Spanish Restaurants
Restaurants reviewed on this page:
* La Tasca
* Torrero's
* Bar Tapas
Guest Review!!! 26th May, 2007 - Bar Tapas (Leo Hillier - Norwich)
16-20, Exchange St, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 1AT
Tel: 01603 764077
Smoking: Yes - at bar (at time of visit)
Parking: No. Nearest parking St. Giles Street or St. Andrews
Expect to pay: £20-£25 a head for food and drinks
Although the Menu seemed to repeat itself somewhat, there is a fair amount of choice. It was something of a shame that the waiter did not point out the specials board, which we missed in the far corner of the room. The Restaurant is welcoming and has a friendly atmosphere, and is somewhere in between rustic and run-down. The toilets were small but clean.
When we wanted to order drinks the waiter took one order and then walked off, without asking anyone else what they wanted, which was a bit confusing. We did have a jug of Sangria which was nice and had plenty of fresh fruit, but it should be £10 max, It was £14! We also drank Nastro Azzurro on draft (I know, it should have been San Mig) which was well kept and fresh, and £3 for a pint.
I think with the aim of keeping things simple, they've got the pricing wrong. Far too many dishes are £4.95, whereas with more subtlety, say by having dishes for £3, £4, and £5, would have made me want to order more. If you order three meat dishes you are paying £15 and the amounts in each dish are small, even for tapas. The tapas menu is also badly designed - just one long list rather than dividing food types, which would make building a satisfying meal easier.
The service was on the slow side, our order took 45 mins and we weren't given any olives or bread while we waited.
I had Chilli con Carne with potato wedges and Abidongas meatballs. The small portion of Chilli was bland, lacking in heat and developed flavour. Although the wedges were not quite cooked enough, they weren't the often greasy version you get. The Abidongas Meatballs (2 of them) were good in flavour and didn't taste too greasy or fatty, and the sauce they came in was OK. My girlfriend thought her choices of Cheesy Potatoes, Artichokes and Ham and Tuna Balls were OK but not tasty enough to make a return trip a must.
We were given a basket of bread with something like six pieces in, and a dish of foiled anchor butter of all things. How Spanish is that exactly? The bread was really quite good, but at the top of the menu it implies that all orders come with a portion, so how we only got one throughout the whole meal, who knows.
The couple we dined with (it was their choice) seemed to be very satisfied with their meal, so they must be doing something right. I just wish they put a bit more quality in each dish, and take care to bring out more flavour. If they did that might justify the prices.
Food: **1/2 Service: *** Atmosphere: *** Menu: ** Wine/Drinks **
Overall: **1/2
12th May 2006 - La Tasca
24, Tombland, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 1RF
Tel: 01603 776420
Smoking: Yes - designated areas (at time of visit)
Expect to pay: £20-£25 a head for food and drinks
Parking: No. Nearest parking Tombland or Magdalen Street. Would suggest walk or taxi.
It was a beautifully sunny evening and Catherine, myself and two friends thought it was perfect weather for a few drinks outside somewhere. If we could get food at the same time, all the better. We racked our brains and this was the only place we could think of in the city that we could indeed get alcohol and food and be able to sit outside. It turned out to be a good choice.
We had a very nice welcome, and overall good service from a young chap I met at the door. The sangria went down very well and the food, even though not really a patch on either Bar Tapas or Torrero, was also very nice. We left very satisfied - and a bit drunk!
We shared - Meatballs - three beautiful chunky balls of meat and vegetables in a thick tomato sauce. Lovely. Patatas Bravas - cubes of roasted potato in a spicy(ish) tomato sauce. Spanish omelette - Layers of potato, egg and red onion. This was very good. Chorizo - chunks of smokey spanish sausage cooked in red wine. This was the first dish to disappear and was really good. Lamb casserole with peppers. This was also very nice. Tender chunks of lamb in a good sauce. King prawns with chilli. These were OK. The prawns didn't really taste of anything and the chilli oil they were in had a funny after-taste. I'd never tried them before and doubt I'd have them again. Overall I enjoyed it, but even though it offers very good value for money, I find the portions a little too small.
Food *** Service ***** Atmosphere *** Menu **** Wine/Drinks *****
OVERALL = ***1/2
For older reviews of La Tasca, click here
6th May 2006 - Bar Tapas
16-20, Exchange St, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 1AT
Tel: 01603 764077
Smoking: Yes - at bar (at time of visit)
Parking: No. Nearest parking St. Giles Street or St. Andrews
Expect to pay: £20-£25 a head for food and drinks
We wanted to go somewhere to eat before going to the cinema but didn't want to spend too much money. On a balmy May evening, what better place to eat than a tapas bar?
We had been here before with a party of friends (see older reviews page), enjoyed the set menu and vowed to come back, just the two of us, in the near future. It didn't disappoint.
Even thought they were incredibly busy, our welcome was friendly and they managed to find us a small table in the corner. We were immediatly brought menus and a jug of water.
The atmosphere was really vibrant and the background music added to this. With the decor and the Spanish-speaking staff it really does feel like you could be in Spain. I know that sounds a little bit cliché but it honestly does.
The choice on the menu is fantastic but could be a bit off-putting for a 'tapas novice'. There are also about 10 other things on the special's board so it can be really hard to choose what you want to eat.
The service was friendly and efficient even though they were so busy.
The food was excellent with only a few very minor grumbles. As we thought we might fall asleep in the cinema if we had wine, we decided to accompany our food with lovely ice-cold San Miguel lager.
Overall, a really satisfying experience. We left incredibly full and happy. We'll be back again pretty soon.
We had: Patatas Bravas - Gorgeous chunks of roast potatoes in a smokey and spicey tomato sauce. The perfect accompaniment but you'll find yourself eating them by the forkload on their own.
Spanish omellette. A small omelette of egg (obviously!), potatoes and red onion covered in tomato sauce. I thought this was a bit bland and slightly watery to be honest. I also didn't like it being covered in tomato sauce. A shame, because the omelette is a must-have when you eat tapas.
Jalapeno peppers in breeadcrumbs with cream cheese and garlic mayonnaise on the side. You would think these would be hot but they were actually quite sweet. Catherine really enjoyed them but they didn't really float my boat.
Chorizo. This was the real deal. Chunks of juicy, succulent, smokey, spicy, galiccy sausage cooked in olive oil. Amazing. Just absolutely gorgeous. The other really good thing about this is that you can mop up all the oils left over in the dish with the free bread.
Chicken goujons with garlic mayonnaise. Again, really good. Slithers of succulent chicken breast cooked in breadcrumbs with a really good dip.
Meatballs. Huge great balls of mince and vegetables in a tomato and vegetable sauce. These are the best things to order and an absolute must-have. Just beautiful.
Rating:
Food **** Service ***** Atmosphere ***** Menu ***** Wine/Drinks ****
OVERALL = ****1/2
For older reviews of Bar Tapas, click here
9th April 2006 - Torrero's
19, Fye Bridge St, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 1LJ
Tel: 01603 621825
Smoking: Yes - designated area (at time of visit)
Parking: No. Nearest parking Tombland or meter parking on Colegate. Would suggest walk or taxi.
Expect to pay: £20-£25 a head for food and drinks
We were catching up with our 'ususal' dining companions, Jason and Claire as we hadn't seen them for a while. We all really had a craving for tapas but wanted something more authentic than La Tasca. I'd heard from a few people that Torrero's was very good so we thought we'd try it.
We had a fantastic evening. I loved the decor, the atmosphere, the music, the friendly staff (who were predominantly Spanish and didn't speak much English) and most importantly the food was beautiful. We left satisfyingly full, happily drunk and will be returning very soon.
We shared: My Spanish is terrible (even though I had to order in Spanish because the waitress didn't seem to understand what I was ordering) so I will explain what we had in English.
Meatballs in a thick tomato, pepper and vegetable sauce (my favourite),
Potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce. These just have to be ordered. They go fantastically with everything.
Chorizo in red wine. Another must-have. I would advise ordering two lots of these as they always go first and there never seems to be enough to go round.
White bean stew. I really liked this but I don't think everyone else was too keen.
Mushrooms in garlic butter. I liked this a lot, mainly because the girls don't like them and we got to eat them all. However, the mushrooms were tiny.
Spanish omelette. Yet another one you have to order. A big slab of omelette made with eggs, potatoes, red onions and peppers. Surprisingly light and fluffy.
Shell-on king prawns in garlic and lemon butter. Absolutely sensational.
Jason and I also shared a cod croquette. A small piece of cod deep-fried in breadcrumbs but it wasn't that exciting.
We had all this with a couple of baskets of bread and two excellent bottles of Rioja.
After we'd polished everything off, we all decided that we could eat a bit more so we ordered more prawns, more chorizo, more potatoes and another omelette. Oh, and more bread.
For dessert (yes we still had room for more) Jason and I shared a creme caramel (like a giant creme brulee), which was fantastic and a chilled rice pudding with cinnamon. I absolutely loved this and could have eaten another easily.
Rating:
Food ***** Service ***** Atmosphere ***** Menu ***** Wine/Drinks *****
OVERALL = *****
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