ASADOR LA CASTILLERÍA To reach this meat mecca, just outside the pretty Andalusian hill-top village of Vejer de la Frontera, you must go up an extremely small road, but it is well worth the effort. You will find it is an idyllic setting amongst the trees, which ensures it is coolish on warm nights. Juan Valdés and Ani Melero run the restaurant. The restaurant is a selector, ager, ripener and steakhouse all in one. There are only a few of these around, and here they have their

VENTA EL TORO This is a small, discreet, countryside Venta without any pretensions. There are a few tables with a bar inside, and two terraces where most of the action takes place. Inside tables are used in more inclement weather. The terrace across the road runs over the stream that runs through Santa Lucía. Some of these tables were already reserved, so I suggest arriving early or making a reservation. The traditional inside area is wall-to-wall with their bullfighting phot

Pristine sand and dunes with a few good restaurants await you at Playa de Bolonia. RESTAUARANTE LAS REJAS It is a surfer's beach all year round, backed by the remains of a Roman settlement (the ruins of Baleo Claudia, 380 BC). The town had a massive theatre and temples dedicated to Juno, Jupiter, Minerva, and the Egyptian Goddess Isis for the next three centuries. The Romans were equal-opportunity believers. On the shore were the circular stone vats used to salt the tuna. Re

BAR SAN JUAN After a few local recommendations, we have been meaning to come to this restaurant in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, on the outskirts of Manchester, for some time. On this cold Monday evening in November, we finally made it. This restaurant is a traditional bar, serving authentic tapas. The atmosphere indoors is cosy and full of character, with bullfighting posters. This is a nice place to go to eat in Manchester. We picked quite a few of the tapas: Jamo croquetas (ham croq

We often visit the Parque Natural del Cabo de Gata-Níjar in the province of Almería (Andalucía's most significant protected coastal area, with a wild, isolated landscape and a hot desert climate). This time, we went to Agua Amarga, which borders spectacular, barren spaghetti western territory. This low-key village packs in cool bars, restaurants, locals, and fishermen. Beside a headland of troglodyte caves at the southern end of the beach. Most of the tourists here are Spanis

CASA BIGOTE      Michelin Bib Gourmand It was in 1951 when a local sailor, Fernando Hermoso, opened a despacho de Vinos selling manzanilla to fishermen. Fernando grew an Errol Flynn-style moustache, and his friends started calling him "El Bigote".   Manzanilla, a salty, extremely dry sherry (the salt comes from the local bodegas' proximity to the sea air), originates from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and you will still find it on almost every table. In 1970, Fernando Jr. took over

TAST CATALANA Michelin Bib Gourmand With Chef Paco Perez at the helm, Tast Catalana opened in King Street, Manchester in 2018.  Although we are in Manchester quite often to watch football, this evening, Manchester United vs Olympique Lyonnais, this was our first visit here, on this chilly Mancunian spring day. They offer two different dining areas, both stylishly modern: a bar and terrace on the ground floor, and a casual Restaurant on the first floor. After settling in and

ES GERRET One of the new upscale restaurants in Sant Antoni de Portmany (San Antonio) goes against the town's preconceived image. There is a terrace and a large indoor seating area. We started with tartar de atún (tuna tartar). Calamare panko (deep-fried squid rings coated in panko breadcrumbs). Patatas bravas. Spicy potatoes. Gambas ajillo (sizzling garlic prawns). We had the highly recommended Crema de pistacho (pistachio cream) for dessert. We had a bottle of the very acce

CASA BALBINO Sanlúcar de Barrameda (or simply Sanlúcar) is a city in the north-west of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is situated on the left bank of the Guadalquivir River, at its mouth, opposite the Doñana National Park. Sanlúcar de Barrameda is one of Spain's three best-known sherry-producing towns. (The other two are Jerez de la Frontera, for which sherry is named, and El Puerto de Santa María.) Although a seaside

RESTAURANTE CA'S MILÁ Michelin Plate IIO We revisited the stunning Restaurant, which is high up and overlooks the great beach of Cala...