A blog about living and learning in Jerez de la Frontera
We did it! One of life's windows opened up, and we jumped through it with two suitcases and our cat and landed on all fours in Spain in early 2023. What follows is a nice and accurate account of the whys, hows, wheres and holy-craps of what we did and what we did next. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and at some point you'll probably go to the lavatory.
Our current top-three restaurants in Jerez
Choosing our favourite restaurant in Jerez is like nominating a favourite child, when you know full well that one day he, she or they will crash your car or tell you they want to be an influencer.
Akase Japanese fusion
For us it was the best demonstration yet of not only the superbivity of Spanish seafood range, but also just how different each of the fish tastes. It’s wild. Uniquely and unapologetically un-Japanese. Proudly Andalucían.
Somebody stop Phil!
TV presenter and comedy writer Phil Rosenthal has joined the long list of film makers who over the years have caused culinary chaos in some of San Sebastián’s finest bars.
Where are all the veggies!
If there’s one minor gripe I hear from visitors to Spain it’s that they’ve gotten ‘meated out’, as the majority of offerings on any given menu tend to be on the living-and-breathing side, at least until recently.
A (partial) glossary of food in Jerez
Yesterday I was at home threatening the cat and Jess asked me if we were out of butifarra. I said that I don't think so, but if you get caught short there are some tissues in the cupboard.
The secret’s out: where to eat in San Sebastian
When you come to San Sebastian, you should avoid the places you've read about and seen on TV. Not because they're no good, but that they're full of tourists who've all seen the same lazy YouTube clip.
Casa Urola: the exception that proves the rule
If you've read my post on how to eat out in San Sebastian, you'll know to avoid any place that has a queue outside – because within five minutes' walk there are 50 places as good or better.
How (not) to eat out in San Sebastian
When you read up on the food scene before you visit a new town you’ll inevitably find dozens of articles with titles like ‘The 10 best places to eat in …’ In San Sebastian, such a notion doesn’t make much sense. There are around 200 eateries within 15 minutes walk
How to order food in a San Sebastian bar
A common sight in this neck of the woods is tourists with mildly shocked and confused expressions on their faces as they enter a pintxo bar for the first time. It can be a little overwhelming, particularly when it's busy, so here's a brief guide to ordering food like a local.
A glossary of pintxos in San Sebastian
Google Translate often won't help you identify menu items. While lots of bars in Basque Country have an English menu, they've often been written by someone local who himself has used Google Translate.
Shopping for groceries in San Sebastian
Back to our second day in Spain nearly two years ago. We're stocking up on groceries. We've unloaded our cart onto the conveyor belt and everything is going dandy. Then the checkout lady picked up our bag of potatoes an ran off with them, leaving us and a growing queue of people behinds us baffled and angry, respectively.
A new food pattern
I'd rather have my scrotum caught in a revolving door than go to a supermarket on a Saturday morning. In Spain they do have equivalent supermarkets – many with revolving doors, so there are some intriguing possibilities opening up – but reliance by locals on these corporate behemoths is a lot lower than it is in Australia.