Seville's most ambitious gastronomic project of the year is here
For months in Seville there was no talk of anything else, and everyone who has dropped by the corner where Avenida de la Borbolla and Calle Felipe II meet , in the neighborhood of Future, You know what we mean: Casa Ozama, Seville's most ambitious gastronomic project of the year, is here.
And it is not just that it has opened its doors: it is that it has done so with so much momentum that, just a few days after his debut, weekend reservations they were already piling up until in a month: the expectation around this place overflowing with exoticism has made everyone wants to see what is hidden in its entrails.
The house dates from 1912
But let's go by parts: what exactly is Casa Ozama? This is the new gastronomic commitment of two large Sevillian groups with a long history in the city: on the one hand, Ovejas Negras Company —which has establishments such as Torres y García, Castizo, Ovejas Negras or La Mamarracha—, and on the other, María Trifulca.
A project that started its journey in 2018 , when they decided to get Villa Ozama, an old modernist style house and regionalist pieces built in 1912 , and turn it into the new Sevillian place to be. Because Casa Ozama, even from before opening, it was already fashionable.
The property was private residence of the Crespo family , who arrived in Seville at the beginning of the 20th century after accumulating great wealth with his farms in the Dominican Republic -hence the name: Ozama is one of the most important rivers of the Caribbean country. After being used as housing, it became an office building.
However the potential of this unique villa , which between interior and exterior reaches almost 2,000 square meters , it was clear. So with enthusiasm and great desire began an intense process of transformation that has managed to make it shine again as in his best years.
The interior design has been carried out by Persevera Producciones
Of course, always respecting its spaces and part of its original elements: tiles of the time were recovered and both the façade and a large part of the the doors, floors and arches in the interior. Three years -and a confinement- later, the result is finally in sight.
The first thing that conquers Casa Ozama is its exterior, which enters through the eyes just by passing the huge wrought iron gate at the entrance. Other stunning buildings designed by Anibal Gonzalez for the Ibero-American Exhibition of 29 surround it, and its facade has neoclassical details, huge windows and balconies that overlook the exuberant Maria Luisa Park.
The gardens surrounding the house are not far behind, much less does the backyard, that appears as if it were a reserved area of the park itself. With almost 800 square meters , which at the beginning of the project was just a field covered with albero from which sprouted a handful of centennial palm trees, today shines very different: the Andalusian flavor has conquered the place.
How? Through its pergolas and flower beds loaded with rose bushes, bougainvillea, olive trees and jasmine , which make you feel comfortable at any of its tables, you can breathe pure south. In the center, a fountain transports with its sound to the very heart of the Santa Cruz neighborhood.
The cute patio
But then, what happens inside? Well, you have to put aside all kinds of prejudices and expectations when it comes to tour its four floors , because what is exhibited there goes beyond the original, the only thing: it breaks with any image that has been previously projected from the space.
In the interior design, which has been carried out by Persevera Producciones, has opted for constant surprise filling each of the rooms with nods to an exotic universe, even Caribbean , in which everything can happen: in which everything can be found.
Attention inevitably goes to the wild animal figures that appear unexpectedly - they are everywhere: a huge zebra on a bar, a giraffe holding a lamp , an elephant that is balanced on a sphere…-, but they also capture details such as the floral pattern wallpaper that you saw the walls, for which you have bet on the Barcelona Coordonné.
The fabrics have come from House of Hackney, in London, while many of the antiques and furnishings that decorate the house have been rescued from antique shops such as La Fábrica de Hielo.
A corner to soak up glamor
the majestic modernist staircase, with balconies to the patio , serves as a link between the different plants and has been preserved as is: to soak up glamor and fulfill one of the must of the Ozama experience, nothing like being photographed in them. There are huge halls dressed in their best clothes both on the first and second floors, as well as reserved flirts in which to feel like in the most elegant of Turn-of-the-century dining rooms.
In the decoration abound mirrors, avant-garde lamps, old paintings and fringes , which help, like the rest of the elements, to create very differentiated spaces that will allow customers to live very different experiences each time they visit the place.
And the paragraphs are filled talking about interior design, but the bet has been strong: on the top floor , a space that will give much to talk about. Hanging from the ceiling, a neon makes the message very clear: “ What happens in Ozama, stays in Ozama” -what happens in Ozama, stays in Ozama”- A full-fledged declaration of intent? Quite possibly.
Eggs with lobster
Because at Casa Ozama you also breathe a enigmatic and mysterious side, even rogue -eye, that only the entrance is allowed to adults- that suggests the existence of secrets that, with luck, will be discovered very little by little. Closed doors that do not know where they lead? Hidden passageways? Hidden corners? We will have to keep our eyes wide open: there we leave it...
What is clear and not hidden is his letter, because Ozama you will enjoy sitting at the table. And either with the gastronomic proposal that under the baton of Manuel Pabón, head chef, is arranged over the kitchen -with him Torres y García was recognized with a Bib Gourmand-, with his diverse selection of wines or with the seductress cocktail menu , fun and pleasure are served.
Two kitchens work in unison to feed a clientele that you will find artifice-free fresh product : here, literature is avoided, simplicity is sought, and it is achieved with recipes such as his brioche with white shrimp from Huelva and American sauce, their Cecina de León croquettes, their broken eggs with lobster or their exquisite rice dishes The bacon from heaven, by the way, is a delight.
Book as soon as possible in this unusual corner of Seville
So at this point, there is only one more step left: book as soon as possible in this unusual corner of Seville and discover, first-hand, the reasons that make it so special. same step, who knows, some more secret will be discovered... And if that happens, you know -wink, wink-: you tell us.