It´s been a while now that La Cacharreria has been the undisputed champion of breakfasts in Seville. Open any hipster guide and there it pops, tempting you in with its delicious homemade jams and luscious cakes. But that´s the only snag, unless you happen to nab one of the two tiny tables outside, there´s no choice but to cosy up within its bare-bricked interior. All well and good on a damp Seville winter´s morning, but right now before 11am is the only time you can sit outside until night falls without melting into a sticky heap, so breakfast ´al fresco´ becomes a premium.
Last week a new contender stepped into the ring, with a culinary pedigree that got me salivating at the mere thought. La Cuba in Plaza San Marco, is the new venture from the team behind ConTenedor, but don´t go expecting the same high-end elaborate cuisine as their self proclaimed slow-food original offers. That´s not to say the food isn´t good, it is just La Cuba isn´t equipped with a kitchen as you would know it. In fact it would appear at first glance that inside it isn´t equipped with anything at all. That´s because the main focus of La Cuba, apart from the food, is the terraza outside nestling at the foot of San Marcos Church. In fact it´s a table outside or nothing, because step inside the bar itself (to go to the loo for example) and you find yourself amidst chopping boards, juicers and all sorts of culinary capers.
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| ‘old’ cheese, sun dried tomatoes, avocado, rocket on toast |
Breakfast errs on the side of fancy. Granted you´ve got a whole load of toasted options, but instead of the usual tomato and olive oil staple, there are wildly exotic possibilities like ghee and homemade jam, hummus (exotic in these parts), roasted peppers and aubergines with anchovies, and sun dried tomatoes, rocket, manchegoesque cheese with avocado.
And that’s without even getting to the ‘bols’ (which are breakfast bowls filled with a whole bewildering, smorgus board of stuff). It was after I had consumed my avocado, cheese and rocket toast extravaganza that I noticed the non-breaded goods options, so I can´t speak from first hand experience. But the menu does include intriguing combinations such as organic goats cheese yogurt with homemade muesli or possibly the most mind blowing breakfast combination of them all; avocado mousse with cocoa, agave syrup, cayenne pepper, muesli and fruit.
It is easy to get a little bit over-awed by breakfast at la Cuba, particularly when choice in most other places is limited to ¨tomate triterado o en rodajas¨ (tomatoes mushed or sliced). The menu is extensive and slightly bonkers, though does try to cater to all dietary limitations providing a key for any possible allergy or intolerance issues.
Apart from breakfast they´ve got a fresh, lunch and dinner menu with light, inventive salads, hot and cold soups (I tried their deliciously wholesome warm, pumpkin soup ladened with roasted vegetables and croutons), salmon tartar, venison tataki and cheese/ham/ pate platters.
It´s only been open a week, so time will tell whether Seville will go wild over ghee and jam on toast or not, but I for one am already planning my next trip back to try some avocado mousse, agave syrup and muesli. I may never look back.
La Cuba, Plaza San Marco
Breakfast served 9am-1pm at weekends
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