Tasca, La - Birmingham

Cool Beans (31 January 2008)

My boyfriend and I went to La Tasca last Sunday on a bitterly cold dreary night at the end of January, it was such a relief to walk into the warmth of this friendly Mediterranean restaurant. The staff were really warm and friendly, and though the restaurant itself is actually quite a large space, it has been well designed with raised areas, so that both small and large parties can be catered for. On being seated, we were brought some fresh French bread with marinated olives -which was a nice, welcoming touch.

The food is really delicious - I was very pleased at the number of vegetarian options on the menu, and was delighted with my choice of fried potato, topped with a spicy tomato sauce, plus melting cheese, and a really tasty aubergine dish, topped with cheese and tomato. Together, the potatoes and aubergines complimented each other really well, and the slight heat from the chilli in the aubergine dish was tempered really well by the patatas bravas. I can't recommend the food there any higher. It really was delicious.

I also ordered a lentil and butterbean casserole, in a cherry tomato sauce and this was tasty too. I had the crema catalana con azúcar caramelizado which was deliciously sweet and creamy, but quite light at the same time. I think if you're looking for a quiet night out with a partner, La Tasca is a really nice place to go.

Andy (5 January 2007)

If you love Spain then La Tasca provides a fantastic setting, Spanish speaking waiters for you to practice your lingo and a layout that is the image we all think of as Spain. Food wise they are accommodating to allergies and the menu is labelled will gluten free dishes, I had a Valencian paella from the menu with a jug of sangria. Having just returned from Spain the food had a lot to live up to and unfortunately didn’t quite hit the mark and missed that wonderful saffron flavour, that said it was quite tasty but unfortunately fell short on matching its cooking with its look. Service 9/10, atmosphere 7/10, food 6/10, overall rating 7/10; well worth a visit especially in large groups and well priced for what you get.