Three Questions from the deck boys: Best hotel/Resort, best bar and best restaurant that you have enjoyed in your global travels?

[El Presidente]

We cover the big issues on the deck over a cigar and copious drinks. 

Three Questions from the deck boys: Best hotel/Resort,  best bar and best restaurant that you have enjoyed in your global travels?

Now they may be close to home, or domiciled in a far off place. 

• Best hotel/resort/similar. 
• Best bar
• Best restauraunt

* None need to be in the same locale. You folk travel so shoot from the hip based upon the smile on the dial delivery. 

Not a bad thread to stack (back of mind) when considering future travel plans 

[Bill Hayes]

Palace Hotel Tokyo

Gin Palace Melbourne - (fav) probably not best

Fat Duck Crown Casino - was a limited pop-up in Melbourne, other than that I loved Joel Rubuchon in Hong Kong

[westg]

Tough one

Nobu Hong Kong and Hawaii were both Amazing 

Fullerton Singapore by no means  the best but my absolute favourite. Location atmosphere, temperature I just love the smell of that place. Everything near by is amazing, I can't wait to go back.

For a bar...so tough , plenty of fond memories from Cuba. Marini's On 57 is great Kuala  Lumpur, Sky Bar Bangkok. The Garden Perth is probably the most special we can smoke cigars up there without complaint. By we I mean Tony and Clive (Miner and Joker ) and you too Steve ( Oz Cuban ) 

My favourite, the Oyster Mandurah. My home town.

You can jump in the boat with mates late afternoon, there is never a problem docking within 50 meters. The oysters are great the food average, the scenery is breath taking and the company is always world class. In that fisherman, grumpy old sea dogs , riterd abolone divers and mates you have known your whole life .It is not great..it is grand. Usually we can remember getting there, not often do we remember coming home. 

[Puros Y Vino]

Hotel: Excellence Mayan Riviera (AI). Runner up.  The Phoenician Scottsdale AZ.

Bar: Been to many. Can't say I remembered much about them besides being competent, had a good atmosphere and did not drain my wallet too fast. I'll go with something personal. The little bar in my father's hometown in Italy. It was there before he was born and in 2019 I visited and my uncle and aunt sat in that very bar with me. They reminisced on how my father, would take them to watch the only TV in town while he enjoyed some wine and cigarettes at age that would have raised a few eyebrows.

Restaurant: Can't remember the exact name but it was in Rome in the Travestere region. We were on a tour and the outdoor setting by the river was picturesque. The food and ambiance was just like the family get togethers I remember as a kid.

Runner Up: Au Pied de Cochon (Montreal). Been there several times. Excellent place for French Canadian cuisine. Pork, duck, foie gras, maple syrup, maple beer and a great wine list.  

[theTXpanda]

As far as hotels, the Oceana in Santa Monica, CA is pretty incredible. Quiet, nice view, with some top tier service. Really enjoyed our stay. 

Also the Post Oak Hotel in Houston is wonderful. Classy with some more incredible service. Front desk, bellhop, restaurants all treated us like kings. 

[BrightonCorgi]

Best Hotel/Resort - Ritz Carlton Grand Canal Abu Dhabi, UAE. All the best the Ritz offers in an over-the-top setting with room rates that are incredibly low.  There is a cigar bar, easy smoking outside, and top notch restaurants including a steak house that had La Tache on the wine list for like half-the-price I've seen it at auction!

Best Restaurant(s) - O Dinis (Portuguese) in East Providence, RI USA. Fantastic Portuguese restaurant with seafood so fresh, it still has the hook in it.  Fabulous wine prices, and just honest vibe & crowd.  11AM and every table has a bottle of wine.  Din Tai Fung (many locations) Been to the Singapore locations. Just too damn good!

[Marco_011t556]

Best hotel:

China Hainan -  Sanya Capella Tufu Bay..excellent room services, food, environment, view

[Arabian]

- Velassaru Maldives

- I don’t go to bars 😕

- Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que (The Z-man) 

[Cigar Surgeon]

• Best hotel/resort/similar. 
  • Believe it or not the Wynn Las Vegas. For resorts it would be the Barcelo Maya in Playa del Carmen.  
• Best bar
  • Eh.  I've been to a bunch of interesting bars around the world but nothing really stands out. The bar on the 2nd level of the Kempinski in Havana was pretty luxurious.
• Best restauraunt
  • Food wise it would be Black's BBQ or Stiles Switch BBQ in Austin. Next up would be Bazaar Meats in Vegas. Bazaar would win on presentation, and theme but Austin wins on food. 

[Chibearsv]

Best Hotel - I don't seek out spectacular hotels since it's just a place to lay my head. No notable standouts for me.  Resorts - Meh

Best Bar - When I drank, every bar was a good bar. No notable standouts for me

Best Restaurant - Mama's Fish House on Maui.  

[Perla]

Hotel been to many in my life. Resort not my think. What stood out was Hotel Fritsch in Bregenz, Austria. Top of the mountain, breathtaking view over the Lake of Constance and the Alps. A dream. The Hotel Forellenhof in Palatine. It’s located close to a pond ( little lake). You have free access to the pond and if you like to you can use a boat. Good is very good, with local producers. 
 

Bar: what stood out was the Raffels in Singapore. May be because we had such a good fun and had been totally pi..ed that it took me 2 days to get sober. What a great day.

Restaurant: Piri-Piri in Lisbon, nothing special, just hot spicy chicken with fries. In the restaurant was a couple with their handicapped boy. He peed on the seat. The boss came to the table and cleaned everything by himself. Even offered clean trousers. 150 points of 100 possible points. U-Formel in Copenhagen what a sensational journey. Flavour & texture indescribable experience. Any time of the year. 

[El Hoze]

Fun thread, I look forward to seeing everyone’s answers. Even a top 5 for each is hard for me: 

-Best Hotel: Cheval Blanc in Saint Barts.

Insanely nice resort on a gorgeous beach on an island I love. Heaven on Earth.

-Best bar: Saga Restaurant & Cigar Club in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

My wife is from Santiago so I spend a bit of time there. Santiago is a big tobacco/cigar industry hub. Saga is owned by Augusto Reyes who comes from a big tobacco family in the area, his wife is Monika Kelner Henke’s daughter. She is also in the business. You go through the restaurant into an indoor/outdoor back bar area there and everyone has a cigar in their hand and two or three lined up in their shirt pocket. Perfect ventilation. They’ll usually have sports on the TVs behind the bar. And the food is fantastic, especially for Santiago which is more limited compared to most major cities. When we are in Santiago I prefer to spend all afternoon there every day smoking cigars (I peel my CC labels off out of respect!) and eating a long lunch/dinner. I am a beer drinker, not a big cocktail guy, and like everywhere in DR if the beer was any colder it would freeze. 

-Best Restaurant: Sushi Yasuda, NYC. 

Traditional edomai style sushi. I have been going there for over 20 years. Not cheap but I also believe the value is hard to beat for high end sushi in a major city. All joking aside what motivated me to work harder when I was in my 20s was I wanted to eat there as often as I wanted and not have to worry when the bill came. I am in NYC alot and will sometimes eat there 2-3 in a week. 

[Cigar Surgeon]

2 hours ago, El Hoze said:

-Best bar: Saga Restaurant & Cigar Club in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

My wife is from Santiago so I spend a bit of time there. Santiago is a big tobacco/cigar industry hub. Saga is owned by Augusto Reyes who comes from a big tobacco family in the area, his wife is Monika Kelner Henke’s daughter. She is also in the business. You go through the restaurant into an indoor/outdoor back bar area there and everyone has a cigar in their hand and two or three lined up in their shirt pocket. Perfect ventilation. They’ll usually have sports on the TVs behind the bar. And the food is fantastic, especially for Santiago which is more limited compared to most major cities. When we are in Santiago I prefer to spend all afternoon there every day smoking cigars (I peel my CC labels off out of respect!) and eating a long lunch/dinner. I am a beer drinker, not a big cocktail guy, and like everywhere in DR if the beer was any colder it would freeze. 

Despite being to the DR twice I haven't had the chance to dine at Saga. Unfortunately I get to live vicariously through industry people who visit a few times a year and always post their delicious tomahawk pictures.

[chasy]

2 hours ago, El Hoze said:

-Best Restaurant: Sushi Yasuda, NYC. 

Agreed - used to go frequently when I lived in Manhattan. Also agree that, while expensive, it's still great value. When I travel to NYC solo, I'll do an omakase at the sushi bar and drink house sake. Tough to beat.

[El Hoze]

18 hours ago, Cigar Surgeon said:

Despite being to the DR twice I haven't had the chance to dine at Saga. Unfortunately I get to live vicariously through industry people who visit a few times a year and always post their delicious tomahawk pictures.

The steaks at Saga are phenomenal. If someone served you that steak at a top NYC steakhouse you would rave about it. It’s particularly impressive as you can’t exactly walk into a store in DR and buy a prime dry aged ribeye. So getting that level of steak in Santiago is worth calling out. My issue is the cost! I’m not a cheap guy but the tomohawk especially is priced at “baller” levels…which I get as getting that quality of beef into an island in the Caribbean costs money. I can cook that at home though! My favorite dish is the chivo (braised goat). It comes only surrounded by thinly sliced avocado. Awesome dish! 

17 hours ago, chasy said:

Agreed - used to go frequently when I lived in Manhattan. Also agree that, while expensive, it's still great value. When I travel to NYC solo, I'll do an omakase at the sushi bar and drink house sake. Tough to beat.

I eat there alone 99% of the time too, always at the bar, omakase…extra oyster nigiri, and “scallop guts” in summer months. They know me there and I generally like to eat pretty fast. Sitting at a sushi bar is a pretty formal experience so I like to be in/out pretty quickly. It is funny when I thought about the question of “best” my first thought was a place outside San Sebastian Spain Asador Etxebarri. Blowout good. But a meal there takes so long you really have to be in the mood and I’ve only been there twice. Yasuda I could eat there every day. Felt like they deserved the vote!

[Ken Gargett]

if limited to one and not 100 for each category - 

resort - the main resort at Lizard Island was a place i really did not want to leave. cape kidnappers resort in NZ pretty close - the service there was extraordinary. the son of the owner was out from the US when i first went there. so he showed me around. we had a flunky following us. one thing tall people will understand. hotels never get the height of the shower head correct. always too low. as we looked at my room, i noted that but said nothing. after the tour, when i checked back into my room, it had been adjusted for my height. the other place, although it is now only used for the owner and his mates, was the Lake Rotoroa Lodge in the north part of the south island of nz. trout fishing lodge. great cellar, brilliant chef, huge wonderful rooms with heated floors. so good. in the old days, you'd arrive and an aussie flag would be flying and they would be at the door, as your transport pulled in, with your favourite cocktail. i would email the manager and arrange for him to have a photo of me and a big trout (yes, i caught a few), displayed above the bed in my mate's room and he''d do it. wouldn't last there long but he'd do it. and if you need any more convincing, it is the place on the cover of the book, '100 places to fish before you die'. 

restaurant - i think i have eaten at el cellar can roca four, maybe five times. they would be the four, maybe five best meals of my life. doing what i do, i do get to go to far too many restaurants here and offshore. it is a cut above. everything. 

bars - there is one i can't wait to get back to, every time i go to spain. in madrid. la venencia. was hidden down a back alley off a square - some local friends showed me - now there is a huge hotel just across the tiny lane but it is like watching muggles. they simply do not see this bar. out of the hotel and straight passed it. every time. it serves only sherry. five versions. nothing else. out of jugs filled from the five barrels. the walls are dark brown from the endless cigars though banned now by spain. the owner is the Spanish basil Fawlty. never speaks to customers. writes the bill in chalk on the bar. cash only. such a wonderful place. i have done a few articles on the place. this one from about five years ago. i still keep in touch with the three guys mentioned. turns out one is the Spanish authority on bullfighting and often travels Europe giving lectures. 

and Stefan (@99call, if i have done that right), you'd be happy with the 'equal workers'. 

 

 

La Venencia (the best hole-in-the-wall bar in the world)

 

For almost a century, the ultimate hole-in-the-wall bar has been La Venencia, a small, drab, dusty room down a narrow back alley off the Santa Ana Square in the El Barrio de Las Letras district of Madrid (‘la venencia’ is the Spanish name for the elongated tasting tool sherry producers use to take a sample from a barrel). Some years ago, an equally drab building, directly across from the bar, apparently a regular home to Gertrude Stein when she was in town, was torn down and replaced by a ritzy hotel. Sit for a moment, watch the patrons, as they hop in and out of their limos. They never notice the old bar. Feels a bit like watching the Muggles in Harry Potter, never noticing the magic around them.

 

Founded back in 1922, this old bar was once word-of-mouth stuff only. Then around ten-fifteen years ago, someone mentioned it in a guide for British soccer hooligans touring Spain. No one was happy – not the regulars, the place itself and certainly not the travelling fans who discovered the place only served sherry and they couldn’t even get a beer.

 

A Spanish friend first took me there around the turn of the century and I fell in love with the place. I visit it every time I am in Madrid. Step inside and there is an old wooden bar, one man working it, hundreds of dusty old sherry bottles on the shelves behind him and, at the end, a collection of ancient barrels. There are a couple of tables with rickety chairs and a small area up a few stairs, only used by couples preferring their own company or when the bar overflows. That is pretty much it. The walls are stained dirt brown through grime, smoke and time – the only parts not brown are where plaster has flaked away, leaving fresh wall exposed. There are a few posters celebrating Sherry festivals back in the early thirties and fifties. Presumably, they had other priorities in the interim. The floor, as with most of the place, is under untold years of dust – it is almost like the rings of a tree. What could this layer reveal?

 

As mentioned, the only thing you can order is sherry, plus some few very good tapas. Pressed salted tuna (mojama), great anchovies, Iberico jamon, Manchego cheese, chorizo, preserved meats, but each glass of sherry arrives with a bowl of nuts, olives or chips. All depends on which sherry. Your tab is written in chalk on the bar and at the end of the evening, the cash (only) is deposited into an ancient wooden register, worked by an old-fashioned lever. There is an old dial phone attached to the wall. Who knows if it still works.

 

In all my years of visiting this bar, I've never managed to exchange more than three words with the owner, even considering the lack of a common language. He is not rude, but makes it clear he is not there to chat. Even with regulars, he is taciturn in the extreme, rarely sharing much.

 

Before stricter regulations hit Madrid, as they have done worldwide, this was a great place to settle back with a cigar and relax from running around enjoying what this great city has to offer (without a word of a lie, last time I was in Madrid, just near La V, I walked around a corner and straight into Tom Jones, to which a friend later said, ‘it’s not unusual…’). The galleries, museums, Goya’s extraordinary Black Paintings at the Prado, Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ at the Reina Sofia, the bars, the restaurants, the people. Samuel Johnson said that when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life. I'd amend that – when a man is tired of London, he should head straight to Madrid and revive himself.

 

Cigars are no longer permitted, indeed the bar now shuts for an occasional few minutes whenever the owner steps out for a cigarette, but sitting down with a mouthwatering sherry, a few anchovies and a good book to read, though the light is always dim, is still a joy. Last visit, I'd spent hours walking the streets in 35°C heat, so it was doubly welcome.

 

As ever, there was a brown film of light making things vaguely visible. A few grimy bulbs struggle to provide illumination for the entire place. An old fan turns languidly, as though it really could not be bothered.

 

After my eyes adjust, I start with Manzanilla. That salty, oystershell brine gently envelopes the senses and it dances across the tongue. Crisp, clean, lean, delicious. A good, full, chilled glass, surely exactly as sherry was always intended to be served – at a good bar with friends and a tapas or two. Not as some somm-inspired match for a chef’s Daliesque dream.

 

The sherries, a choice of five, are all poured from cleanskin bottles. They range from 1.90 to 2.20 Euros a glass, making this brilliant value. You can buy full bottles or halves, as well. When the cleanskin is near empty, it is simply filled from one of the barrels. Apparently, our host ducks down to Jerez regularly to select the barrels.

 

I move to a chilled Fino and it is a godsend in the hot weather. I wonder if any drink could have been more perfect at that moment. Full of flavour, yet light as a feather. I have plans to visit on several more occasions before I leave the city in a week’s time, so know I’ll enjoy the full range, but for the moment, I settle back and start to unwind. A local walks in, greetings are grunted, a glass produced and sherry poured, without even asking what was wanted. The local leans against the bar silently, enjoying his newspaper.

 

The cast of characters which move through La Venencia is all a bit operatic. A few duck in for a quick glass and move on. Some stay for hours. One deliveryman comes in with an armful of pots of orchids, sips on a Fino and is on his way, flowers intact. An occasional tourist sticks his nose in, realises that this is sherry-only territory, recoils in horror and vanishes. Two gentlemen walk in, one looking for all the world like the reincarnation of Lenin in a suit five times too big. Perhaps they are filming something nearby? Groups link up. Late in the evening, there is the post theatre crowd; earlier, it will have been the pre-dinner throng. The Spanish version of the bar where everybody knows your name.

 

The next day, on the other side of the city in a small outdoor bar (so we can all enjoy a cigar), I am discussing bullfighting with three complete strangers I have just met – you just have to love this city – all of whom are aficionados (of cigars, bullfighting and sherry – indeed, I am told that if I do not smoke cigars, do not like sherry and do not take long lunches, I am not a man). It turns out, one of them makes a pilgrimage to La Venencia every day, for his sherry. And has done so for thirty years.

 

When a day or two later, I sample the Palo Cortado, it comes with a bowl of roasted nuts. A much deeper brown, this is a different beast. Old teak and orange rind notes. Wonderfully complex and yet so easy to drink. The Amontillado is another joy. For me, paired with their sardines on bread, it is pretty much my favourite Spanish combination. I try ordering sardines and get a blank look. I make like a fish swimming, to the amusement of the bar, but it does the trick. ‘Ah, anchovy’! Close enough. The sherry itself is soft, complex, dry and lingers wonderfully. Perfect with the oily fish. I think about whether I could move to Madrid so this could be my local.

 

Naturally, La Venencia was a popular hangout for Hemingway, although I did see one blog question the veracity of this, citing that as there were no pictures of him or any Hemingway memorabilia, how could he possibly have been there? Thereby, entirely missing the point of the place. He was known to drink here with Republican soldiers, no doubt collecting information and stories, as this was a favourite anti-fascist haunt. To the best of my knowledge, Hemingway never wrote a word about this place, nor did he ever mention it in dispatches. Some say it was because he never set foot inside; I prefer to think he was protecting his friends and comrades.

 

Speaking of pictures, it is strictly forbidden to take photographs, this rule apparently a relic of the Civil War, for, as one of the main places the forces opposing Franco met, any sign of a camera usually meant a spy in the midst. Another rule is strictly no tips – the Republican soldiers who frequented La Venencia saw themselves as ‘equal workers’.

 

Opening times? They seem to be marginally more regular these days, but when I first started coming here, they were about as reliable as a Madrid street map. You take your chances, but like everything in Spain, no need to go early.

 

My final visit this trip to Madrid. It is plus 40°C, so a Fino is compulsory. As I walk in, our friend behind the bar does not seem unhappy to see me. Did I imagine a flicker of recognition? I sit down, feel the stress run off me, and try and catch up on my notes. Oloroso. All walnuts and teak, citrus, glacéd fruit. Lovely, but the Fino is, for me, the star.

 

As I walk over to the bar to pay for the final time, the owner tallies the bill in chalk and says something to me. In shock, I don’t catch it, but I tell him I will be back, probably in ‘dos anos’. He smiles and shakes my hand. I'm a bit stunned. I feel vindication, acceptance. I feel like I have just received a Spanish knighthood. I can’t stop smiling till I reach the Chuka Ramen Bar, the best ramen in the city, next door.

 

I love this place.

 

Address

Calle Echegaray, 7

28014

[westg]

16 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

if limited to one and not 100 for each category - 

resort - the main resort at Lizard Island was a place i really did not want to leave. cape kidnappers resort in NZ pretty close - the service there was extraordinary. the son of the owner was out from the US when i first went there. so he showed me around. we had a flunky following us. one thing tall people will understand. hotels never get the height of the shower head correct. always too low. as we looked at my room, i noted that but said nothing. after the tour, when i checked back into my room, it had been adjusted for my height. the other place, although it is now only used for the owner and his mates, was the Lake Rotoroa Lodge in the north part of the south island of nz. trout fishing lodge. great cellar, brilliant chef, huge wonderful rooms with heated floors. so good. in the old days, you'd arrive and an aussie flag would be flying and they would be at the door, as your transport pulled in, with your favourite cocktail. i would email the manager and arrange for him to have a photo of me and a big trout (yes, i caught a few), displayed above the bed in my mate's room and he''d do it. wouldn't last there long but he'd do it. and if you need any more convincing, it is the place on the cover of the book, '100 places to fish before you die'. 

restaurant - i think i have eaten at el cellar can roca four, maybe five times. they would be the four, maybe five best meals of my life. doing what i do, i do get to go to far too many restaurants here and offshore. it is a cut above. everything. 

bars - there is one i can't wait to get back to, every time i go to spain. in madrid. la venencia. was hidden down a back alley off a square - some local friends showed me - now there is a huge hotel just across the tiny lane but it is like watching muggles. they simply do not see this bar. out of the hotel and straight passed it. every time. it serves only sherry. five versions. nothing else. out of jugs filled from the five barrels. the walls are dark brown from the endless cigars though banned now by spain. the owner is the Spanish basil Fawlty. never speaks to customers. writes the bill in chalk on the bar. cash only. such a wonderful place. i have done a few articles on the place. this one from about five years ago. i still keep in touch with the three guys mentioned. turns out one is the Spanish authority on bullfighting and often travels Europe giving lectures. 

and Stefan (@99call, if i have done that right), you'd be happy with the 'equal workers'. 

 

 

La Venencia (the best hole-in-the-wall bar in the world)

 

For almost a century, the ultimate hole-in-the-wall bar has been La Venencia, a small, drab, dusty room down a narrow back alley off the Santa Ana Square in the El Barrio de Las Letras district of Madrid (‘la venencia’ is the Spanish name for the elongated tasting tool sherry producers use to take a sample from a barrel). Some years ago, an equally drab building, directly across from the bar, apparently a regular home to Gertrude Stein when she was in town, was torn down and replaced by a ritzy hotel. Sit for a moment, watch the patrons, as they hop in and out of their limos. They never notice the old bar. Feels a bit like watching the Muggles in Harry Potter, never noticing the magic around them.

 

Founded back in 1922, this old bar was once word-of-mouth stuff only. Then around ten-fifteen years ago, someone mentioned it in a guide for British soccer hooligans touring Spain. No one was happy – not the regulars, the place itself and certainly not the travelling fans who discovered the place only served sherry and they couldn’t even get a beer.

 

A Spanish friend first took me there around the turn of the century and I fell in love with the place. I visit it every time I am in Madrid. Step inside and there is an old wooden bar, one man working it, hundreds of dusty old sherry bottles on the shelves behind him and, at the end, a collection of ancient barrels. There are a couple of tables with rickety chairs and a small area up a few stairs, only used by couples preferring their own company or when the bar overflows. That is pretty much it. The walls are stained dirt brown through grime, smoke and time – the only parts not brown are where plaster has flaked away, leaving fresh wall exposed. There are a few posters celebrating Sherry festivals back in the early thirties and fifties. Presumably, they had other priorities in the interim. The floor, as with most of the place, is under untold years of dust – it is almost like the rings of a tree. What could this layer reveal?

 

As mentioned, the only thing you can order is sherry, plus some few very good tapas. Pressed salted tuna (mojama), great anchovies, Iberico jamon, Manchego cheese, chorizo, preserved meats, but each glass of sherry arrives with a bowl of nuts, olives or chips. All depends on which sherry. Your tab is written in chalk on the bar and at the end of the evening, the cash (only) is deposited into an ancient wooden register, worked by an old-fashioned lever. There is an old dial phone attached to the wall. Who knows if it still works.

 

In all my years of visiting this bar, I've never managed to exchange more than three words with the owner, even considering the lack of a common language. He is not rude, but makes it clear he is not there to chat. Even with regulars, he is taciturn in the extreme, rarely sharing much.

 

Before stricter regulations hit Madrid, as they have done worldwide, this was a great place to settle back with a cigar and relax from running around enjoying what this great city has to offer (without a word of a lie, last time I was in Madrid, just near La V, I walked around a corner and straight into Tom Jones, to which a friend later said, ‘it’s not unusual…’). The galleries, museums, Goya’s extraordinary Black Paintings at the Prado, Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ at the Reina Sofia, the bars, the restaurants, the people. Samuel Johnson said that when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life. I'd amend that – when a man is tired of London, he should head straight to Madrid and revive himself.

 

Cigars are no longer permitted, indeed the bar now shuts for an occasional few minutes whenever the owner steps out for a cigarette, but sitting down with a mouthwatering sherry, a few anchovies and a good book to read, though the light is always dim, is still a joy. Last visit, I'd spent hours walking the streets in 35°C heat, so it was doubly welcome.

 

As ever, there was a brown film of light making things vaguely visible. A few grimy bulbs struggle to provide illumination for the entire place. An old fan turns languidly, as though it really could not be bothered.

 

After my eyes adjust, I start with Manzanilla. That salty, oystershell brine gently envelopes the senses and it dances across the tongue. Crisp, clean, lean, delicious. A good, full, chilled glass, surely exactly as sherry was always intended to be served – at a good bar with friends and a tapas or two. Not as some somm-inspired match for a chef’s Daliesque dream.

 

The sherries, a choice of five, are all poured from cleanskin bottles. They range from 1.90 to 2.20 Euros a glass, making this brilliant value. You can buy full bottles or halves, as well. When the cleanskin is near empty, it is simply filled from one of the barrels. Apparently, our host ducks down to Jerez regularly to select the barrels.

 

I move to a chilled Fino and it is a godsend in the hot weather. I wonder if any drink could have been more perfect at that moment. Full of flavour, yet light as a feather. I have plans to visit on several more occasions before I leave the city in a week’s time, so know I’ll enjoy the full range, but for the moment, I settle back and start to unwind. A local walks in, greetings are grunted, a glass produced and sherry poured, without even asking what was wanted. The local leans against the bar silently, enjoying his newspaper.

 

The cast of characters which move through La Venencia is all a bit operatic. A few duck in for a quick glass and move on. Some stay for hours. One deliveryman comes in with an armful of pots of orchids, sips on a Fino and is on his way, flowers intact. An occasional tourist sticks his nose in, realises that this is sherry-only territory, recoils in horror and vanishes. Two gentlemen walk in, one looking for all the world like the reincarnation of Lenin in a suit five times too big. Perhaps they are filming something nearby? Groups link up. Late in the evening, there is the post theatre crowd; earlier, it will have been the pre-dinner throng. The Spanish version of the bar where everybody knows your name.

 

The next day, on the other side of the city in a small outdoor bar (so we can all enjoy a cigar), I am discussing bullfighting with three complete strangers I have just met – you just have to love this city – all of whom are aficionados (of cigars, bullfighting and sherry – indeed, I am told that if I do not smoke cigars, do not like sherry and do not take long lunches, I am not a man). It turns out, one of them makes a pilgrimage to La Venencia every day, for his sherry. And has done so for thirty years.

 

When a day or two later, I sample the Palo Cortado, it comes with a bowl of roasted nuts. A much deeper brown, this is a different beast. Old teak and orange rind notes. Wonderfully complex and yet so easy to drink. The Amontillado is another joy. For me, paired with their sardines on bread, it is pretty much my favourite Spanish combination. I try ordering sardines and get a blank look. I make like a fish swimming, to the amusement of the bar, but it does the trick. ‘Ah, anchovy’! Close enough. The sherry itself is soft, complex, dry and lingers wonderfully. Perfect with the oily fish. I think about whether I could move to Madrid so this could be my local.

 

Naturally, La Venencia was a popular hangout for Hemingway, although I did see one blog question the veracity of this, citing that as there were no pictures of him or any Hemingway memorabilia, how could he possibly have been there? Thereby, entirely missing the point of the place. He was known to drink here with Republican soldiers, no doubt collecting information and stories, as this was a favourite anti-fascist haunt. To the best of my knowledge, Hemingway never wrote a word about this place, nor did he ever mention it in dispatches. Some say it was because he never set foot inside; I prefer to think he was protecting his friends and comrades.

 

Speaking of pictures, it is strictly forbidden to take photographs, this rule apparently a relic of the Civil War, for, as one of the main places the forces opposing Franco met, any sign of a camera usually meant a spy in the midst. Another rule is strictly no tips – the Republican soldiers who frequented La Venencia saw themselves as ‘equal workers’.

 

Opening times? They seem to be marginally more regular these days, but when I first started coming here, they were about as reliable as a Madrid street map. You take your chances, but like everything in Spain, no need to go early.

 

My final visit this trip to Madrid. It is plus 40°C, so a Fino is compulsory. As I walk in, our friend behind the bar does not seem unhappy to see me. Did I imagine a flicker of recognition? I sit down, feel the stress run off me, and try and catch up on my notes. Oloroso. All walnuts and teak, citrus, glacéd fruit. Lovely, but the Fino is, for me, the star.

 

As I walk over to the bar to pay for the final time, the owner tallies the bill in chalk and says something to me. In shock, I don’t catch it, but I tell him I will be back, probably in ‘dos anos’. He smiles and shakes my hand. I'm a bit stunned. I feel vindication, acceptance. I feel like I have just received a Spanish knighthood. I can’t stop smiling till I reach the Chuka Ramen Bar, the best ramen in the city, next door.

 

I love this place.

 

Address

Calle Echegaray, 7

28014

Going to be late to work after reading this. 📚 Worth it however, great post KG. Great thread as well.😃

[Ken Gargett]

15 minutes ago, westg said:

Going to be late to work after reading this. 📚 worth it however,  great post KG. Great thread as well.😃

thanks Westie. would you like me to write you a doctor's note? 

[El Hoze]

53 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

cape kidnappers resort in NZ pretty close - the service there was extraordinary. the son of the owner was out from the US when i first went there. so he showed me around. 

Small world Ken, very cool! I assume the son of the owner was likely Jay. Jay’s kids go to school with my son in a small town in Florida where everybody knows everybody. When I realized Jay had a son named Julian, looked at their last name, and heard they spent alot of time in NZ I finally added it all up. I work in finance so grandpa was quite a legend in my world. 

I have also been to La Venencia at your previous suggestion, I am hardly a sherry expert but was very glad I checked it out! Awesome experience. 

[Ken Gargett]

3 minutes ago, El Hoze said:

Small world Ken, very cool! I assume the son of the owner was likely Jay. Jay’s kids go to school with my son in a small town in Florida where everybody knows everybody. When I realized Jay had a son named Julian, looked at their last name, and heard they spent alot of time in NZ I finally added it all up. I work in finance so grandpa was quite a legend in my world. 

indeed. jay it was. i'm sure. nice guy. quite tall? please say hi - i doubt he remembers me. the family have a huge art collection i believe. as well as kidnappers, i believe they own a few more of the absolute pointy end resorts in nz. 

[westg]

45 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

thanks Westie. would you like me to write you a doctor's note? 

Ha , well then I have never had one . Why not 😇😂

[El Presidente]

Best hotel: Tough. 

Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong.  Why? They can check you in your room, arrange a G&T while doing so, take your luggage to pressing, back in 20 minutes, hang it up, handle the police at The Captains Bar (downstairs) due to a small fist de cuffs scuffle. 10/10

Best Bar. Tough one. 

I am not in need of top end cocktails albeit I appreciate them. There are hundreds of bars that can accomodate. 

Sarin beach bar Phuket. Toes in the sand, million dollar views, smoke cigars as much as you want, the pork neck is magnificent, good wine is cheap, service is attentive. 

Best restauraunt. 

Moda. Brisbane. 

Give me a restauraunt where it feels like home every time you walk in. The staff, the food. It is family. 

 

[Arabian]

Try Mado (Turkish food) not far away. A bit pricey in my home country but it’s good food. 

[Chas.Alpha]

Best hotel: Hotel Frankenstrasse in Vienna. My wife booked it over the phone from Salzburg after der Sonnenfinsternis of 1999. They gave us the room card (new concept in ‘99) and the elevator opened up into our suite. Champagne and fresh fruit on the dining table in this 3 bedroom apartment overlooking the city. She apparently told them it was our honeymoon. I said “ARE YOU FECKIN CRAZY??? WE CAN’T AFFORD THIS!!! DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING!!!” We went back down to the lobby and explained that it was a belated honeymoon, but this would be well beyond our budget. The lovely Fräulein said “we knew what she was trying to say in her broken German, but she was so nice on the phone we decided to put you into the penthouse for the regular room rate.” 😭 Riding the elevator up wearing my torn blue jeans while the Prada and pearl crowd tried to figure out why my card took us to the penthouse was priceless! $59 a night if I remember. Great memories.

Best bar: the one we just left here in Austin, Texas. Another eclipse chase. 
 

Best restaurant: Charlie’s Steak House in Minneapolis. It was perfect, it’s no longer there so it can exist only in fond memories.

[Cigarsmoker81]

Either cheval blanc Paris (lovely hotel with amazing service and breakfast on the rooftop) or royal Mansour in Marrakesh.

Restaurants is a tough one, but I would say Orfali bros in Dubai is exceptional.