Restaurant Review: La Tasca

The Trafford Centre, despite its proximity to my home, is not my go to venue.

I’m not a big fan of crowds, I get cross when people randomly stop in my path and I must admit to finding the faux Italian classicism a bit…. eurgh.

But, there are times when it’s just plain handy.  The new Lakeland that’s opened is a weakness, and the size of some of the shops means they can’t be beaten for variety, and Boxing Day sales are tons more convenient than a trek into town. At worst I can walk it there (and taxi it back with a car full of goodies).

It’s also great for some of the good chain restaurants. Forget the ‘cheap’ fast food joints (cheap food, not prices, you know where I mean), I’m talking about the places you’d take your mum, your nan, that great aunt who’s incredibly fussy and you only see twice a year. That’s the great thing about chains. You know what you’re going to get. Or at least you’d hope so.

A quiet weekday evening saw Mr GFB and I venture straight from work to La Tasca – away from the bustle of the crowded court downstairs with it’s fast food and cardboard cartons, and the OAPs having a little tea dance in front of the big screen. We were upstairs, where it’s still busy, but infinitely quieter.

Away from the hustle and bustle of the shops and fast food, seated by the lovely Julie, and soothed by a glass of beer and Rioja respectively, my stress levels began to recede even further. I love shopping, I love browsing and can spend hours trying to find the perfect outfit, but throw in a crowd of people… And I become a veritable Hun.

Pondering food, I knew one of my choices immediately. Padron peppers – they say one in every ten is spicy, I’ve still yet to find a hot one, but I love the ‘green’ flavour, the way they still have enough bite without being crunchy, the flavour of the olive oil coating then and the bite of the sea salt.

We also took advantage of one of their sharing platters, with sliced jamon and chorizo, thick slices of Manchego cheese and fresh crusty bread. It might be a chain restaurant, but little touches, like the hand sliced jamon make a difference.

We relaxed, nibbled, dunked the crusty bread into the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sipped and crunched the crisp almonds.

Onto mains and though we were tempted by the paella, the tapas called. My mum always said ‘little pickers have bigger knickers’ and she’s not wrong. I love to pick at things. Call it tapas, cicchetti, anju, it doesn’t matter – give me a table full of little things to sample and I’m happy.

Despite wanting everything on the menu, we were relatively restrained. Jamon croquettas from the special board, filled with a meaty bechamel sauce. Chargrilled vegetable salad with chickpeas and spinach.

The classic Spanish omelette and gorgeous salty, vinegar tinged boquarones. Slow cooked pigs cheeks in a sweet sticky sauce served with thin fries, and a gorgeously tender chicken with almonds and spinach.

And fat, sweet prawns cooked in chilli oil finished off our selection.

Grumbles? None. The Spanish omelette wasn’t fantastic, but then I’m not a big fan, so I wasn’t going to be enthusiastic. I’d have liked a little spice in the pork cheek, but for tenderness and meat flavour, it couldn’t be faulted. And it’s great to see a chain choosing to use what’s become a very popular cut of meat.

To dessert, and La Tasca have upped their game since I last visited. They’ve added a selection of new desserts, including the two we chose.

Mr GFB picked Trenza a plained pastry with fruit and nuts, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s a soft enriched pastry, that hit his sweet tooth perfectly.

I, however, had spotted the crema catalana, with the words ‘specially served at your table’. That usually means one of two things either a). it’s messy and someone needs to fit your bib before you partake, or more likely, there’s alcohol and fire involved.

Oh yes. I recall the words of my friend Emma, slightly inebriated on her birthday…. ‘If it’s not on fire, I don’t want it!’.

Julie our waitress wandered over with the dish and a lighter. There was alcohol, there was a spark. I waited for the fire.

OK, so it’s not a firework, but it kept me happy, watching the booze slowly burn and the blue flame move from one side of the dish to the other.

Sometimes it doesn’t take much.

The dessert itself is the Spanish version of a creme brulee – firm orange scented custard with a crisp topping, warmed by the burning alcohol and sugar. Lovely stuff.

The service too must be mentioned. Our waitress Julie, didn’t know we were in to review the venue and so all her efforts – her awareness of the diners in her section, the swift replacing of a dropped utensil, the assistance to the other customers, her advice on soft drinks – would be exactly what we could expect if we’d come in on any other occasion. It’s infinitely reassuring.

Yes, it’s not fine dining, it’s not a Michelin starred restaurant, but the staff are lovely, the food is great and if it means you can take the weight off your feet with a chilled glass of sangria… Why the hell not?

 

The food and drink partaken in this review was provided free of charge by La Tasca for a review for Tasting Britain. A second post was created for this site.

As ever, a free meal is not a guarantee of a positive review, however the food was lovely and the service excellent and we’ll happily visit again.