Estoy esperando para pagar el Paella! (La Tasca (Docklands))

Member Name: macutmore

Product:	La Tasca (Docklands)
Date:	24/12/04 (520 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Attractive Spanish waitresses, Tasty food, Paella!

Disadvantages: Consistently poor service

One Restaurant Chain that appears to be growing rapidly in the UK and America at the moment is ‘La Tasca’ - an essentially Spanish Bar and Restaurant. They are indeed now established as the UK's premiere Spanish Restaurant, and there are now quite a few ‘La Tascas’ operating all around the world.

The very first ‘La Tasca’- Spanish Tapas Bar & Restaurant opened in Manchester city centre in 1993 and is now extremely popular. Since then this distinctive style of Restaurant seems to have successfully opened throughout the UK virtually everywhere and the company has built a 41-strong restaurant empire, recently completing a £1m move into the US market, and now even has outlets in Washington DC and Virginia.

La Tasca’s speciality is ‘Tapas’, - these are small individual portions of just about anything from Potatoes or Fish to Paella dishes. Basically one can order many different kinds of dish since the portions are small, and one can tailor build a complete and very appetising meal from the pretty extensive menu. This makes it a very flexible and sociable way of dining and is superb for sharing – whether it is as a couple or as a group. ‘Tapas’ is indeed an entirely unique way of eating. The idea is that you can choose from the many different types of food and eat as little or as much as you like at any time of the day. It certainly allows one to eat to suit their individual appetite.

My first visit to this Restaurant chain was at the Chelmsford ‘La Tasca’s’ in Essex. Most of the Restaurants do all seem to be styled very similarly and from the outside air a very authentic (Spanish), and cheerful atmosphere seems to be apparent, but it is not just the food – even that gorgeous smell of Paella. Inside the atmosphere is loud and cheerful but actually never seemed too noisy. The warm décor, authentic cuisine and friendly hospitality being obvious once settled at a table. Coupled with the music and the staff it all seems to be as genuinely Spanish as one can get. Tables are spaciously laid out making one not feel too cramped and there is always a bar inside as well for those who prefer a quick drink or two.

The music being played gave me a perception of like ‘Mexican’ origin. It was very refreshing to hear such music whilst relaxing during my meal. It actually gave the feel of foreign Culture, Spanish style, cuisine and hospitality and all that went together to create a kind of unique and very authentic atmosphere where one can choose to eat and drink as much or as little as the mood takes one. You could almost believe that you’re on holiday in Spain!

The menu combination has over 30 tapas dishes, which seem to be, priced from £2.50 - £3.50 each. They do four different types of Paella, (meat, seafood, veggie and a mix), which they charge £8.95 per person for. There is also a wide range of Spanish wines on list (from £10-£22 per bottle) and Spanish beers like San Miguel, and Corona are also listed. Sangria, of course is a must. Even a seasonal (Christmas menu) is catered for too!

At La Tasca all dishes claim to be carefully prepared using the freshest of ingredients, many of which are actually imported from Spain. By comparison and as a measure of authenticity I have actually had the real experience of eating quality Paella in Spain itself and although ‘La Tacas’ is nowhere near as good, the quality of the Paellas and food in general seem ok. It just has the more unpleasant ‘from frozen’ aspect about it, if you know what I mean. This may well vary from branch to branch, of course, but on my three visits to the same Restaurant it was very consistent. Also on a negative note, I have found the service to be only fair to poor. This is particularly disappointing considering the charm and appeal of the atmosphere and venue as a whole.

One seems to have to wait some time on entry through the Restaurants door without even a wink, before being seated at an empty table, then because there are so many dishes on the menu it really does pose a challenge for the very attractive waitresses to get order supply anything but particularly accurate. The worst case is actually waiting for the bill. Unless you have a complete afternoon to waste, I wouldn’t venture here in too much of a hurry.

The Spanish word “tapa” actually means “lid” and the concept of tapas originated many years ago. When the farmers and labourers had finished work for the day, they would often go to the”tascas” for a well earned drink. The innkeeper would place a slice of bread on top of their drink to stop the flies from going in! Gradually they began to place things on top of the bread, like cured meats and sausages, and they were then eaten as snacks to accompany the drink. The word “tasca” itself is Spanish and translates as “inn” or “tavern”. Each La Tasca Restaurant claims to have been designed to give guests a careful blend of everything Spanish.

So if you want to go somewhere for authentic, tasty foods with a great atmosphere and you have the rest of the day this is the place for you! They do have a very impressive website: www.latasca.co.uk which is well worth a visit if only to examine their current menu!

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