This week is Feria. If you happen to head down to the dusty enclave of Los Remedios you´ll be greeted by a scene that has barely changed in one hundred years. Row after row of wooden marquees, bedecked with an assortment of brightly coloured adornments, jostle for prominence as traditional Sevillanas blare out, only occasionally taking a breath for some rumba. Stunningly beautiful and unnaturally svelte women of all ages, poured like melted honey into tightly fitting flamenca dresses, stand nonchalantly, sipping teeny tiny plastic glasses of refreshing but hangover inducing rebujito. Throughout the day until the sun goes down, horses parade along the dirty streets, mounted by traditionally attired men, often with a flamenco dressed female accessory balanced precariously behind. The imagery is surreal, yet manages to conjure up all the stereotypes of Spain in one full sweep.
It´s easy to imagine that Sevilla as a city has stood still in time. From the architecture, to the fashion, to the die hard following of centuries old traditions, it knows how to stick to tried and tested formulas, in an ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ kind of mentality. But as I’ve often written about here in this blog, if you look closely enough there are incremental changes a foot. They may happen a wee while after other cities in Spain, but they do happen none the less.
Take for example the concept of brunch. With most places serving tostada and its regular bed fellow, jamon until what would be an Anglo Saxon lunch time, it’s not surpising that brunches have been slow to hit the streets of Sevilla. But in the recently opened ‘Kok tu Cocina’ on Calle San Luis, they are seeking to buck the trend. The main focus of Kok is cooking workshops and tasting sessions (this month you can learn how to make cupcakes, cookies and gazpacho), but every Sunday and public holiday, they open their doors to serve brunch to the more adventurous of the local population.
As culinary classes are the focus, the centre piece of Kok is the huge open plan kitchen, where you can see the cooking action unfold. A table laden with freshly made and ready to eat produce sits enticingly nearby. Brunch consists of 3 courses, the first being freshly squeezed orange juice or whatever is the juice of the day, plus tea or coffee. The second, a huge bowl of fresh fruit, yogurt and muesli or a selection of artisan breads, accompanied by cold meats, cheese and homemade jams. The final course is essentially the egg course, a choice between Eggs Benedict (poached eggs on top of crispy bacon slathered in a Hollandaise sauce) or scrambled eggs and bacon.
Kok had barely been open a month the day I stopped by for brunch, and there was a definite buzz in the air, despite it being a relaxed Sunday morning. You know that something is hitting high on the trendometer by its sizeable hipster quota, and I definitely saw a fair share of skinny jeans and impressive facial hair on show. So it may be worthwhile calling in advance to make sure you get a table or face rugby tackle an achingly hip Alameda local to the ground.
Price wise, it’s a big leap up from the classic tostada and jamon costing between 9 and 15 Euros depending on the courses you partake in. But if you want to ride the nu wave of culinary delights that is slowly hitting Sevilla, then dig deep into your pockets and join the brunch revolution.
Kok Tu Cocina, Calle San Luis 46, Sevilla 609 23 25 98
Brunch from 10am Sunday mornings and public holidays
www.koktucocina.com
https://www.facebook.com/koktucocina
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