Photo via Refinery29

Delicious, is what comes to my mind when I hear this track called 110% by Jessie Ware.
I have heard it non-stop for the last week and it will definitely be on my top 10 list for a while…

There are a great many reasons to spend a few days in Spain’s third largest city: the spectacular modern architecture of the City of Arts and Sciences, the impressive Gothic and Baroque splendour of the Barrio del Carmen, the wide, newly spruced up stretch of Mediterranean beach or why not, the city’s glamorous sporting events such as America’s Cup and the Formula 1. To the list can now be added: Food! Valencia, of course, is most famous as the birth place of paella, and having sampled the Paella de Mariscos in one of Hemingway’s favourite haunts, Pepica, I can truly say that it was among the best I’ve ever had. But another typically Spanish delicacy, tapas, gets my vote as the meal of choice in Valencia. There are plenty of venues to choose from but there are two that I would recommend especially.

The first is a classic, Casa Montaña. A rustic space decked out with wine barrels and tiles, always teaming with locals and visitors alike, in the somewhat grotty port area. In addition to the usual fare of calamari, jamón ibérico, anchovies and patatas bravas, there’s an absolutely delicious dish of solomillo (fillet steak). The wine list is extensive too, this is a bodega after all, with over 1000 wines from all over the world as well as a good selection of bottles from the region.

We stumbled across the second, Cava Siglos, in the atmospheric historic quarter, the Barrio del Carmen. This restaurant would not be out of place in downtown Manhattan – a narrow, high ceilinged space with exposed brick walls and pipes, funky lighting and a huge, minimalist counter. The kitchen is open to view and they prepare some mouthwatering dishes – we loved the garlic mushrooms and the squid. Again the focus is as much on wine as on food and a hot tip is the local red “Pasión”, produced from the bobal grape.

emilianobodega

cavasiglos

Photos by Kelly Pietrangeli and Casa Montaña

It’s about time that Ibiza got its very own mascot – Formentera has the gecko but what does the White Isle have? The nearest thing to a symbol are the Pacha cherries. But Pacha is now a global brand and besides, Ibiza is so much more than just clubbing!

Poddy the Podenco is the brainchild of Bruno Lizot, a charismatic Frenchman who has made his home in Ibiza and started Blacklist, a property management and event business aimed at high end clients. Together with the cartoonist David Cantero, Bruno created Poddy and his group of friends including Taco, the rabbit, Miss Fina, the tortoise and Lalo, the DJ lizard. In a short time Poddy has created quite a stir with the movers and shakers of Ibiza – in addition to a dedicated exhibition at the hip b12gallery, you’ll be able to follow his adventures in the local paper the Diario and even have a boogie with four of the characters at Amnesia’s Matinee nights.

Podenco means hound in Spanish. A fitting choice, a podenco is a breed “considered by most experts one of the most ancient dog breeds. It is believed the Ibizan Hound evolves from the tesem, the ancient Egyptian hunting dog.” (source Wikipedia) Poddy is also a modern day hero in that he is passionate about safe guarding the natural beauty of Ibiza and protecting the environment. Go Poddy!

6 March 2012 20:26    (A short video introducing Poddy and his friends)

What a wonderful cocktail!…psych-folk artist One Little Plane have been working together with two big names and tanlents for her upcoming album “Into the trees”. You have Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood on bass and Four Tet serves as producer on the album.

Seapony is one of many great Pop Indie bands…the tree members Jen, Danny & Ian who are all based in Seattle has created a beautiful soft dreamy sound.