If you travel to Trieste, don’t fail to visit its historical cafés. Part of their patina is due to their connection with literary figures – writers such as Svevo, Saba, Stendhal and Joyce frequented these establishments in search of conversation, inspiration and rest.

While these cafés enjoyed their moment of splendour in the late-19th and early-20th century, they have endured to the present, albeit with some changes, transporting their customers back to a bygone age. Visitors can admire their wooden furnishings, framed in tall architectural devices, the classic marble tables and an atmosphere redolent with the aroma of coffee.

Here are some of the standout historical cafés of Trieste:

Caffè Tommaseo (Piazza Tommaseo, 4/c)

Opened in 1830 by the Paduan, Tommaso Marcato, this is Trieste’s oldest café. It was decorated by the painter, Gatteri, who among other things commissioned the mirrors to be brought from Belgium. It was once a meeting place of merchants and writers and the first establishment in the city to serve ice-cream. It also used to host art exhibitions and concerts, a tradition still kept alive on its premises.

Caffè degli Specchi (Piazza Unità d’Italia, 7)

Founded in 1839 by the Greek, Nicolò Priovolo, it is located in one of the most privileged spots in Trieste, the Piazza Unità d’Italia, on the ground floor of the Stratti building. When you get to this café, you are hard put to decide where to sit – the interior is still tinged with the charm of its glorious past, while the terrace affords lovely views of the square and the sea. Curiously, during World War II it was used to garrison troops, and also as a warehouse and even a stable.

Caffè Tergesteo (Piazza della Borsa, 15)

Housed in the shopping arcade of the Tergesteo Palace, the former seat of Trieste’s stock exchange, it is famed for its stained-glass windows depicting scenes from the city’s history. It was once frequented during the day by businessmen who attended the stock exchange, and by night by the cultural elite.

Caffè San Marco (Via Battisti, 18)

The early years of this café were troubled ones. Having opened in 1914, the following year it was closed down and destroyed by Austro-Hungarian troops for having been the meeting place for the irredentists. It was rebuilt in the twenties, when its regular clientele featured such literary figures as Saba, Svevo and Giotti. It is now a café, cultural centre and library and still breathes the atmosphere of another age.

Caffè Torinese (Corso Italia, 2)

The first thing that strikes one when entering this bar, opened in 1915, is its Art Nouveau decoration, the work of the Trieste cabinet-maker, Debelli. Another stunning feature is the spectacular crystal chandelier that lights its comfortable interior. The current owners have managed to endow the locale with a cool, modern air in the guise of its cocktails and its wine list, which includes local wines.

How to Order a Coffee in Trieste

While this might sound outlandish, Trieste has its own names for different types of coffee and you should bear this in mind unless you want to end up gawking at the waiter who has just served up your order. An expresso is called a nero, while a capuccino is known as caffè latte. If you want a macchiato, you have to ask for a capo (capuccino) and, if you’d like your coffee served in a glass, you should specify “in a b”, as “b” is the abbreviation for glass (bicchiere) in Italian.

Ready for a good cup of coffee in Trieste? Book your Vueling here.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Photos by dani7c3, Caffè Tommaseo, Caffè Torinese, Caffè degli Specchi

With the huge, varied offerings in its restaurants, Seville is well worth a culinary visit. From the oldest in the city, Rinconcillo (Calle Gerona, 40. Seville), where the waiters write your order down on the bar counter with a piece of chalk, to the modern Eslava (Calle Eslava, 3-5. Seville), award-winner for such tapas as Un cigarro para Bécquer (a cigar for Bécquer), which emulates a cigar, made of brik pastry filled with algae, cuttlefish and squid-ink calamari.

Then there is the canned fare of La Flor de Toranzo (Calle Jimios, 1-3), the varied side-dishes of Catalina Casa de Comidas y Más (Plaza Padre Jerónimo de Córdoba, 12. Seville) and the legendary piripi (sousing) at Bodeguita Antonio Romero (Calle Antonio Díaz, 5, Antonio Díaz, 19 y Gamazo, 16. Seville), a bread roll filled with bacon, cheese, tomato and mayonnaise, with a touch of garlic and pork fillet.

If Seville is worth visiting, its environs also deserve a culinary tour, either to taste the local fare or to find out more about such emblematic products as their cured ham.

At Sanlúcar la Mayor, some 25 kilometres from Seville, is the restaurant Alhucemas (Avenida del Polideportivo, 4. Sanlúcar la Mayor), an eatery serving deep-fries which, according to many chefs, have the best fried fish in Spain. While they have not yet earned a Michelin star, the managers are regulars at gastronomic congresses, where they reveal their culinary secrets. The restaurant is also frequented by shrine pilgrims seeking their spicy skewered meat known aspinchos morunos,and their lobster salad.

A bit further afield – just one hour away by car – is the must-see ham museum unveiled five months ago at the Cinco Jotas (Calle San Juan del Puerto, s/n), in Jabugo, Huelva. The trip is rewarding as it reveals all the secrets of the production and curing of 100% Iberian bellota ham via a series of talking panels, graphics, videos, interactive screens and a 12-metre-long cyclorama which plunges you into the meadows where the hogs roam free… There are three unforgettable moments: walking through the impressive cellar, where 50,000 (maybe more) legs of ham are kept, the room where a contest is held – with screens, as if in a TV set – where visitors are quizzed about what they see and awarded virtual slices of ham, and the end of the visit, where you are treated to a tasty delicacy, washed down with red wine or sherry.

Nearby the museum you can visit the Gruta de las Maravillas (Calle Pozo de la Nieve, s/n. Aracena) in Aracena, a complex of monumental, millenary caves with interior lakes and figures so incredible they seem hallucinatory. You can have lunch at the Arrieros restaurant (Arrieros, 2. Linares de la Sierra) in Linares de la Sierra, where they serve one of the best hamburgers in Spain, made of tenderloin and field mushrooms. (According to Martín Berasategui, it’s the best hamburger he’s ever tasted, and he must be right.) Indeed, the menu is based on Iberian pork, field mushrooms, fruit and vegetables from their allotment and local aromatic herbs. In a nutshell, what their chef, Luismi López, describes as alta cocina serrana (“highland haute cuisine”), which materialises in the form of excellent dishes, notably Iberian game carpaccio, foie gras and vinaigrette del Condado, tomato soup, strawberry gazpacho, scrambled blood sausage and king prawns, toast with semi-cured cheese and herbs…

Text and images Ferran Imedio (Gastronomistas)

World cuisines converge on London and Spain’s contribution is no exception. The story goes back a long way, to when a handful of immigrant chefs turned up with the intention of staying. That was just the beginning. Nowadays, Spanish cuisine is well established there. In great establishments and in the guise of some great names. Iberian presa and paleta, chorizo and pollo al chilindrón no longer require translation. Similarly, no introduction is required for such names as Juan Mari Arzak, Nacho Manzano, Eneko Atxa or Dabiz Muñoz. Not even Albert Adrià or the Roca brothers, even though their ventures in London have thus far proved fleeting – the former, in the Café Royal and the latter, on the first stop of their forthcoming tour. The present offers bites worthy of nostalgia-free refuge, while the future promises to be equally appetising.

Starred. Ametsa, managed by Juan Mari and Elena Arzak, is the first Spanish restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star in London, and just a few months after opening at that. They offer creative cuisine of Basque origin, in the form of a tapa with tea at four o’clock, as well as lunch for just a few pounds featuring a tasting menu with an immaculate parade of dishes. Their wine list shows special sensibilities for wines with soul and Spanish varieties.

With a “barra” (bar counter). Between Nieves Barragán’s different Barrafina – where there’s always a queue to try their regional Spanish tapas – and Donostia, with their pintxos and other nods to the finest Basque cuisine, you will be hard put to choose where to nibble on tasties at a reasonable price. However, if your thing is grills, go for Lurra.

With a history. Boasting four venues in London, and others still to come, Nacho Manzano’s Ibérica restaurants showcase the pull and the consistency of traditional Spanish cooking. Produce with designation of origin, generous helpings and an all-enveloping interior design are key to the success of a label which reaches as far afield as Manchester and Leeds.

Venerable. Boasting a team of chefs trained by the great names in Spanish haute cuisine, Alquimia is a must-visit restaurant for tasting fine rice in London. All of them, including the paellas, are served in portions for two, and there is also an assortment of other dishes on the menu.

Classy. There are very few places where cocktail culture carries as much weight as in London. Hence, Javier de las Muelas and his signature cocktails just had to set up in that city. Dry Martini London, at the Meliá White House - London, boasts an admirable nursery of mixologists who even create themed cocktails in the adjoining experimental kitchen.

In addition to these proposals, keep a look out for the long-awaited opening of the London StreetXo, while the restaurant Eneko Atxa is due to unveil in the One Aldwych Hotel in Convent Garden.

Overnights:
The Halkin By COMO. This hotel is synonymous with authenticity and distinction. Surrounded by embassies, with a siting as tranquil as it is near to the shopping bustle around Harrod’s, this hotel has spacious, sought-after rooms. Their luxury amenities and à la carte breakfast are also among their fortes.

IGH London Park Lane. If you want to sleep like a king, what better than to lodge in this former royal residence a stone’s throw away from Hyde Park? Their bar, restaurant and rooms have enviable views and noteworthy floral arrangements.

Meliã White House. Close to Soho and to major tourist attractions, the architecture of this hotel is an inducement on its own. The renovated rooms and the access to The Level Floor will enliven your stay all the more.

Text by Belén Parra of Gastronomistas

Images courtesy of the establishments

In the culinary sphere, a new wave of local chefs is venturing into signature cuisine based on local produce and a heady shot of well channelled creativity. There aren’t many places where you will notice such a local penchant for eating and drinking – particularly drinking – as in Saint Petersburg, like some genuinely celebratory way of life. And, as the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Cococo. In the same kitchens where Alain Ducasse decided to try his luck in the city, now it is chef Igor Grishechkin and his talented crew who delight lunch and dinner guests that share their predilection for the setting and staging. Local produce in abundance and a commitment to the source of each dish. Brilliant plating up. Must book in advance. Voznesensky prospect, 6

TartarBar. Well off Saint Petersburg’s tourist track, this huge, industrial-aesthetic eatery invites you to savour chef Dmitri Blinov’s creative offerings. A profusion of raw, proximity products on a menu which makes no distinction between first and second course in a bid to foster a sampling approach throughout the meal. Vilenskiy St. 15

Hamlet + Jacks. Here you can taste chef Eugene Vikentiev’s compelling local-style dishes, as well as those of international inspiration, hard by the warmth and in full view of the kitchen fires. Short cookings, judicious combinations of ingredients and texture contrasts go into the making of dishes that bring out the finest in Russian cuisine as well as successfully exploring the culinary produce from the world over. Volynskiy per. 2

Pedro & Gómez u Larisy. If you’re into generous helpings of fusion cuisine, this is for you. Get ready to wield the chopsticks and move from America to Asia through a number of adroit dishes prepared in front of you, if you elect to sit at the bar. Large snacks, tremendous bowls of ramen and all dishes conducive to sharing. Rubinshteyna 29

Four Hands.Strike out just beyond downtown Saint Petersburg to try this warm gastropub with its characterful, minute cuisine authored by chef Cepren Fokin. Go for the bar counter so as not to miss the various preparation stages and even engage in repartee with the chef while you’re at it. Their tripe is another hallmark of the house. Prospekt Kosmonavtov, 63

Duo Gastrobar. Market cuisine with harkings of long-standing recipe books in modest-sized helpings. This quaint hangout with a bar counter and just five tables is the in spot among the foodie crowd. You’ll be caught up by the atmosphere and the ambitious wine list. Best book in advance. Kirochnaya St. 8A

Where to Sleep, Breakfast and Vice Versa

W St. Petersburg. This is the grand hotel par excellence. A pageant of modernity, warmth and good taste in Russia’s most cosmopolitan city. You will appreciate the welcome, the fireplace in the lounge in the colder months, and their spa, all year around. Spacious rooms, a roof terrace with views, a peerless location and a buffet breakfast lacking nothing, round off this charming hotel. 6 Voznesensky Prospect

Polikoff. The most functional option, sited at an intersection on crowded Nevsky Avenue, which you are bound to hit sooner or later. Housed on two floors of a former block of flats, this is the most practical and economical choice when pressed for time to sleep and breakfast. Karavannaya/Nevsky prospekt 64/11

Text by Belén Parra of Gastronomistas.com