Rita. Probably because we drank lots of water over the course of the celebration last night.

***

And something to look forward to in a week's time .....

January 6th (Día de Reyes)

[Calendarr]

Links:

Christmas / New Year 2025

Fine Dining at Christmas I - Christmas Eve

Fine Dining at Christmas II - Christmas Day

© The Guiri Gourmet

Pictures:

Apartamento Costa Blanca, Calendarr, Diario SUR, Ian Love, LaSexta, OK Diario, Paul Whitelock, Spain.info, Turismo de Ronda,

Thanks:

El Muelle de Arriate, Frank Röttgering, Google, Isa Molinillo Garcia, Wikipedia, www.eyeonspain.com, www.help-me-ronda.com,

Tags:

Año Nuevo, Apartamento Costa Blanca, Arriate, Calendarr, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, Dia de Reyes, Diario SUR, El Muelle de Arriate, Frank Röttgering, Fuente de la Higuera, house-warming, Hungarian, Ian Love, Isa Molinillo Garcia, LaSexta, Love Viviendas, menu de degustacion, Montejaque, New Year's Day, New Year's Eve, Noche Buena, Noche Vieja, Paul Whitelock, Reyes, Rita, Ronda, Spain.info, tasting menu, Tom, Turismo de Ronda,

á é í ó ö ú

Fine Dining at Christmas I - Christmas Eve

2025-12-26T08:50:57

Christmas in Spain started in earnest two days ago. That was Christmas Eve, a big deal for the Spanish, and also for the Germans. An important meal and for many, Catholics and Protestants alike, Midnight Mass at church.

[Image courtesy of Apartment Costa Blanca]

In our case we celebrated German-style (my wife Rita is German). A pleasant dinner at home and the opening of presents.

We opted for "raclette", originally Swiss. "Raclette" is a special cheese which is used in combination with vegetables, meat and fish, heated on and under a table-top electric grill on a large "spoon".

It's do-it-yourself, so very informal.

Our raclette grill [Photo: Paul Whitelock]

Presents

I am very traditional and love to give presents; Rita is the exact opposite. So I had prepared three large bags, one for Rita; one for me from myself; and one for our two cats, Paulinchen and Fritzi.

Rita opened her presents first. She liked the 1000-piece jigsaw featuring a cat that looked like Paulinchen; a Sudoku calendar, but the other things left her cold, eg a dictionary of swear words; an English vocabulary trainer; a purse with a cat on; audio earpieces; fun Christmas specs and Mickey Mouse tissues.

I opened my presents next. I was thrilled with all of mine! (Obviously!)

The cats showed little interest in their Christmas gifts until I lifted a cat snack out. Then Paulinchen came to life.

Fritzi remained asleep behind the sofe.

Paulinchen checks out her presents [PW]

Dinner

We adjourned to the dining room where our meal was set up. A toast to Christmas and off we went.

Loading our "spoons"; putting beef, pork and salmon pieces on the hot plate; chatting away like billy-oh; and occasionally taking a glug of wine (we had a rather tasty Pata Negra tempranillo crianza from 2023 and another Pata Negra wine, this time white and as dry as a bone).

And occasionally we remembered to have something to eat. A salad on the side complemented the meat, fish and vegetables.

Our Pata Negra tinto [Paul Whitelock]

It was a long, leisurely and relaxed meal. Something we've not done for a while.

After a home-made zabaglione for dessert we adjourned to the sofa and watched some telly .....

, ..... before retiring early to bed.

Rita enjoyed it! [Paul Whitelock]

Links

Fine Dining at Christmas II - Christmas Day

Help me, Ronda - HELP ME RONDA

Secret Serrania de Ronda | The biggest and best guide for where to stay, where to eat and what's on events

© The "Guiri" Gourmet

Pictures:

Apartment Costa Blanca, Paul Whitelock, Secret Serrania,

Thanks:

Eye on Spain, Karl Smallman, Paul Whitelock, Rita, Spanish, The "Guiri" Gourmet,

Tags:

Apartment Costa Blanca, aperitif, Christmas Eve, Eye on Spain, Feliz Navidad, German, grill, Karl Smallman, "Lovely Rita", Noche Buena, Pata Negra, Paul Whitelock, raclette, Rita, salad, Spanish, The "Guiri" Gourmet, vegetables, vino tinto,

á, é í, ó, ö

Fine Dining at Christmas II - Christmas Day

2025-12-25T19:41:15

Two days ago, Christmas Eve (Noche Buena), we "fine-dined" at home where my outstanding chef, the missus ("Lovely Rita"), prepared the ingredients for a delightful meal - "raclette".

(See here).

Christmas in Spain [Trip Savvy]

Yesterday, Christmas Day (Día de Navidad), we broke with Spanish tradition and went out to a restaurant for Christmas Lunch. Spaniards normally spend Christmas Day at home with their families, so most restaurants do not open.

However, the canny proprietor of "El Muelle de Arriate", number 1 on Trip Advisor, decided to offer a fixed menu to his largely northern European clients who live in the area and like to go out for lunch on Christmas Day.

[Photo courtesy of Secret Serrania and Karl Smallman]

Frank Röttgering, a Dutchman, and his Spanish chef, Isa Molinillo García, who have clocked up more than 10 years at this former railway shed, got it right yesterday, as they invariably always do.

Takings will have been around 1400 euros plus gratuities.

Frank [El Muelle de Arriate]

"Well worth opening," Frank told us later in his near-perfect English. He also speaks French, German, Spanish and, of course, Dutch.

Reservations only, there were 20 people present.

The all-in menu with drinks included cost 68 euros per person.

Christmas Day at Frank's [Paul Whitelock]

Back to the Beginning

We had a light breakfast and watched the TV News - shocking! Just war, killings and destruction - so we turned the TV off and "pottered about" until it was time to get ready.

We had decided to dress up smartly, as it was Christmas Day. Well, Rita always does anyway, but I am usually sartorially deficient.

I even shaved off my three-day stubble and trimmed my Dennis Healey eyebrows.

Rita and Paul all dressed-up and ready -to-go [Photos by Paul Whitelock]

We arrived early at the restaurant, so we got a choice of table. We opted for a good spot near a gas heater.

First we were invited to order an aperitif. Rita chose a glass of cava and I went for a copa de Estrella Galicia. Then the "amuse-bouche" came out, followed by two delicious starters. I opted for a glass of Verdejo and Rita un rosado to accompany these titbits.

For the main course I chose a vino tinto de Ribera del Duero to go with my lomo ibérico and Rita stayed with the rosado for her cola de rapé (Monkfish tail).

cola de rapé [Paul Whitelock] lomo ibérico [Paul Whitelock]

In between courses we had worked out that 14 of the diners were Spanish, 3 were English, 2 Dutch and 1 German. Somewhat of a surprise! Normally at Frank's, foreigners dominate, as the prices are too high for your typical arriateño.

We learned that the family of six opposite us were well-heeled locals, another couple down the end also. The English couple and the Dutch pair also live locally and are regulars.

Time for our desserts and coffee. Rita had chosen a dark chocolate (85% cocoa) and I went for a slice of almond cake.

chocolate cake [Paul Whitelock] almond cake [Paul Whitelock]

The family of six beside us were from Cádiz. When I began to chat with them over coffee, it emerged that mum and dad now live in Puerto de Santa María, one daughter in Seville and the other three siblings in Madrid.

We told them that we knew and loved all of these places, especially Cádiz City and El Puerto de Santa María.

We also love Seville (in the winter) and Madrid (in the autumn).

Cadiz [Turismo]

Dad suggested we exchange contact details and that the next time we go to Puerto de Santa María we can meet up for a meal.

A nice end to our Christmas lunch.

Final thoughts

Rita and I both agreed we had enjoyed a fantastic meal. It got even better, as far as I was concerned, when Rita insisted on "picking up the tab"! Her Christmas gift to me.

"Danke schön!"

Links

Bars and Restaurants at or near railway stations in the Serrania de Ronda

El Muelle de Arriate – Restaurant

Fine Dining at Christmas I - Christmas Eve

Help me, Ronda - HELP ME RONDA

Secret Serrania de Ronda | The biggest and best guide for where to stay, where to eat and what's on events

© The "Guiri" Gourmet

Pictures:

El Muelle de Arriate, Paul Whitelock, Secret Serrania, Trip Savvy

Thanks:

Dutch, El Muelle de Arriate, English, Eye on Spain, German, Karl Smallman, Paul Whitelock, Spanish, The "Guiri" Gourmet,

Tags:

68 euros per person, all-in menu, amuse-bouche, aperitif, Cádiz, cava, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Lunch, Dennis Healey eyebrows, Dia de Navidad, Dutch, Dutchman, El Muelle de Arriate, El Puerto de Santa Maria, Estrella Galicia, Eye on Spain, fixed menu, Frank Röttgering, French, German, Isa Molinillo Garcia, Karl Smallman, lomo, "Lovely Rita", Madrid, Monkfish, Noche Buena, northern European clients, number 1 on Trip Advisor, Paul Whitelock, railway shed, rape, Ribera del Duero, Rita, rosado, Seville, Spanish, The "Guiri" Gourmet, Trip Savvy, Verdejo, vino tinto,

á, é í, ó, ö

Christmas / New Year 2025

2025-12-21T13:05:08

For an article with hints about dining out in the Serrania de Ronda this Christmas and New Year, .....

..... plus information about other events and activities in the area, .....

..... please click here.

[Grow Trees from Seed]

Dinner for St Patrick

2025-03-18T08:29:57

By The "Guiri" Gourmet

Yesterday was St Patrick's Day.

Although I don't have a drop of Irish blood in me, I am 50% Celt, being half-Welsh. I also like Guinness, Murphys and (most) Irish people I have met in my relatively long life.

As a result I often celebrate March 17, St Patrick's Day, patron saint of Eire.

[Photo courtesy of Wikipedia]

Dinner at the "Mill"

This year the German missus and I "celebrated" by going for dinner on the re-opening-under-new-management night of the restaurant at Hotel Molino del Santo in Estación de Benaoján (Málaga).

This fine establishment in a refurbished mill first opened its doors as a boutique hotel and restaurant in 1987.

The welcome sign [Photo: Trip Advisor]

It has been closed since the end of November 2024 and has undergone a makeover. It has always been a favourite of ours for a special occasion.

New "owners" are Carmen and Martin. Carmen is the elder daughter of owners Andy Chapell and Pauline Elkin, who retired in 2023. Carmen was born locally and attended schools in Benaoján, Ronda and San Pedro de Alcántara, before university in the UK.

Her partner Martin originates from Norway.

Apart from the alterations and improvements, there is a new menu, and a new website, but most of the staff remain as before.

Andy, Pauline, Carmen and Martin [Jon Clarke]

Pre-dinner drinks

The new owners had gone off-duty by the time we arrived. I think they had had a busy lunchtime!

But, we were pleased to see Inma, head receptionist and last night maitresse D. The head waiter, Víctor, was "off sick", but Inma was ably supported by local "girl", waitress Andrea.

There was no sign of Andy and Pauline hovering in the background, keeping an eye on things. They truly are retired!

Nor was there any sign of it being "Paddy's Day". No green décor nor free Guinness!

In the bar we bumped into Paul and Roz, who have a house up the road in Montejaque.

I have known Roz since 2000 when we both worked together in Merseyside. Then, we ended up buying property in said Montejaque. Quite a coincidence, eh? Serendipity?

They now live in Lymm (Cheshire), my old stomping ground before I emigrated to Spain.

Paul and Roz in their new home in Lymm [Manchester World]

The meal

They were not very busy - I counted 11 covers. Apart from us four walk-ups there were two English couples and a group of three "escapees" from Trump's USA.

The first thing we noticed was that the new menu had new prices!

No worries. We both ordered fish goujons in tempura as a starter - very tasty.

Rita went for the solomillo de ternera (beef fillet steak) whereas I chose the dorada fillets (sea bream). Rita's steak was as she wanted it, ie al punto (medium rare). My fish was delightful - baked to perfection.

We washed our meal down with a couple of glasses each of Marqués de Cáceres (Rita) and La Cañada verdejo (me).

Then it was time to pay the bill - a hefty 110 euros - before braving the downpour for the 20-minute drive home.

Endword

Despite the costly bill, we had a lovely evening. From re-acquainting with Inma and Andrea, to bumping into Roz and Paul, plus chatting to an English couple who were staying at the hotel, to the exquisite food.

We were disappointed that the new hosts, Carmen and Martin, weren't there, and that there was no "nod" towards St Patrick's Day.

Also that there were no opening night "freebies".

Nevertheless, a lovely evening.

[Image courtesy of CEXT]

Interesting links:

Couple loves later life in new Hawthorn Grange home

Hotel Molino del Santo under new management

SAINTS COME MARCHING IN!: Award-winning rural hotel Molino del Santo near Ronda gets set for a brand new chapter - Olive Press News Spain

Photos:

CEXT, Jon Clarke, Manchester World, Molino del Santo, Pronto, The Black Farmer, TikTok, Trip Advisor, Wikipedia

© The "Guiri" Gourmet

Tags:

Andrea, Andy, Benaoján, Carmen, CEXT, Eye on Spain, Guinness, Inma, Jon Clarke, Lymm, maitresse D, Manchester World, Martin, Merseyside, Molino del Santo, Montejaque, Olive Press News, "Paddy's Day", Pauline, Paul Whitelock, Pronto, Roz and Paul Littler, St Patrick's Day, Secret Serranía, The Black Farmer, The "Guiri" Gourmet, TikTok, Trip Advisor, Víctor, Wikipedia

áéíóú

St Patrick's Day - March 17

2025-03-17T11:51:40

This post has been moved to:

March 17 is St Patrick's Day

DIA DE ANDALUCIA DINING 2025

2025-03-01T09:48:35

It is 45 years since 28 February 1980 when in a referendum the andaluces voted overwhelmingly for their region to become one of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions (federal states), following Spain’s return to democracy on the death of the dictator General Franco five years earlier.

Franco lies in state [Daily Mail]

Friday 28 February 2025 - Celebrating with dinner

Yesterday was Día de Andalucía, an important día festivo down here in the south of Spain where it is a significant day in the political and cultural history of the region.

Because of the bad weather some of the outdoor celebrations had to be cancelled or moved to indoor venues. And the andaluces still enjoyed their celebrations with family and friends.

Those of us foreigners who are resident here – guiris – will have used the day as an excuse to celebrate and many will have gone out for dinner.

The Love family in the early days Ian, Elaine and Carly Love with head chef Tom O'Connor

The Meter Maid and I chose the nearest restaurant to our home, the excellent La Cascada at the Hotel Molino del Puente in Fuente de la Higuera just outside Ronda.

The hotel bar was cosy and warm; the restaurant also. There were 18 diners, eight Spaniards and ten “guiris”, a mixture of hotel residents and “locals”.

After opening drinks in the bar we chose our meals and shortly afterwards adjourned to our tables.

What we chose

Head chef Tom O’Connor had assembled a varied menu fitting of the occasion. Tom says: "Estoy aquí para mostrar mi pasión por la cocina y mi compromiso de traer ideas nuevas y emocionantes a nuestro menú."

Rita chose a seafood salad followed by salmon on a bed of spinach. I chose one of my favourite starters – tarta de champigñones con ensalada - and a curry tailandés.

Salmón en espinacas Curry tailandés Tarta de hojaldre

[Library photos]

We were both well-pleased with our choices.

After a short epilogue back in the bar, it was time to pay the bill and amble the 50 metres back to our home.

Further reading:

Andalucía Day (Día de Andalucía) - Secret Serrania de Ronda - 2021

Día de Andalucía – Monday 28 February 2022

My Andalucia Day - a personal serendipity – 2023

Back to the “Bridge” – St George’s Day

Por qué se celebra el 28-F el día de Andalucía

What is a guiri? It's what the Spanish call us foreigners - but is it good or bad?

Image courtesy of saedyn

© The "Guiri" Gourmet

Photos:

Daily Mail, Ian Love, Karl Smallman, Paul Whitelock, saedyn

Acknowledgements:

Eye on Spain, Ian Love, Karl Smallman, Paul Whitelock, Secret Serranía

Tags:

17 autonomous regions, 28 February 1980, andaluces, Andalucía, bad weather, celebrating with family and friends, Daily Mail, death of the dictator General Franco, democracy, día festivo, Eye on Spain, guiri, Hotel Molino del Puente, Ian Love, Karl Smallman, La Cascada, Meter Maid, outdoor celebrations, Paul Whitelock, political and cultural history of the region, referendum, resident, Ronda, Secret Serranía, The "Guiri" Gourmet

áéíóú

New bars and restaurants in Ronda

2025-01-24T14:44:33

I don't know if it's like this everywhere in Spain, but in Ronda (Málaga), where I live, bars and restaurants close and new ones open with amazing frequency. It seems to be a post-Covid phenomenon.

[Photo: Restaurantes Exitosos]

This evening we wanted to try out somewhere new, so I had a wander round the centre this morning and discovered a surprising number. And that's not counting places away from the centre or on the outskirts.

Ronda restaurant "recce"

Within 15 minutes I had discovered at least ten - on three streets, slap bang in the centre.

There was a Hindu, a Korean, a new Italian pizzeria, and a whole range of places offering Spanish/international cuisine. There were trendy places with nouvelle cuisine; cheap and cheerful; expensive; and bog-standard. There's even a restaurant boasting 2 Michelin stars.

The Hollywood film star Robert De Niro ate lunch there recently. The menu of the day was an eye-watering 200€ a head! But, I guess if you earn 10 million dollars for making a film, that's peanuts!

I shan't be going there anytime soon. Mr De Niro did report that the meal and service was excellent! I should bloody well hope so for that price! The Michelin-starred chef Benito Gómez must be a very wealthy man.

I'll let my wife choose where we go (I won't mention Tragatá - the expensive one referred to above).

I wouldn't mind giving the Indian restaurant a try. We haven't had an Indian or Bangladeshi restaurant in Ronda for some years. I'm also intrigued by the Korean place, but we'll see .....

De Niro and Gomez [DiarioSur]

© The "Guiri" Gourmet

Photos by Paul Whitelock, unless otherwise stated.

Tags:

10 million dollars, 2 Michelin stars, 200€ a head, Bangladeshi, Benito Gomez, DiarioSur, Hindu, Indian restaurant, Italian, Korean, meal and service were excellent, menu of the day, nouvelle cuisine, Paul Whitelock, pizzeria, post-Covid phenomenon, Restaurantes Exitosos, Robert De Niro, Ronda restaurant "recce", Spanish/international cuisine, The "Guiri" Gourmet, Tragata, wealthy man,

Hotel Molino del Santo under new management

2025-01-18T19:42:15

This prestigious boutique hotel in Benaoján Estación has new people at the helm. The hotel, formerly a dilapidated mill, was discovered by husband and wife Andy Chapell and Pauline Elkin some forty years ago when, as young teachers, they were on a back-packing holiday in the area.

Photo courtesy of booking.com

What happened next?

They had a dream, bought the ruined mill, and gave up their teaching jobs in the UK, Andy was a PE teacher and Pauline a Spanish teacher, and they worked flat out to turn the ruined mill into one of the best hotels and restaurants in Andalucia.

Despite the formidable challenges, eg the bureaucracy, threats from the local mafia, and other issues, they managed it.

Their policy of only employing local people paid off and they quickly became part of the local community.

Before and after photos [Andy Chapell]

Andy and Eddie [Jon Clarke] River-side dining terrace [Htl Molino del Santo]

Andy and Pauline sired two children, Carmen and Rosi, who were born locally, went to school at an international school on the coast and completed their education at universities in the UK. Both are bilingual, of course.

What goes around, comes around

Andy and Pauline reached pension age and wanted to retire. They left the hotel in the capable hands of Ricardo and Nicole, an Anglo-Argentinian/French couple, for a while, but now their oldest daughter Carmen and her Norwegian partner Martin have agreed to take up the challenge.

Carmen and Martin are currently refurbishing the hotel and planning a new menu, with many vegetarian options. They also plan to focus on fine wines, particularly from the Ronda area.

Andy & Pauline's retirement [JC] Carmen [Linked In] Martin [X]

They plan to re-open Molino del Santo in April 2025. We look forward to checking them out!

© The “Guiri” Gourmet

Links:

Run of the Mills - Help me, Ronda - please scroll down to Molino del Santo

The Best “Station” in the Serrania de Ronda – Estación de Benaoján

Acknowledgements:

Andy Chapell, Jon Clarke, Pauline Elkin, Paul Whitelock, The “Guiri” Gourmet, The Olive Press

Photos:

Andy Chapell, booking.com, Jon Clarke, LinkedIn, Molino del Santo, Pauline Elkin, Paul Whitelock, The Olive Press, X

Tags:

Andy Chapell, Carmen Chapell Elkin, Jon Clarke, Martin Reymert, Pauline Elkin, Paul Whitelock, Rosi, The “Guiri” Gourmet, The Olive Press, www.help-me-ronda.com

British stuff here in Spain? Who needs it?

2024-12-09T19:57:12

The “Guiri” Gourmet has lived in Spain for 16 years. He must like it.

He lives with his second wife, Rita, a German, near Ronda (Málaga).

Both the GG and Rita love Spanish food, but Rita, an excellent cook, nevertheless rustles up the odd German dish from time to time.

If he were allowed to, the GG would cook the occasional English meal, but it’s rare that he gets the chance. A Sunday roast; liver and onions; toad-in-the-hole; fish, chips and mushy peas; scouse; Yorkshire pud and gravy; bangers and mash; a breakfast fry-up; tripe and onions (ONLY JOKING! The smell alone is enough to make you throw up!) would all hit the spot!

Hardly cordon bleu cooking, nor even healthy, but hey! Very British.

Spanish cuisine

To be truthful, I don’t really miss English food. La cocina española (Spanish cuisine) is very varied, very regional and very tasty. There are few dishes which are truly national. Paella, for example, is a regional dish from Valencia, fabada is from Asturias and migas are from Ronda.

What about French cuisine? Well, it’s delicious, but less healthy than Spanish cooking because the French use more saturated fat and those delicious sauces that accompany every dish are distinctly fattening and unhealthy.

Life expectancy in Spain, along with Greece, is among the longest in Europe.

What do we miss from home?

There are a handful of products that I like to have in the cupboard or pantry. These are, in alphabetical order, baked beans, Bovril, clotted cream, Guinness, HP Sauce, Marmite, and peanut butter.

Most are available in Spain, but not consistently in Ronda, so occasionally we have to go to the coast to top up supplies. Other British folk go to Gibraltar to shop at Morrisons. Not me, I hate the place! Gibraltar, I mean; Morrisons is OK.

There are also a few things Rita misses from Germany. Bockwurst, Bratwurst and Schwarzbrot are readily available in Aldi or LIDL. She sometimes finds the odd thing on the coast, but there are several things she either picks up when she visits Germany or gets sent by post.

These include Currypulver, Gemüsebrühe, German cheeses, Hühnerbrühe, mango chutney and various spices and condiments. Plus, her downfall, Toffifee.

Things she gets sent include food supplements and natural medicinal products, such as Omega 3 capsules and Magnesium tablets for her gout.

Also, make-up and hair-care products.

Drinks

I love English real ales. Before I emigrated, I was a member of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), and often went to beer festivals. Several local pubs in the Warrington (Cheshire) area, where I used to live, were free houses and sold an ever-changing range of bitters, milds, pale ales, lagers and stouts.

Even the big brewers produced cask ales and the regionals also. And the number of small micro-breweries in the North West, Yorkshire and the Midlands was astonishing.

Decent beer was one of the things I really missed living in Andalucia.

Yet micro-breweries are catching on here too, with a few dotted around Ronda, Cádiz, Córdoba and Sevilla.

For more on good beers (and wines), check out my Eye on Spain blog, The Merry Tippler, and my Facebook Group, CAMCAC.

CAMCAC Facebook Group [Photo: Paul Whitelock]

My second-favourite beers come from Germany. Fortunately, there’s a good range available at the afore-mentioned discounters, Aldi and LIDL.

Both Rita and I love wines from Baden-Württemberg. They are occasionally to be found in Spain but are prohibitively expensive.

Iceland

We went to Iceland last week. Not the country in the frozen north above Scandinavia, but the UK supermarket that has a branch in Marbella. I’d never been in my life, but Rita had been a couple of times with her English friend Jill.

Well, Iceland is no longer there. It’s got a new name – The Food Co. It still stocks Iceland products, but the new company (since 2019) has added Tesco, Waitrose and Co-op products.

I only went to get my staples, as listed above, but “What an Aladdin’s Cave?” I ended up buying a load of British products that I don’t really use or miss.

But, I thought, I shall be “de Rodríguez” (on my own) for Christmas*, so why not get a few traditional English/British Christmas products? (Rita is off to Germany to see family for Christmas and New Year).

Mince pies, shortbread, Stilton, Port, horseradish sauce, a number of Heinz products and a Christmas pudding went into our trolley!

Rita helped herself to tacos, poppadums, and other delights not always available in the mountains. Not German products, but she likes to cook Mexican and Indian food too.

Endpiece

Look, I’m slightly embarrassed to say this, but I enjoyed being able to get hold of these British products, even though I’m pretty hispañolizado after a more than 50-year relationship with Spain.

To the extent that, after Christmas and New Year are "done and dusted" and everybody gets back to work, I shall be starting the process to become a Spanish national with a Spanish passport.

I’ve checked, and my state and private pensions are safe, and I shall no longer have to stand in the long queue at passport control at airports and ports.

I can even travel to one more country without needing a visa than I can with my blue British passport! I don’t know which country that is, but that’s not the point!

Watch this space!

© The “Guiri” Gourmet

Links:

Christmas "de Rodríguez" - Rita’s alternative Christmas Dinner

De Rodríguez – at Christmas?

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Photos and Images:

Facebook

Full Suitcase

Paul Whitelock

RH Nuttall

The Food Co.

Wikipedia

Acknowledgements:

Paul Whitelock

The “Guiri” Gourmet

www.secretserrania.com

Tags:

50-year relationship with Spain, Aldi, Andalucía, Baden-Württemberg, baked beans, bangers and mash, beer festival, big brewers, bitter, Bockwurst, Bovril, Bratwurst, breakfast fry-up, Cadiz, CAMRA, cask ale, Cheshire, Christmas pudding, clotted cream, condiments, Cordoba, cordon bleu, Currypulver, “de Rodríguez”, Facebook, fish chips and mushy peas, food supplements, free house, Full Suitcase, Gemüsebrühe, German cheeses, Gibraltar, gout, Guinness, hair-care products, Heinz, hispañolizado, Horseradish sauce, HP Sauce, Hühnerbrühe, Iceland, Indian, lager, LIDL, liver and onions, Magnesium tablets, make-up, Málaga, mango chutney, Marbella, Marmite, Mexican, micro-breweries, mild, mince pies, Morrisons, natural medicinal products, Omega 3 capsules, pale ale, Paul Whitelock, peanut butter, poppadums, Port, real ale, Rita, RH Nuttall, Ronda, Schwarzbrot, scouse, Sevilla, shortbread, Spanish food, Spanish national, Spanish passport, spices, Stilton, stout, Sunday roast, tacos, Tesco, The Food Co., The “Guiri” Gourmet, The Merry Tippler, toad-in-the-hole, Toffeefee, tripe and onions, Waitrose, Warrington, Wikipedia, www.secretserrania.com, Yorkshire pud and gravy

Best bar none - Mark II

2024-11-17T07:51:58

I was in Ronda last Friday, sorting stuff out when I was caught short. Unbelievably I found a parking space right outside a bar. OK, I thought, a quick beer, use the toilet and carry on.

Las Caballerías

In I went. It was a bar I’d never visited in a 25-year relationship with Ronda (16 as a resident).

Well, I must tell you, I was knocked out! What a locale, full of well-heeled Spanish locals, great decor and what an ambience!

I managed to get a table, ordered a tercio de Mahou and promptly visited the gents.

Back at the table I cast an eye over the menu, and I was astonished. What an offer! No wonder it was full of locals.

BTW, I was the only “guiri”.

I was hungry, so I decided to order something to eat. I chose una brocheta de gambas con beicon. It cost 4 euros, but, hey!

When it came, it was well presented and delicious.

By this time, I was well into the atmosphere. I read a few reviews on TripAdvisor on my mobile. All good.

I decided to linger, have a second beer and another tapa. This time I went for hígado de pollo. Ay, ¡Caramba! It was amazing.

The waitress was also amazing! I engaged her in conversation and established that Las Caballerias is a family business.

Mari Tere is the daughter of the current owner, although the history of the bar goes back decades.

She told me that all the staff were family. Brilliant! And they own the premises, so they won’t be going bust any time soon, with no rent to pay.

We took a selfie. Here it is. She looks great; I’m showing my age!

The bill for two great tapas and two tasty beers came to a mere 12,90 euros.

Bar Las Caballerías has rocketed into my top 3!

I’ll be back there soon, for sure!

© The "Guiri" Gourmet

Interesting links:

PLACES TO EAT - Help me, Ronda

Serranía Kitchen - recipes from around the world

What is a guiri? It's what the Spanish call us foreigners - but is it good or bad?

What is a guiri? - Olive Press News Spain

Photos:

All photos by The "Guiri" Gourmet (Paul Whitelock)

Tags:

Bar Restaurante Las Caballerías, brocheta de gambas con beicon, caught short, ”guiri”, "Guiri" Gourmet, hígado de pollo, Mahou, Mari Tere, Paul Whitelock, Ronda, selfie, tapa, tercio, Trip Advisor

Something old, something new ...

2024-11-03T08:32:12

By The "Guiri" Gourmet

We enjoyed two great hostelry experiences this week. First of all, I popped into Benaoján’s newest bar/restaurant and then the following day we had dinner at one of our favourite restaurants in Ronda.

Something old

Let’s start with the old. By that I mean a restaurant that has just celebrated its 19^th anniversary since opening its doors in 2005. We have been regulars for more than 13 years, ever since we moved into our house just up the road.

A former olive and flour mill, dating from the 17^th century, Restaurante La Cascada at the Hotel Molino del Puente in Fuente de la Higuera in the campo just outside Ronda, is a cut above many. It boasts 13 unique, stylish and romantic bedrooms and has a swimming pool.

Before and after photos of Hotel Molino del Puente [Ian Love and KAYAK]

Owned and run by English couple Ian and Elaine Love, this is a 3-star boutique hotel with a fine restaurant on the lower ground floor.

Ian, the chef, has recently retired from the kitchen. “Too old,” he says and now concentrates on running his newly established estate agency LOVE VIVIENDAS with middle daughter Carly. He also helps out behind the bar and as a waiter in the evenings.

Tom, Carly, Megan with baby Sofia, Elaine, Ian, Robyn and husband Gianluca

Ian's replacement in the kitchen is Tom O’Connor, Carly’s partner. Tom is a trained chef with experience on the Costa del Sol and in Tenerife. Carly and Tom have a little girl, Sofia.

The hotel and restaurant are about to close for the winter, so we hastily booked for Friday night. As usual we were not disappointed.

Portions are generous at La Cascada, so we shared a salad to start. There was no salad on the menu, but Elaine said they could make us one up. The impromptu salad was delicious with prawns and cashew nuts and a tasty dressing. .

For main courses Rita chose filete de salmon fresco con espinacas, salsa de vino blanco y patatas gratinadas and I went for pechuga de pollo Hindu marinada en especias indias con arroz basmati y raita. I'd not had that before and I was delighted with my choice. So was Rita. We cleared our plates. Postre was a slice of tarta de queso casero which we also shared.

We were both more than full.

To accompany our food Rita had a cava and I had a beer (Estrella Galicia on draught), then we chose a bottle of Verdejo – delicious.

After our meal it was still early so we adjourned to the bar for digestifs. Rita had two more glasses of cava, and I risked a couple of coñacs. I say “risked” because the last time I drank brandy, some three years ago, I ended up in hospital! The less said about that the better. Needless to say, from that day on I’ve never touched spirits again – until last Friday night. I survived unscathed on this occasion.

Something new

A couple of days before, as I was returning from Montejaque, where I had gone after all the rain to check out our two rental houses (Casa Rita and Casa Real), I passed through Benaoján. I noticed that the new restaurant El Escalón was in operation.

I’d been waiting for months for it to open its doors – there was apparently a delay in getting their licencia de apertura (opening permit) from Málaga City.

The owner is Juan Diego who used to rent a bar up in the square. He closed that and went off to German twin-town Knittlingen to work for two years.

Long story short, they bought the three lock-up garages for a good price and turned into what is a very smart and stylish restaurant. Juan Diego’s mum, who is the cocinera, proudly showed me her brand-new spick and span kitchen.

The facade of El Escalón, Juan Diego, the owner and a partial view of the restaurant [photos: Paul Whitelock]

There were a few people in there that I knew, including the former owner of the premises, builder Paco, who had done some work for us some years ago.

They have a great beer on draught, El Águila (Madrid), so I had a couple with a dish of very tasty olives, and I was good to go.

Somewhere to take Rita sometime soon.

© The "Guiri" Gourmet

Links to other articles:

Back to the “Bridge” – St George’s Day

Marcus Myers leads birthday celebrations at Ronda restaurant

BAR EL ESCALÓN, Benaojan - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor

Contacts:

Restaurante La Cascada

(+34) 952 87 41 64

info@hotelmolinodelpuente.com

https://www.hotelmolinodelpuente.com/

English, French and Spanish spoken

***

El Escalón

(+34) 633 83 68 63

***

Love Viviendas Estate Agency

(+34) 619 056 055

info@loveviviendas.com

https://loveviviendas.com

English and Spanish spoken

***

Casa Real and Casa Rita

(+34) 636 52 75 16

info@a1-holidays.net

CASA REAL, Montejaque (Malaga) - Help me, Ronda

Casa Rita Holiday Rental Montejaque - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Enquiries welcome in English, Deutsch, español, français

Photos:

Ian Love, Karl Smallman, Molino del Puente, Paul Whitelock

Tags:

Benaoján, casero, cava, coñac, Costa del Sol, El Águila, Elaine Love, El Escalón, Estrella Galicia, filete de salmón, Fuente de la Higuera, "Guiri" Gourmet, Hotel Molino del Puente, Ian Love, Juan Diego, Karl Smallman, Knittlingen, La Cascada, licencia de apertura, Love Viviendas, Málaga, Montejaque, opening permit, Paul Whitelock, pechuga de pollo Hindu, swimming pool, postre, raita, Rita, Ronda, something new, something old, tarta de queso, Tenerife, Tom O’Connor, trained chef, twin town, verdejo

Marcus Myers leads birthday celebrations at Ronda restaurant

2024-08-27T08:49:06

The well-known musician, formerly a member of the band Alisha’s Attic*, lives nowadays in Cortes de la Frontera (Málaga).

On Sunday 25 August 2024 Marcus Myers performed live for diners at Restaurante La Cascada at Hotel Molino del Puente, Ronda, to celebrate the hotel’s 19^th birthday.

Preamble

Owners Ian and Elaine Love left their successful restaurant, Harbour Lights in Cabopino, to move inland to offer their three young daughters a more authentic experience of Spain, away from the mass tourism of the coast.

To that end they bought a disused corn mill and spent some three years getting it renovated into the charming riverside hotel and restaurant it has now become.

It’s been one of our favourite eating places since the Meter Maid and I moved to live in Fuente de la Higuera thirteen years ago.

In those 19+ years the Love family has grown up. All three girls attended state schools in Ronda and as a result are bilingual.

Robyn Love is a marine biologist based in Scotland and is married to Gianlucca Gerich from Germany. He is also a marine biologist. They met at university in Cádiz. They are often away onboard a ship somewhere in the world studying the marine environment.

Carly Love is an estate agent by profession. She also owned and ran a successful restaurant in Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife) for a few years, together with her novio Tom O'Connor, a trained chef. Since the birth of their daughter Sofia, they have returned to the mainland and now live in Ronda.

Carly has gone into partnership with her dad Ian to establish their own estate agency, Love Viviendas, with their office at the hotel. Ian has retired from the kitchen of La Cascada in favour of son-in-law Tom, who has continued to maintain the high standards of comida casera (home-made cuisine). Ian is now “on the road” selling properties. He also helps out as barman and waiter in the restaurant.

Megan Love, the youngest daughter, has just finished her degree in Public Relations at Málaga University, and now works as a PR consultant in the city, but she is often to be seen in La Cascada, helping out if need be.

As for mum Elaine Love, she now runs the hotel and restaurant single-handedly. (I suspect she always did!)

Birthday “do”

A trained plumber, Marcus Myers no longer needs to get his hands dirty fitting pipes and mending washing machines, as he earns his living from singing and playing guitar around the area.

As well as a soloist with some 200 songs in his repertoire, he is front man for the rock group Equis, who play a different kind of music altogether.

On this night, Marcus entertained us with his cover versions of classics from the 60s and 70s. The Beatles featured heavily, as did Simon and Garfunkel. There was also material from Neil Diamond, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Eagles, Louis Armstrong and many other recognisable musicians of that era.

The audience was mixed with local guiris, as well as guests of the hotel and two others nearby, mainly Spaniards, but not exclusively.

One table of six seemed to be enjoying themselves hugely, singing along and dancing.

When I spoke to them afterwards, they told me they were visitors from the Cádiz area and they had never heard Marcus before. They were very impressed. The main cheerleader, Antonio, is a soldier based with the American forces in Rota (Cádiz). He is about to be deployed to Ukraine.

Two of the women in the group were born in Germany of Spanish parents, one in Essen and the other in Dortmund. They are, of course, bilingual (I can vouch for that as we spoke German together for a while).

Our Meal

While Marcus was performing, everybody was eating and drinking.

Rita and I each chose a starter: gambas al pil-pil for Rita and gazpacho for me.

We opted for a main course to share – a mixed barbecue grill of three meats, morcilla and chorizo with a huge grilled green pepper, corn-on-the-cob and French fries.

We were pleasantly replete yet still found space to share a tarta de queso con nata y helado de vainilla.

The whole meal was delicious, washed down with still water and a nice bottle of Ribera del Duero from Burgos.

Thank you, Rita (she paid the bill!). A “consolation gift” as she heads off to Germany in a couple of days to care for her sister who has just had an operation.

Leaving me “de Rodríguez”!*

Epilogue

A very enjoyable and relaxing evening with great music, delicious food and good company.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Hotel Molino del Puente!

© The Culture Vulture and The "Guiri" Gourmet

Links:

Alisha's Attic - Wikipedia

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Marcus Myers Music

What is a guiri? It's what the Spanish call us foreigners - but is it good or bad? (secretserrania.com)

Photos:

Hotel Molino del Puente

HotelSearch.com

Karl Smallman

KAYAK

marcusmyersmusic.com

Paul Whitelock

Tags:

19^th birthday, Alisha’s Attic, Beatles, bilingual, birthday “do”, Burgos, Cabopino, Cádiz, Carly Love, chorizo, classics from the 60s and 70s, comida casera, corn-on-the-cob, Cortes de la Frontera, De Rodriguez, Dortmund, Elaine Love, Essen, estate agent, Feliz cumpleaños, French fries, Fuente de la Higuera, gambas al pil-pil, gazpacho, Germany, Gianlucca, green pepper, “Guiri” Gourmet, Harbour Lights, Hotel Molino del Puente, Ian and Elaine Love, Karl Smallman, La Cascada, Louis Armstrong, Love Viviendas, Málaga, Málaga University, Marcus Myers, marine biologist, Megan Love, Meter Maid, mixed barbecue grill, morcilla, Neil Diamond, Paul Whitelock, plumber, Public Relations, PR consultant, Puerto de la Cruz, Ribera del Duero, Robyn Love, rock group Equis, Rolling Stones, Rota (Cádiz), Scotland, Simon and Garfunkel, Sofia, tarta de queso con nata y helado de vainilla, The Eagles, Tenerife, Tom O'Connor, Ukraine, What is a guiri?

“El Pimpi” is on the Move

2024-05-17T06:10:09

One of the most famous bars in Málaga City, El Pimpi, was established in 1970. It has become the “must-see” bodega in the provincial capital. I’ve been a few times over the years, and it’s always packed. The last time we went with two friends we managed to find a table outside on the terrace, but could we get served? After 20 minutes and no sign of a waiter, we left and found somewhere quieter.

El Pimpi

El Pimpi is a traditional, poky, yet massive, Andalusian tavern with entrances on two streets. The décor is traditional with old oak barrels, paraphernalia, hanging hams and a bullfighting theme. The atmosphere is electric, and so are the prices. But it’s a good place to visit for a beer or a glass of wine and a tapa. I must confess I like El Pimpi.

As of this Friday, we won’t have to travel all the way to Málaga; we can pop down to Marbella, where an outpost of the famous bodega opens inside the Hotel Puente Romano.

The “new” El Pimpi

In an article in Diario SUR last week, entitled El Pimpi lleva sus barriles y su esencia a Marbella, journalist Juan Soto wrote:

“El Pimpi brings its barrels and its special essence to Marbella and the Costa del Sol, where it has just opened its first establishment outside the capital. The tavern has been set up inside the Puente Romano hotel.”

The new wine bar is much more chic than the original, with a small bar area for tapas (for the moment only for a few hours a day) and a wide gastronomic offer.

The presentation of the new establishment, which took place a week ago, was held to the rhythm of flamenco and was attended by the actor Antonio Banderas from Malaga, who is a business partner of the wine bar.

On a gastronomic level, the range of food at the new premises will be similar to that offered in Malaga. El Pimpi Marbella will offer product, service and tradition at the same level of its big brother.

"This bar will be the starting point for its customers to experience the flavour and history of Malaga with the best seal of approval in a unique environment", he said.

On the menu are classics such as prawns with Pim-pi (24 euros), fried aubergines with honey (15 euros) or an assortment of Andalusian cheeses (30 euros), seafood dishes such as fried anchovies or marinated dogfish (18 euros each) or meats. Connoisseurs will be able to enjoy organic caviar from Riofrío (150 euros).

In Love from a Young Age

During the presentation, Antonio Banderas recalled his love affair with El Pimpi from the time he went for the first time at 9 years of age up to the present day.

"I used to take my first girlfriend to dinner at El Pimpi; I shot a film there, The English Way, and I practically live on top of the place."

He told his audience that El Pimpi had not chosen Puente Romano, but the other way around, since those in charge of the complex are very demanding when it comes to choosing their collaborators.

"A lot of the best restaurants in the world are concentrated in Marbella, but one of the things it lacked was Spanish and Andalusian food," he concluded.

Talking about this new Malaga-Marbella idyll, Daniel Shamoon, co-director of Puente Romano, acknowledged that they have been doing new things for many years, bringing international brands to Marbella, but that they lacked the beating heart of the Andalusian people. And to achieve all that, El Pimpi "is perfect."

«Para mi ha sido la mejor decisión de todas; traer el corazón andaluz a Puente Romano». ("For me it was the best decision of all; to bring the Andalusian heart to Puente Romano.")

The presentation ceremony was also attended by the mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, who said:

"If there is something that Hotel Puente Romano lacked, it was that soul that El Pimpi brings; a place with a unique zero-kilometre raw material."

Epilogue

Bodegas El Pimpi has been a benchmark in the city since it opened its doors in August 1971. More than half a century later, the business project started by businessmen and friends Francisco Campos and Pepe Cobos employs more than 200 people.

A visit soon to El Pimpi Marbella is on the cards.

Acknowledgements:

A1 Translations

Diario SUR

El Pimpi

Juan Soto

Paul Whitelock

Tags:

A1 Translations, Ángeles Muñoz, Antonio Banderas, Bodegas El Pimpi, Costa del Sol, Daniel Shamoon, Diario SUR, El Pimpi, Francisco Campos, “Guiri” Gourmet, Hotel Puente Romano, Juan Soto, Malaga, Marbella, Paul Whitelock, Pepe Cobos

The Best “Station” in the Serrania de Ronda – Estación de Benaoján

2024-05-11T06:12:19

The railway line from Algeciras to Ronda and beyond runs through the Guadiaro valley. As a result several “new” settlements developed adjacent to the line which ostensibly were to serve the old Arab villages up the hill. So, Gaucín has Estación de Gaucín (El Colmenar), Cortes de la Frontera has Estación de Cortes, also known as Cañada del Real Tesoro, Jimera de Líbar has Estación de Jimera de Líbar and Montejaque and Benaojan have Estación de Benaoján.

It is this latter “settlement”, which is the subject of this article.

Foreword

Estación de Benaoján, population 1,437 (2023), is possibly unique, in that every hostelry is exceptional for its type. As you drop down the hill from Montejaque and Benaoján, you discover an amazing choice right by the station.

La Cantina

The bar at the station is small and basic, but they have tapas and drinks, all at reasonable prices. A very pleasant spot to sit while waiting for your train, or at the beginning or end of a hike through the valley.

Restaurante El Muelle

As the name suggests this is a converted railway shed* at the far end of the platform. This place is for carnivores; there are no vegetarian or vegan options. The meat is prepared in/on a wood oven.

Cristóbal, the chef, and wife, Gina, front of house, offer a warm welcome and great value-for-money with large portions and reasonable prices.

Bar Ankanita

Back to the road junction opposite the stationand we have Bar Ankanita (previously Bar Stop).

This is a very popular place for breakfast and lunch. It doesn’t open on the evenings. The menu del día for 12€ is outstanding. It’s best to book, or you might be disappointed.

It is normally full of workers from the local ham factory, as well as locals and the cognoscenti amongst the foreigners who live in the area.

Diego, the head waiter, and Alberto, the chef, used to work at the excellent Hotel Molino del Santo in the village, but they fell out with the owners and took over this bar when Ani retired.

Bar La Esquina

Also here, in the former offices of Serranía Eléctrica, is Bar La Esquina. By the way, this bar has the best toilet I have seen in these parts.

It also has interesting posters, slogans and sayings on the walls.

Owner Carmen offers a range of quality beers and great tapas.

Hotel Molino del Santo

Finally, tucked away by the river, we come to the afore-mentioned Hotel Molino del Santo and its very classy restaurant.

Some 40 years ago it was a dilapidated olive mill. It was spotted by a couple of young teachers from England who were holidaying in the area. Pauline, a Spanish teacher, and Andy, a PE teacher, promptly bought it, left teaching and emigrated.

They did it up and turned it into one of the most popular bijou hotels in the valley.

Andy and Pauline retired a couple of years ago and the hotel and restaurant are now in the hands of Ricardo, half Argentinian, half English, and his French wife, Nicole.

This restaurant was always a class act and still is. All the staff are local people, which ensures that the Spanish as well as international guests feel at home here.

For us pensioners it’s expensive, but we do go for special occasions, like birthdays or anniversaries, or when we have family staying with us. My kids Amy and Tom love it as their young children can play safely with no dangerous road nearby.

Epilogue

Estación de Benaoján, the only place I know where every hostelry is excellent. I frequent them all.

*There are a good few restaurants housed in old railway sheds. Look here:

BARS AND RESTAURANTS AT RAILWAY STATIONS AROUND RONDA AND THE GUADIARO VALLEY (eyeonspain.com)

Acknowledgements:

A1 Inmobiliaria

Facebook

HRS

Karl Smallman

Secret Serrania

Tags:

A1 Inmobiliaria, Asador El Muelle, Bar Ankanita, Bar Stop, Benaoján, El Muelle, Estación de Benaoján, Facebook, “Guiri” Gourmet, HRS, Karl Smallman, La Cantina, La Esquina, Molino del Puente, Montejaque, Secret Serrania

Back to the “Bridge” – St George’s Day

2024-04-28T04:41:24

By The "Guiri" Gourmet

On St George’s Day, April 23, The Meter Maid and I dined at Restaurante La Cascada, the restaurant at Hotel Molino del Puente in Fuente de la Higuera, Ronda.

It was our first meal there for a while. Why? Mind your own business!

Suffice to say that the food was as good as ever, despite the fact that joint owner and chef, Ian Love, has retired from the kitchen.

New head chef

Cooking duties at the “Bridge” are now safely in the hands of "son-in-law" Tom O'Connor, a trained chef with substantial experience on the Costa del Sol and in Tenerife (Canary Islands).

Tom is pictured right with owners Ian and Elaine Love and daughter Carly Love, director of real estate agency Love Viviendas.

Rita and I sat outside on the sheltered terrace by the river Guadalcobacín for drinks and our starters, but, when the sun set and it turned quite chilly, we moved inside.

Several other diners followed suit.

Our “St George’s Day” meal

Rita started with a refreshing ensalada de pollo, tomates secos y anacardos and “mained” on filete de salmón fresco Tandoori.

I opted for two starters: falafel de garbanzos con raita and then tarta rellena de champiñones, puerro y aceite de trufa con ensalada.

For dessert we shared a home-made tarta de queso.

Drinks-wise I had two beers before the meal and two glasses of Vizcondesa, a Ronda red wine from Bodega Joaquín Fernandez. Rita had a cava to celebrate el Día de San Jorge (patron saint of England, Cataluña, Aragón and other countries and cities around the world), and then agua sin gas. Too much alcohol gives Rita gout and exacerbates the arthritis in her hands.

Our verdict?

The food was excellent as always. I thoroughly enjoyed both of my courses. Delicious and just the right quantities for me.

Rita was also pleased with her choices.

Our waiter was Ian, no longer in the kitchen, but having to “muck in” under the direction of the real boss, his wife Elaine Love.

Acknowledgements (Photos):

Ian Love

Karl Smallman

Paul Whitelock

vivino.com

Interesting Links:

www.help-me-ronda.com

www.hotelmolinodelpuente.com

www.loveviviendas.com

www.secretserrania.com

Tags:

agua sin gas, Aragón, Bodega Joaquín Fernández, Carly Love, Cataluña, cava, Día de San Jorge, Elaine Love, England, Fuente de la Higuera, Guadalcobacín, Guiri gourmet, Hotel Molino del Puente, Ian Love, Karl Smallman, Love Viviendas, Meter Maid, Paul Whitelock, Restaurante La Cascada, Rita, Ronda red wine, Tom O'Connor, Vizcondesa

"Maltesers" for Dinner

2024-04-02T07:07:17

No, not a feast of Mars bars! We invited our friends from Malta round for an evening meal! People from this Mediterranean island that lies between Italy and North Africa are called “Maltesers”, aren’t they?

The “Maltesers”

John and Lorraine are the latest guiris (foreigners) to buy a house in Montejaque. Their house is just 50 metres from Casa Rita, my wife’s place there.

I bumped into them last year when they were house-hunting and several times since, and The Meter Maid has met them a couple of times independently of me. We get on very well. John is an avid reader of my website, www.help-me-ronda.com, so that makes him OK too!

So, on the evening of April Fools’ Day, we invited them to our home in Fuente de la Higuera for a meal.

Arrival, aperitif and starter

They got to us at 6.00 pm. The weather had fortunately improved; instead of the rain and wind of the last week or so, we had bright sunshine, and plenty of daylight, as we’d move the clocks forward the previous day.

So we sat on the front terrace as the sun went down and had our aperitifs and the first course, spicy Maissuppe, sopa de maiz, sweetcorn soup. That went down a treat.

As we drained the last drops from our bowls, it suddenly went cool as the setting sun disappeared behind a cloud. So, we adjourned to the dining room indoors.

Main course and dessert

Next up it was a speciality of Rita’s: paella de mariscos, seafood paella.

Accompanied by a choice of wines, namely a refreshing bone-dry verdejo from Rueda and a young red from Utiel-Requeña, a tempranillo.

Our preference went along gender lines, oddly. White for the ladies and red for the men. Perfect.

After a short break, it was pudding time. Rita had conjured up a zabaglione, which was amazing!

Conversation

We chatted non-stop the whole time, except while we were eating our dessert, which took our breath away.

We covered many topics, but mainly we talked about Malta, where I had been three times many years ago, including for my first honeymoon in 1975. We also talked about our guests’ plans for the future. They want to move to Spain, to this area, and upgrade to a larger house with a garden and pool.

Lorraine is really keen and John has had enough of his home country, which he feels has been overrun with refugees and other incomers in recent years.

We also talked about practicalities, such as writing a Spanish Will, and buying a car.

They both like the variety of Spain, the cuisine, the landscapes and the architecture, as well as the friendliness of the local people.

Coffee and farewells

After an espresso and more chat we parted company, with a tentative agreement to do a tapeo in Ronda, when they return to Spain in a couple of months time.

Further links:

April Fool! (eyeonspain.com)

DE TAPEO IN RONDA (eyeonspain.com)

N.B. Notary Bene (eyeonspain.com)

Where there’s a WILL … the process in Spain - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Acknowledgements (photos):

Chefkoch

Karl Smallman (Secret Serrania)

La Vanguardia

Mars confectionery

Mundo deportivo

Shutterstock

Tags:

Aperitif, April Fools’ Day, arrival, buying a car, Casa Rita, dessert, Fuente de la Higuera, “Guiri” Gourmet, Karl Smallman, main course, Maissuppe, Malta, maltesers, Mars, Mediterranean island, Montejaque, paella de mariscos, pudding, Ronda, Rueda, seafood paella, sopa de maiz, starter, sweetcorn soup, tapeo, tempranillo, The Meter Maid, Utiel-Requeña, verdejo, writing a Spanish Will, zabaglione

Spis lige brød til

2024-03-31T15:07:16

Spis lige brød til

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

By The “Guiri” Gourmet

The “Guiri” Gourmet, Claus, Ellen and Rita in Bar La Caña [Photograph by Ashley Brocklehurst]

‘Spis lige brød til’ is Danish and translates to ‘Have some bread with that’. It is a phrase usually used to say take a breath to someone who has worked hard for something difficult.

For the purpose of this article, I am sticking to the literal meaning:

‘Have some bread with that’.

On the eve of Andalucia Day, my wife Rita and I went de tapeo to Ronda with a Danish couple, Claus and Ellen. This recently retired couple from Copenhagen, are touring Spain and Portugal for two months. They drove from Denmark through Germany and France and entered Spain via Catalonia. They are "great Danes"! Boom! Boom!

I met them at my local, Hotel Ronda Valley (formerly Hotel Don Benito) on the Seville Road out of Ronda. They were staying for two nights before heading south to Tarifa, then Cádiz, before entering Portugal.

We struck up an immediate rapport, as a result of which I offered to give them a tapas experience in Ronda. Rita came too. She found Claus and Ellen enchanting.

When we arrived in Ronda, we parked on the carpark at the old Guardia Civil barracks and walked into town. First stop was Toro Tapas, on Calle La Bola (Espinel) where, despite it being very busy, we got a nice table just inside.

We ordered several tapas: rabo de toro, chorizo al tinto, tosta de salmón and patatas bravas. Our Danish guests and Rita chose a nice Ronda wine, Lunares, while I stuck to Estrella Galicia beer.

Our lingua franca was English (theirs was nearly as good as mine!) and the conversation flowed: they were interested in us and we in them.

Photo courtesy of Trip Advisor

Next stop was the newish bar, La Caña. Guess who were there; our good friends Michael (Irish), Malcolm (English) and Elaine (Scottish), all three long-term residents of Ronda.

Michael is a translator, teacher and poet; Elaine is a successful painter and jewellery maker and Malcolm a retired estate agent.

Our foursome grabbed the last available table and were attended by the lovely Laura. Here I chose a beer from Jaén, El Alcázar, while my companions went for another Ronda wine Niño León.

Photo courtesy of Trip Advisor

Foodwise it was albondigas, chorizo al tinto (again!), bollo de filete and bollo de calamar both con mojo picón.

After I had a brief chat with a young couple, María from Cataluña and Ashley from England, who were visiting with work, we decided to head back to the carpark and get one last round at one of our favourite bars, Bodega San Francisco. It was heaving but we found a table.

Bodega San Francisco [photo courtesy of Trip Advisor]

Here, the wine connoisseurs took another Ronda wine, this time from Chinchilla. I had an Alhambra 1925 from Granada.

Photo courtesy of Restaurant Guru Photo courtesy of Facebook

We ordered our favourites: aguacate stuffed with seafood and rollito de salmón. Mmmm!

Then, it was back to the valley in their luxury hybrid BMW 504e, fond farewells and off to bed.

Further reading:

Elaine Moore All about Elaine

LOCAL AUTHORS - Help me, Ronda (help-me-ronda.com)

Days of (Ronda) Wine… and Roses - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Acknowledgements (Photos):

Ashley Brocklehurst

Facebook

Restaurant Guru

Trip Advisor

Tags:

aguacate, albondigas, Alhambra 1925, Andalucia, BMW 504e, Bodega San Francisco, bollo de calamar, bollo de filete, Chinchilla, chorizo al tinto, Claus, Copenhagen, Denmark, El Alcazar, Ellen, Estrella Galicia, Facebook, Granada, Hotel Ronda Valley, Jaen, La Caña, Lunares, mojo picón, Niño Leon, patatas bravas, rabo de toro, Restaurant Guru, rollito de salmón, tapa, Toro Tapas, tosta de salmón

History of a Ronda tapa

2024-03-31T11:49:37

History of a Ronda tapa

8 October 2020

By The "Guiri" Gourmet

Photo: Panaderia Polvillo

The exquisite ´serranito´ from Ronda is over thirty years old. Inventor Benito González managed to make this tapa a culinary masterpiece, using pork fillet, peppers, ripe tomatoes fresh from the garden and tasty ham.

History

In 1974, when Tobalo González opened ´Bar Benito´, in the popular San Francisco neighbourhood of Ronda, it was not very common for customers to ask for a tapa.

“Here the farmworkers and the builders’ labourers came and ordered a coffee, a brandy or a glass of wine, but nobody asked for anything to eat,” he said.

But over the years everything changed. His son Benito took over the bar and prepared a complete tapas menu, including ham, cheese, fried fish, scrambled eggs and other delicious delicacies from the Ronda area.

Things worked out well and the tables were filled daily with people keen to eat the best produce from the gardens and farms in the area. But as with everything, you have to keep looking for new ideas.

Plaza Ruedo Alameda, Barrio San Francisco, Ronda

[Photo: callejeroderonda.net]

Inspiration

One day in 1990, Benito was eating in a restaurant in Sevilla and they served him a plate of steaks, fried peppers, tomato and several slices of ham. As you would expect, it was very tasty and then the idea occurred to him: “What if I put all this in a bread roll and offer it as a tapa?”

How the serranito took off

No sooner said than done. As soon as Benito trialled the first ones, they were an immediate hit and customers began to order what became known as the ´serranito´, a complete and very reasonably-priced tapa, bearing in mind that they normally cost around 1.50 euros [probably a bit more in 2024].

In the hot summer months, Benito would shift up to 400 serranitos a week and there were even foreign tourists who had heard about them and came to try one.

In addition, the tapa spread to most of the bars in Ronda and to many bars and restaurants throughout Andalucía.

Photo: Trip Advisor

Essentials

To prepare a good serranito you need to bear in mind several important things. First, that the fillet must be from the pork loin; then, that the oil must be virgin olive oil; and the tomatoes must be just ripe. Finally, if the pepper comes from the fields at the bottom of the Tajo, so much the better.

Another thing to bear in mind when preparing an authentic serranito is to use a good quality bread roll baked in Ronda.

Photo: Wikipedia

Author’s note: When I first came to Ronda in 2001, having bought a little flat in the Barrio San Francisco, I introduced myself as a new vecino in the Bar Benito. I was given such a warm welcome by Benito and his regular customers that it became my local whenever I was in town. Sadly, Bar Benito is now closed. Benito retired.

Note: An early version of this article first appeared in 2020 here: History of a Ronda tapa - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Acknowledgements:

callejeroderonda.net

Karl Smallman

Panaderia Polvillo

Paul Whitelock

Secret Serrania

Trip Advisor

Wikipedia

Tags:

Andalucía, Bar Benito, Barrio San Francisco, Benito, Benito Gonzalez, callejeroderonda.net, fillet, “Guiri” Gourmet, History of a Ronda tapa, Karl Smallman, Panaderia Polvillo, Paul Whitelock, pepper, pork loin, Ronda, Secret Serrania, serranito, Sevilla, Tobalo Gonzalez, tomatoes, Trip Advisor, virgin olive oil, Wikipedia

DE TAPEO IN RONDA

2024-03-29T09:47:25

4 March 2023

By The "Guiri" Gourmet

Tapear is all about the tapas, whereas an English pub crawl is all about the beer. For older English folk it’s about sampling a range of cask ales, easy to do in the northwest of England where I used to live. For younger people it’s about guzzling as much disgusting lager or IPA as possible to get as p****d as possible.

Whilst I have to confess that I’ve participated in both English versions in my time, I much prefer the Spanish option. Much more civilised and more enjoyable.

New places to try

So, off we went to Ronda. Rather than go to the tried and tested bars we know from over a decade and a half of living here, we decided to try out new places.

We started at Bar Mimanuela in Plaza Carmen Abela. It used to be a jeweller’s but since the pandemic it has opened as a rather stylish but unpretentious café bar with a lovely terrace outside the Caja Rural.

A beer and two tapas each for 13 euros was perfectly acceptable. Rita chose snails (caracoles) and mejillones. I had alcachofas con jamón and anchoa cantábrica.

Photo: The Olive Press

Well-presented and delicious. The owners are delightful.

Inside they have a permanent exhibition of paintings by Elaine Moore, a Scottish artist long resident in Ronda and a good friend of ours.

Photo: Elaine Moore

Serendipity - bumping into people

We then shuffled up Calle Tiendas to Bar Bodeguita, also unknown to us. And guess who was sitting outside talking on his mobile? None other than Michael Coy, who was "to blame" for me meeting the Meter Maid (yes, you guessed it, the afore-mentioned Rita!) at the Feria de Pedro Romero in September 2008.

We hadn’t seen Michael for a while so after warm hugs (Rita, not me!) we joined him at his table. Serendipitously he had been on the phone to Malcolm, who is the husband of the artist Elaine Moore. They were on their way to join us! ¡Qué coincidencia!

Another friend, Hilde from Belgium, was also on her way.

At the table next to us I recognised María, a customer of one of my locals, Venta El Puente in La Indiana.

After a beer and a tapa and some catching up, Rita and I moved on to Tapería La Flamenka, which in a previous incarnation had been my internet café of choice back in the day before smartphones and WiFi at home.

The terrace was full, so we sat at a table for two just inside the door. I kept noticing this fat, long-haired, old guy sitting opposite a beautiful, elegantly dressed septuagenarian lady!

Oh! Blimey! They were us reflected in a mirror!

Also in that bar was Eduardo, another customer from Venta El Puente. Guess who he was with - Nerea, a waitress from said bar. It was the bar’s dia de descanso. I later established that Nerea and Eduardo are an item.

The tapas here were arguably the best so far. Again, we had two each plus a drink. 12 euros.

Photo: Trip Advisor

Next up was El Almacén. The last time I’d been there was that fateful night with Michael in 2008 when I later met Rita. It was under different management back then. I gather it’s now the hottest place in town.

We had a beer and a tapa each – 7 euros.

It was now quite late, so we decided to head for home. On our way back to the car we passed Pizzería Michelangelo. Sitting outside were Manolo (El Corcho) and his wife Carmen, the owners of Venta el Puente, the local I mentioned earlier.

What a great night we had spent de tapeo por Ronda.

I must add that Rita’s beers were cervezas sin, as she was driving.

Note:

This is an improved version of an article that was originally posted, without photos, at De tapeo en Ronda (eyeonspain.com)

Links:

Days of (Ronda) Wine… and Roses - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Early morning coffee in Spain - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Eat out to help out in Spain! - Secret Serrania de Ronda

History of a Ronda tapa - Secret Serrania de Ronda

LOCAL AUTHORS - Help me, Ronda (help-me-ronda.com)

MEET THE 'LOCALS' - Help me, Ronda (help-me-ronda.com)

RONDA PEOPLE - Help me, Ronda (help-me-ronda.com)

Acknowledgements:

Elaine Moore

Eye on Spain

Paul Whitelock

The Olive Press

Trip Advisor

Wikipedia

www.help-me-ronda.com

Tags:

alcachofas con jamón, anchoa cantábrica, Bar Bodeguita, Bar La Flamenka, Bar Mimanuela, beer, Caja Rural, Calle Tiendas, caracoles, cask ales, cervezas sin, de tapeo por Ronda, Elaine Moore, El Almacén, Eye on Spain, Feria de Pedro Romero, "Guiri" Gourmet, internet café, La Indiana, mejillones, Meter Maid, Michael Coy, Olive Press, Paul Whitelock, Pizzería Michelangelo, Plaza Carmen Abela, pub crawl, snails, tapas, tapear, Trip Advisor, Venta El Puente, Wikipedia

Eating well in Spain - at home or out and about

2024-03-29T08:57:49

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

By The "Guiri" Gourmet

I like my food. And, although my wife is a fantastic cook (ask anyone who has ever been to our house for dinner; ask also members of the Costa Car Club, for whom she cooked on two occasions when they came to Montejaque (Malaga) some years ago and the hotel had no chef, I do like to go out for a meal or tapas when we can afford it, or even when we can’t, and there is something to celebrate!

New Blog

This new blog will be about our dining experiences, both chez nous and out and about in Spain, Germany, the UK, wherever we happen to be. I hope you find our experiences helpful, interesting and thought-provoking.

To start with I am going to unashamedly regurgitate articles I have posted elsewhere. “Regurgitate” maybe creates the wrong impression, but, hey!

Introduction

When I met my wife, Rita is her name, she was a German living in Montejaque (Malaga). She’s still a German, but although she still owns the Montejaque house, Casa Rita, we don’t live there any longer.

When we started “courting” I invited her to visit me in England where I was living at the time (2008), even though I owned two properties in Ronda (Malaga).

The first time she came to visit me in England, I offered to prepare my “signature dish” in my recently purchased Victorian house (Tunstall Villa), which was a bit down on its luck, by the way, she was thrilled. Although she had been married twice, neither former husband had ever cooked for her.

Pressure or what?

My “tour de force” is grilled asparagus with anchovies as a starter, followed by steak au poivre with a mushroom sauce, sautéed potatoes and broccoli. I don’t do puddings/desserts.

She was not impressed, I have to say. “I would have done it like this”, she quipped. I still think that was unfair, but hey!

We have now been together 16 years (13 married) and I can count on two fingers the number of times she has allowed me to cook a meal.

The last time was Christmas dinner a la inglesa with all the trimmings one Christmas Day before Covid. I thought it was amazing! She was not impressed. Oh well!

Conclusion

So, back to this blog. I will be posting about dining experiences we have had in several countries, predominantly Spain, where we live, but also in France, Germany, the UK and anywhere else we may fetch up in the future.

Acknowledgements:

A Menu for You

Paul Whitelock

Rita Whitelock

Serrania Kitchen

Tags:

A Menu for You, anchovies, asparagus, broccoli, Casa Rita, Christmas dinner a la inglesa, Costa Car Club, "Guiri" Gourmet, Malaga, Montejaque, mushroom sauce, Paul Whitelock, Rita, Rita Whitelock, Ronda, sautéed potatoes, Serrania Kitchen, steak au poivre, tour de force