SPANISH STYLE TAPAS FOLLOWED BY A GAME OF WHERE DID I PARK THE CAR? (La Tasca (Manchester))

Member Name: saramac

Product:	La Tasca (Manchester)
Date:	07/08/09 (113 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Delicious food to share.

Disadvantages: Expensive drinks and can be a tad too dark in the restaurant.

One of my closest friends is visiting from the Isle Of Man and together with my other closest friend(we have been friends for 35 years) we thought ~ Where can we have a cheap but good meal and a good natter?
Yes, its got to be La Tasca especially as I have a 50% off voucher on my person.

The La Tasca we visited is situated in~
The Trafford Centre,
132, The Orient,
M17
Manchester.


La Tasca~
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Is a Spanish tapas restaurant and bar chain and can be found in most towns throughout the UK.
The decor seems to be pretty much the same throughout the chain so at least you know what to expect when you enter.
They tend to be painted in bright colours with authentic Spanish decorations adorning the walls~ large decorated plates, metal candle holders, Spanish style pictures.... the walls are quite crowded really.


My only criticism is the lighting or should I say, lack of it in certain areas, if you sit in the middle or at the very back it tends to be uncomfortably dark.
Sitting near the walls, you get the extra light from wall lights which makes all the difference~ I like to see what Im eating thank you.


Its a mish mash of dark wooden tables and chairs and large "settles" to share with big comfy cushions. They have Spanish music playing in the background and usually a live guitarist which adds to the authenticity, but, can be too loud if you are sat too close and want to have a good "natter" with your friends.

They do have tables located outside but depending on the location and weather its often safer to venture inside and shout to be heard.


The atmosphere is warm and friendly helped along by the "easy going attitude" of the staff, this also adds to the Spanish feel of "dont worry, your food will be along soon". Saying that, we were warned tonight that we would have a longer than normal wait due to the high volume of customers~ fair enough, as long as you are informed then its no problem, infact the food tonight was always going to come second to all the "catching up" we three had to do~ well, we haven't all been together since December and you know how much us girls talk.

Tapas~
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The word "tapas" comes from "tapar" in Spanish meaning" to cover or lid".
One Loved origin for the idea of "tapas" is when the farmers and labourers went for a drink after work to their local "tascas", they would put a slice of bread over their drink to protect from flies. Eventually the innkeeper added snacks to the bar~ cured meats, olives...
So the "edible lid" lead to the tapas we enjoy today.


The food is served in small portions in small dark oven proof dishes, brought to the table to share with your friends and family.

They offer a fair variety of dishes from~ paella (fish, vegetarian or meat), chicken, chorizo(cured, smoked delicious sausage), stuffed peppers, fish....

They have a good selection for meat eaters and vegetarians alike and I noticed they even cater for a "gluten free" diet which is handy to know.


What did we order?
~~~~~~~~~~~~

We shared 7 tapas which was adequate for we three, but they do gently try to tempt you to order more, I stood firm having fallen into that trap before.

Romano Pepper stuffed with couscous and Veggie Paella for our vegetarian friend.

I enjoyed a delicate white fish gently fried in a crisp light batter~ delicious and I shared this with no one.

Calamari was devoured by my other friend and we shared a Chorizo which is truly divine~ it simply melts in your mouth.

Aubergines cooked in a tomato sauce topped with melted cheese and a Tomato, Spinach and Warm Goats Cheese Salad was set upon by three forks.

We drank a fizzy water and a white wine spritzer( this is a gripe of mine, a glass of wine costs £4.90, so be careful, they do make up for food offers by charging quite alot for a glass of wine) a jug of tap water completed the array of drinks~ I know, last of the heavy drinkers!


To complete our delicious feast we all opted for a coffee which didn't disappoint~ a coffee with cream, a cappuccino and a cafe con leche(coffee with milk), just like I have in Mallorca.

How much did it cost?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I said earlier I had a voucher stashed away sooo safely in my bag I nearly forgot to use it~ this entitled us to 50% off any main course Tapas
so the meal came to a grand total of~ £27.92~ not bad we agreed, the bottom of the bill informed us we had made a saving of £15.13, add the two together and even at full price, its not expensive.

Conclusion~
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If you fancy a Spanish style feast to share with lots of variety in a warm friendly atmosphere, served in a relaxed, honest manner and your not averse to live a guitarist and subdued lighting, this could be the place to try.

The toilets definitely passed our strict guidelines spacious,clean and "checked" regulary for loo roll.....

Watch out for "special offers" they do a smaller Tapas menu which offers all you can eat for £10~ Sun~ Tues~5pm~9pm
Lunch~ 5 Tapas for 2 people for £10~ Sun~Fri~ until 5pm .


If you register on their website, they send you special offers~ www.LaTasca.co.uk.

Service charge is optional~ I should think so too.

Just watch out for the prices of their drinks.

The special offers certainly work as it was by far the busiest restaurant as far as the eye could see.

I award 4 stars~ 1 must disappear for the price of wine and over zealous guitar playing.

One last tip~ don't forget where you parked the car like my dopey friend, as you may find as we did after half an hours searching you may be hungry all over again.

Thanks for reading.

Summary: Spanish style Tapas offered at a very reasonable price.