Almería news, blog, webpages, books, gossip, opinions, history & much more since 2001
It’s pronounced /ˈtʰɔu̯ʂhau̯n/. We landed at Vagur airport ahead of schedule and were quickly dropped off at the airport carpark. I picked up the excellent car provided by Unicar.fo and set off. Now, old hand that I am, I had done my homework about the car hire. The big companies had proven to be more expensive than unicar.fo, and so I settled for the local company. They obliging sent me a list of the cars Continue reading Tórshavn
You can’t even have live music in Mojacar with a permit it seems, after reports reach me today of an live music incident in Scottie’s Bar in Mojacar. Scottie’s is a nice little bar restaurant in a square off the main paseo along Mojacar beach front. It seems that the place had a live music license* from the council for today, and had hired a singer (his name was not vouchsafed to me) with some Continue reading No live music even with a permit in Mojacar
The Turre Tapas Route 2014 kicks off on the 24th of July and runs until the 10th of August. Local bars and restaurants will be serving up their special favourite dishes, and residents can vote for their favourite tapas. You can also participate in a raffle – get at least 7 stamps on your Tapas Passport and drop it off to enter into a free raffle to win a Weekend away. (It doesn’t say where). Continue reading Turre Tapas Route 2014 kicks off
Hudson Stubbs tells me of his latest visit to the fantastic Juan Moreno restaurant in Vera: We went here last Monday for my 60th birthday – our first visit. As newbies we opted for the Menu ejecutivo at €31 for 5 courses. The food was just sensational – easily the best I’ve had here or anywhere else for that matter. The dishes were wonderfully presented – the tastes, textures and flavours just sublime and the Continue reading Juan Moreno restaurant review, Vera
Madrid has approved a new series of bylaws which remove all restrictions on restaurant sizes, kitchen size and installations, and locations on restaurant installations. Indeed, restaurants with less than 200 square meters of total space will be allowed to have just one unisex toilet, and even smaller restaurants won’t have to have indoor bins. The idea is to free up restaurants to allow “creative cooking” to flourish, explains Mayor Ana Botella. She wants chefs to Continue reading Madrid frees up restaurant rules
Long term reader and occasional restaurant informant Hudson Stubbs writes to tell me that: As residents of Los Rodriguez we were delighted last night to try out La Bodeguita de Alfaix a delightful bar and restaurant recently opened in the village of Alfaix (just outside Los Gallardos). We shared a tasty pizza for starter followed by Chicken Pedro Ximenes for my partner while I had an excellent John Dory. The vegetables were perfectly cooked and Continue reading La Bodeguita de Alfaix
The EU has decided to drop its plan to remove olive oil decanters from tables, meaning that my morning tostada is safe! The EU has dropped plans to ban restaurants from using refillable jugs and bowls of olive oil, after they drew consumer criticism and even ridicule. The policy would have forced restaurants to only serve olive oil in tamper-proof packaging, labelled to EU standards, as of next year. The move had been aimed at Continue reading Olive oil decanter ban dropped by the EU after much mockery
The traditional olive oil decanter found on every single restaurant table and bar counter is Spain has been banned by the EU, and Spain will now pass a law with immediate effect to order their withdrawal. The reason isn’t why you think it would be. Hygiene is not a problem. It’s actually to combat olive oil fraud. The EU reckons that consumers are being misled by the use of refillable olive oil decanters on tables, Continue reading Olive oil decanters in bars banned by EU
Since 2008, Andalucia has seen its bars and restaurants shrink by 20,4% : we now have just 47.003 establishments. It’s according to a survey issued by La Caixa, ‘Anuario Económico de España 2012’. No idea what database they’re using for the 2008 data. These things have to be counted by banks, as the government no longer bothers. The Junta used to insist that all bars & restaurants inscribed themselves into the Andalucian Tourism Registry, but Continue reading Andalucia has lost 20% of its bars and restaurants in the last 4 years
Maria has sent me her readers review of the Taj Indian restaurant in Turre, Almería, a restaurant that has been around for quite a while now and has a loyal following. Sounds delicious! As a Spaniard from Madrid who has lived and worked around the world, including Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore and tasted authentic indian food at some the world’s best restaurants and even indian friends’ homes, I rate the Taj Indian Restaurant highly and Continue reading Taj Indian restaurant, Turre