Editor Pick
Tapas at the Circus
- August 1, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
frangliz from Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Bristol's new branch of La Tasca is on the top level of the spanking new Glass House at Cabot Circus. Two of us had travelled by train and took about twenty minutes to walk from Temple Meads to Cabot Circus. My younger son lives in Bristol and had been able to get a bus right to the shopping centre. On the ground floor of the Glass House a well-informed lady was giving out maps of the centre and answering visitors' questions, so I took a map. One of my sons went bounding up the staircase but I quickly called him back, as I had spotted an escalator that my knees would find much easier. Later, when we were coming back down, we saw that there was a lift which would obviously be helpful for buggies and wheelchairs.
As we went up, we had not yet decided where to eat. We spotted Cafe Rouge on Level 2 but decided to have a look at Yo! Sushi on Level 3, as there is no branch in Portsmouth. We couldn't agree unanimously on it, however. Prices were indicated on the front window, but there did not seem to be any way of looking at the menu unless you went inside. None of us had been to La Tasca recently, as one of my sons had experienced poor service at the Gunwharf Quays branch on a couple of occasions. We decided that tapas would make a change, and we thought perhaps service might be better at this particular branch.
There are a few tables outside at La Tasca, and although the Glass House has sections of glass domes, it is open to the elements in places. In spite of it being November, it wasn't particularly cold and some people were sitting at these tables from whence you have a good view of other parts of the mall. We decided, however, to sit inside and were greeted by a lady who spoke extremely quickly with a Spanish accent. It was mid-afternoon, and she wanted to tell us that although she had been run off her feet all through lunchtime, things had now quietened down and she could actually offer us a choice of tables.
We chose a table by the wall, and I sat on a seat surrounded by cushions with little space for coats and bags. But it was comfortable. The lighting is low, provided by large rectangular wooden chandeliers with orange light bulbs. Décor was similar to that of Gunwharf's La Tasca, aiming at being rustic but including the odd Picasso print here and there. Music is what one might call typically Spanish – lots of guitar – not really my cup of tea, but I knew what to expect so mustn't complain. The Spanish lady introduced our waiter, who brought menus for us.
One of my sons asked for a Spanish beer which did not exactly wow him. I decided on a glass of Appletiser whilst my other son went for fresh orange juice. We also ordered some mixed green and black olives as a starter. These arrived very quickly in a small earthenware bowl, but we realised that we had no plates yet and therefore nowhere to put the stones. I'm afraid we moved the vinegar and olive oil onto the table and used the plate that they had been standing on.
From the main menu we decided on the Selection of Tapas with Meat for two people at £22.45. This included chicken wings, meatballs in tomato sauce, patatas bravas, paella with spicy sausage, sliced spicy sausage, Spanish tortilla and garlic mushrooms. We had chosen this one partly because one of my sons steers clear of fish and seafood, although he doesn't actually like mushrooms either but is very fond of chorizo. As there were three of us, we thought another two individual tapas dishes would satisfy our appetites and we picked the ensalada mixta at £3.75, which is mainly tuna and lettuce with a couple of slices of hard-boiled egg and cherry tomato thrown in, as well as a rice dish cooked with cheese, green beans and peas which was listed in the vegetable section at £3.95. You can of course order all your tapas dishes individually, or you might like a paella which is aimed at at least two people.
It wasn't long before the food was brought by a young waitress who hoped we would enjoy our meal. I lost no time in pointing out that we had no plates or cutlery, but these were immediately provided by the waiter who had taken our order. It does seem a little strange that the plates you are given to eat from are extremely small – I know the tapas dishes themselves are small, but it would seem logical to me to have a plate large enough for a serving of several tapas at once. Perhaps that is not the authentic way. We checked that we had the correct number of dishes and found that we did. As we began helping ourselves I also felt that one or two serving spoons would have made the process easier.
I'm sounding a little fussy over some things, but I really had no complaints about the food itself. The meatballs and patatas bravas are both served with plenty of tomato sauce, which for me is a bonus. I always find chicken wings fiddly, but I have to say the meat was very tender. Only two of us were sharing the mushrooms so I certainly had quite a few; they complemented the other tapas extremely well. The rice dish with green vegetables and cheese was, we felt, a particularly good one and proved slightly more popular than the paella. I didn't try the spicy sausage. The ensalata mixta was perhaps not the most inspiring salad, consisting mainly of lettuce and tuna. We were unable to finish it. In fact we left a little of two or three dishes, not because we didn't enjoy them but because our appetites were satisfied.
Deciding against the offers of dessert or coffee, we asked for the bill and there was no delay in bringing this. It came to exactly £40 for three drinks, nine tapas dishes and a bowl of olives. Pretty reasonable, I have to say. We did add a tip to this. As we left the waiter thanked us, but I almost bumped into the Spanish lady who still seemed to be rushing here, there and everywhere.
I have never been to Spain and cannot comment on how La Tasca compares to authentic Spanish tapas, but I have to say that the three of us all enjoyed our lunch there and we are not always easily pleased. I have no complaints about service either, although I realise that we did not go at the busiest time and there may be longer delays at the usual lunch or dinner periods. My quibbles were all minor ones and did not really relate to the food itself.
Although this particular restaurant is situated on Level 3 at Cabot Circus, it is easily accessible. La Tasca at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth has a large upper floor that is reach by a winding staircase that I no longer find easy and would be impossible for some.
We were told that La Tasca's menu is changing in mid November, and changing for the better. My reply was that we had therefore come at the wrong time but I was told no, you just need to come back again in a couple of weeks. Much as I would like to, I may not be visiting Bristol again for a while as our plan is to meet in Bath next time. But if you should be Christmas shopping in Cabot Circus, you could do a lot worse than dine at La Tasca. Mid afternoon is recommended.
http://www.latasca.co.uk/find-us/bristol-cabot-circus.html
From journal A Day Out in Bristol