Restaurant Review: Taberna El Panduro, Seville

Pollo al curry con guacamole

Our final meal in Spain was at the Taberna El Panduro a busy little wine bar we'd spotted a couple of days before. The bar was busy when we walked in, but thankfully they managed to squeeze us in with a couple of stools at the bar.

We were recommended a couple of glasses of wine from the chalk. With all of the wines available by the glass, and around the €3.00 - €3.50 mark, they were excellent value for the quality.

Following the advice of our walking guide to order from the top of the tapas menu, as it is usually their speciality, we ordered the Pollo al curry con guacamole. Chicken curry was a dish we'd seen on quite a few menus during the week, but this was our first time ordering it. The chicken tasted like the curry powder I bought in Oz, and was satisfyingly familiar.

El Panduro was a fantastic last meal to our time in Spain and somewhere that I'd definitely return to next time I'm in Seville.

Cremoso de arroz verde - the green came from wild garlic

Parrillada veduras

Costillo de cerdo confitada

Torta de queso

Taberna El Panduro

Calle Doña María Coronel, 17

Seville

Spain

954 04 57 51

Restaurant Review: conTenedor, Seville

Onion flowers

On the penultimate night of our stay in Seville we had diner at conTenedor. The highly rated restaurant is touted as a good example of modern Seville dining and recommended by the owner of the apartment we were staying in.

The menu had a big focus on biodynamic wines and organic ingredients. With boxes of fresh ingredients on display, chefs working in an open kitchen and an eclectic mix of tables and chairs in the dining room, it felt like the type of place that was appealing to the Seville hipster crowd.

My favourite dish of the evening was the arroz con pato (€13). Cooked rice was then fried until crispy giving a lovely crunch and texture. The rice was accompanied by chicken, thyme and swirls of a punchy sauce. I also remember the tarta chocolate (€5.50) that we shared for dessert.

I enjoyed our diner at conTenedor, but I was expecting a bit more from one of Seville's 'top' restaurants. The vibe was a little different to other places we'd eaten in Spain, but the food was at the same (good) level as many of the other places we'd eaten. At €57 for two it certainly didn't break the bank, but was higher than the €35 level we'd usually been paying.

Arroz con pato

Ensalada

Tataki

Tarta chocolate

conTenedor
Calle San Luis, 50
41003
Sevilla
Spain

Spain Day 6: Walking Tour, Cathedral, El Real Alcazar and Plaza de Espana

Giralda Tower

Under normal circumstances being somewhere by 10:30 wouldn't be much of a problem. However, holidays aren't quite normal circumstances and so far on our trip we hadn't left our apartment before midday, so it felt like quite a lot of pressure to be at the meeting point for the walking tour we'd booked. Luckily we rose to the challenge and got to the specified meeting point in Plaza Nueva five minutes early.

The walking tour was an excellent way to get orientated with the city, learn a bit about the culture of Seville and to tick off some of the major tourist in just under two hours. Our softly spoken guide - a Betis fan who wasn't at all happy to see Seville win the Europa League the night before - took us round the district of Santa Cruz.

We started off in the main shopping streets of Sierpes and Cuna, stepping inside an amazing Gothic church, through a district of shops selling flamenco dresses and learning about the fiestas which are the major cultural event of the year for Seville residents.

Becks relaxing in the window of Casa Roman

Visiting the cathedral wasn't part of our tour, but as we passed through the Plaza de los Reyes our guide explained some of the history the cathedral which is the largest in the world and built on the site of a former mosque, the tower of which has been integrated into the tower.

After a quick rest in the square it was into some of the small pedestrian streets at the heart of Santa Cruz. There were some great views of squares filled with Seville orange trees and blossoming jacaranda trees rising up between buildings.

Orange trees in the courtyard of the Cathedral

After the end of the walking tour we headed to Casa Roman for a drink and to re-charge our batteries. We nabbed a prime window seat and were able to people watch those in the square outside as we sipped on our canas and nibbled on plates of manchego cheese and fried cod.

Recharged, we headed to headed to Seville's main event, the Cathedral. You read horror stories about the queues but we luckily only had a short wait to buy a ticket. A good job too as the heat of the sun was searing down on us as we waited.

The highlight of the cathedral for me was the Giraldi tower. The tower is over a hundred meters high and it is ramped all the way to the top. Originally donkeys carried visitors up the tower, but we had to walk with the ramp giving the calves quite a workout. From the top there were some great views of the city and not too many crowds.

Bells in the Giralda Tower

After the cathedral we headed off in search of somewhere to print our Ryanair boarding passes to avoid the scandalous charge for them to print it at the airport for you. You'd think finding an internet café would be a doddle, but they don't seem to exist anymore. Luckily Tourist Information were able to point us in the direction of a commercial printers that was able to help out.

Tickets in hand we strolled through the Jardines de Catalina de Ribera up to the northern end of the Santa Cruz district where we stopped for a couple of tapas at a small bar run by the sister of our guide. The bar was closing as we left, close to 4 o'clock, for the afternoon siesta which seemed a lot more prominent in Seville than it was in Madrid.

El Real Alcazar

After lunch we headed for the second major attraction in Seville, El Real Alcazar. Originally a Moorish fort the palace is a mix of styles with the old fort flanked by some more modern buildings. The Moorish parts of the building were the most impressive by a margin with incredible tiles on the walls and floors.

With the heat (or could it have been the early start ?) getting to me we headed into the gardens for a rest under the shady trees. We spent a good half hour lying under the trees and it was only a group of noisy school children eventually drove us on.

After our break we walked round the more formal part of the gardens and finished visiting the remained of the palace, but I have to admit my heart wasn't in it.

Inside the Alcazar

Leaving the palace we had to decide whether to push onto the Plaza de Espana or risk missing it all together as we were unlikely to be visiting that part of the city again before we left. Despite how tired I was pleased that we made it. I was expecting a nice square, something as grand as Trafalgar Square would have been a bonus, but the Plaza de Espana took thinks to a whole new level.

Built in 1929 the plaza is an enormous semi circle of Renaissance Revival buildings. Truly grand, although I'm not sure if the buildings had much purpose other than to look good and as a place to promenade.

Plaza de Espana

As we walked home to our apartment half of the city appeared to be travelling in the opposite direction for the victory parade of the Seville team to show off their trophy. As we approached our flat we saw a group of men carrying a float in practice for the Semana Santa fiesta next Easter.

Spain Day 5: Arrival in Seville

Our train arrived in Seville after a very comfortable and speedy journey from Madrid. As we stepped outside of a side entrance of the station Seville instantly felt hotter and dustier than the Madrid we'd left behind.

It also felt less glamorous as we walked through and area of social housing towards the apartment we had rented in the Macarena district. Despite a few twists and turns through the small streets we would our apartment without any issues and the owner was waiting outside to let us in. A bright and modern flat it would prove to be a good base during our time in Seville, even if it was a bit Ikea-tastic.

After a while resting in the flat we decided to do a quick run to the supermarket to buy some food for breakfast and fruit before heading out to explore. In contrast to Madrid's wide streets and boulevards, Seville was a maze of narrow streets. It felt a bit like the pedestrian only medina I visited in Fez, but Seville's tiny streets were open to cars who squeezed along them an into impossibly small garages.

The differences took a bit of a while to get used to. I wasn't sure I liked Seville to begin with, but after a couple of days the charm grew on me, and having permanently shady streets during the heat of day definitely had its advantages.

After our supermarket trip we headed to the nearby Plaza San Marcos to fortify ourselves for a walk round the city. In Madrid we'd become used to every place serving tapas, but the only bar open in the square seemed to just serve drinks. While we were at the bar a few Seville fans started arriving and flags were being hung from nearby balconies. We realised that the Europa League final was being played that night and lots of fans were turning out to cheer their home team on.

After our drinks we set off, first booking a table at nearby ConTendedor for the following evening before heading off towards the centre of the city. We were heading for La Brunilda restaurant which Becks had chosen for dinner.

We got a little disorientated walking in the small and twisty streets, finding ourselves in the large public square of Alamedia de Hércules before eventually getting back on track and finding the restaurant, which was packed. Deciding we didn't fancy the forty five minute wait we traced our steps to a nearby plaza where we'd seen a few other places.

Dinner was at a pretty average tourist joint. We decide against dessert and to buy ice creams from a nearby shop to eat as we walked home. We took the more direct route back through the central shopping district, past the impressive Metro Parasol and a lively wine bar not too from our apartment that we took a mental note to visit again.

Spain Day 5: Final morning in Madrid

The rose garden in the Retiro

On our final morning in Madrid we packed our bags, left the apartment which had proved a great home over the last four days and headed down to the train station where we'd be leaving departing for Seville later in the day.

We dropped our bags off at left luggage, after clearing them through airport style security, and made use of the smartest train station toilets I've ever seen. Madrid train station was proving itself to be the most traveller friendly station I've ever used.

Refreshed we decided to take our books and head up to the Retiro to relax for a while before our train. While we were in the park we couldn't resist visiting the rose garden for a second time. It was even more impressive than the previous Sunday with lots more roses in flower and fewer crowds.

After a short time sitting in the garden, I fancied a quick lunch before we got the train. We headed towards some awnings I'd spotted near the entrance to the park, assuming that they were cafés. The street I'd seen turned out to be lined with second hand book stalls. Even though I couldn't understand any of the titles, there is something soothing about second hand book shops.

Caixa building

As we looped our way back towards the train station we passed the Caixa building. The old electrical station is flanked by an enormous living all outside and has had a large copper extension placed on top. Unsure if it was open to the public or not we decided to venture inside. It turned out to be a museum with an impressively angular central station. We didn't have time for a look at any of the exhibitions, but it is definitely somewhere I'd visit again next time I'm in Madrid.

We were running out of time before our train when Becks spotted a branch of Museo del Jamon that I'd been joking about wanting to visit for the last couple of days. We dived in and grabbed a couple of spots at the bar. My Spanish wasn't good enough to understand the various meal deals on offer, but I chanced my arm with jamon sandwich and a beer. Becks opted for the ham and cheese croissant with a beer as well. We were given some complimentary chorizo and olives as well.

When we asked for the bill we were charged the unbelievably small amount 3.90 EUR. We couldn't quite decided if they'd charged us the right amount or not. I was going to check  if we'd been charged the right amount but all the staff headed to the other end of the bar, so we decided to bid a hasty retreat.

Lunch at the Museo del Jamon

After retrieving our bags we headed for our train, which whisked to Seville in two and a half hours. The train was a modern TGV, which makes you realise how long in the tooth the twenty year old Eurostar trains are now. I slept a lot of the way, but my favourite feature was the speedometer in the carriage which topped out around 290 kph when I was watching. It felt unbelievably smooth.

Out of the window I remember seeing lots of olive trees and one half finished housing estate close to the railway line. It was one of the few signs of Spain's economic troubles we saw during the trip.