REVIEW: La Tasca Spanish Tapas Restaurant (4 Queen Square, Liverpool, England)

Here is my review of our local La Tasca which was at Queen Square, Liverpool on 6th July 2013. This is not a sponsored review, however the meal was paid for by La Tasca for the review. The opinions expressed below are our honest opinions.

Image taken from http://www.latasca.com/liverpool/

We were booked in for Saturday 6th July 2013 at 6.30pm, that is me & Paul (hubby), our 10 year old son, David and my 11 year old sister, Latisha.

The waitress asked us were we would like to sit (indoors or outdoors - we chose outdoors seeing as it was a nice warm, sunny day) and seated us and gave us menus. The childrens menus were separate as they have some puzzles inside the menu and get given a small box of crayons.

I spoke to the manageress and she explained what we could choose from for the review - 6 tapas between me & Paul plus a jug of sangria or wine or soft drinks and the childrens menu each for the kids (3 tapas, 1 dessert and a Capri sun each), also a starter of bread and oil to share. She was very nice and approachable. She explained that one of the waiters, Anthony (I hope I remember his name correctly!), would be looking after us for the evening. He was also very nice, and very polite and made sure we were well looked after.

I ordered Gambas Gabardina, a Madrid dish ("king prawns, dipped in our special-recipe San Miguel batter and fried until crisp, then served with homemade paprika & roasted garlic mayonnaise and lemon"), Patatas Bravas, an España dish ("fried potato, with spicy tomato sauce") and the 'Chef's Special' Slow-Cooked Pork Cheeks With Pedro Ximenez, a Castilla Y León dish ("served with creamed mashed potato").

I absolutely loved the pork cheeks with mash, it was cooked to perfection, very soft and succulent pork and the mash was scrumptiously creamy and smooth. I would definitely have this again and recommend it to everyone who visits.

The king prawns were really nice - whenever I've had king prawns in other places, they have been quite chewy, but these were cooked just right, nice and soft and juicy, the batter was also soft and delicious and the dip complemented them perfectly.

The patatas bravas were very nice too. I think I would have preferred them a little spicier. They were different to the ones I had on holiday in Barcelona in a few weeks ago (the ones I had there were fried potato with a mayonnaise and spicy dip), but I assume it is just a regional varaiation. They were very nice anyway - they are like half size potato wedges in a spicy tomato sauce.

We waited a reasonable amount of time for our food to be served. We got to enjoy a glass of our sangria while we waited and enjoy sitting out in the warm evening air. It was a very pleasant atmosphere at the restaurant too. The staff all look pleasant and approachable and cheerful which is nice to see. They even have Spanish style music playing to give an authentic feel of Spain!

I felt that the food was very well presented and I was very, very impressed with how well my food was cooked too. It was perfect - I'm a fussy eater in general, so for me to give a 'perfect!' is quite rare. Everything was just as described.

I very much enjoyed my sangria too. It wasn't too strong, nor was it too weak. I find sangria is very varying in taste from place to place. I liked it very much though. It had a good selection of fruit pieces in - orange, lemon and lime.

The bread and oil starter was delicious too. I very much enjoyed that. Overall, I was very, very pleased with the meal, the atmosphere and the service.

Paul ordered Pimientos De Padrón, a Galicia dish ("imported directly from Padrón - hot!"), A Festival Of Mushrooms, a Rioja dish ("chestnut and button mushrooms, sautéed in garlic butter and white wine") and Tortilla Española, an España dish ("Spanish omelette, served with a spicy red pepper tapenade and roasted garlic mayonnaise").

I asked Paul what he thought of his meal and he said:

"I was impressed that there were quite a lot of veggie choices. There was a good variety of things I could have - I didn't feel like a second-class person just because I wasn't having something meaty. I liked it all, my favourite was the mushrooms - they were nicely coated in the flavouring, but not dripping with oil like some takeaway ones I've had before. There was a good variety of mushrooms and they were soft and flavoursome. 

The peppers/chillies were nice, but they were not as hot as I was expecting, they were nice anyway, but from the description on the menu, I was maybe expecting something a little hotter.

The omelette was nice too. The bread and olive oil starter was nice. I very much liked the sangria too. There was a nice lot of fruit in the sangria, I was pleased there wasn't too much ice, but it was still nicely chilled.

The tables were well set out to give you plenty of room to sit comfortably. The waiters & waitresses checked everything was alright and the food was brought out in a timely manner and the tables were cleared quickly after we'd finished.

There was a friendly and relaxed atmosphere and the music was on but not over the top, so you were able to chat comfortably."

David ordered La Tasca's Meatballs ("La Tasca's beef and pork meatballs, served in a tomato sauce"), Paella Of The Day ("chorizo and chicken paella") and French Fries ("served with tomato ketchup"), Chocolate Brownies ("served with vanilla ice cream") for dessert and a blackcurrant Capri Sun drink.

I asked David what he thought of his meal and he said:
"I thought it was very yummy and all the food was nice and done well. My favourite was the paella, it was just right. I wish there was a bit more food, I was a bit hungry afterwards. I wish there had been a little more choice in dessert too."

Latisha ordered two lots of Paella Of The Day ("chorizo and chicken paella") and French Fries ("served with tomato ketchup"), Chocolate Brownies ("served with vanilla ice cream") for dessert and a blackcurrant Capri Sun drink.

I asked Latisha what she thought of her meal and she said:
"It was lovely and the paella was my favourite. I think more would have been better though. It was cooked fabulous."

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REVIEW: Bracafé (Ronda Universitat 35, Barcelona, Spain)

We went to the Bracafé on Ronda de Universitat (around the corner from Catalunya Plaza) to eat on 14th June 2013. This is not a sponsored review, and the meal was paid for by us. The opinions expressed below are our honest opinions.

The waitress who greeted and seated us was very approachable and helpful and polite.

The prices were clearly set out and the meals had good explanations in English as well as Spanish.

Both myself and my husband got tapas, tomato bread, a meal and a drink for under €30 (around €27) for both of us. Very reasonable.

The tapas were beautifully presented and as delicious in taste as they looked.

My roast chicken and vegetables were delicious and cooked to perfection. My husband was pleased with his vegetarian rice dish too. His was not listed on the menu, but when he asked for his options as a vegetarian, they were happy to cater for him too.

My chicken & veg - I had already nibbled some chicken before taking the photo - oops!

Paul's vegetarian rice dish

The tomato bread was delicious as well. Our meals were plentiful and filling and absolutely delicious too. A drink was included and I had a glass of white wine, while hubby had a glass of sangria. The drinks were good too.

We were both very pleased and I would recommend Bracafé to everyone.

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REVIEW: Store Café (Travessera de Dalt 25, Barcelona, Spain)

After going to Parc Guell, we went here to eat (on 16th June 2013) because we were really hungry and of all the eateries we passed it was one of the emptier ones. We saw the food prices were maybe a few Euros more than some of the others we'd passed, but as it was emptier and looked quicker to get seated and served we picked here.

This is not a sponsored review, and the meal was paid for by us. The opinions expressed below are our honest opinions.

I had a hamburger that was actually gristly and fatty and I'm sure it had bits of bone or something inedible in it too. It came with chips which were quite nice, but nothing special and a salad that wasn't the freshest you'd ever seen. Definitely not worth the €13.50.

Hubby had a 'cuatro cuesta', four cheese pizza, which he said was very nice however it was nothing special and probably not worth the €9.

Drinks were not listed on the menu, and when asked if we'd like a drink, we just asked for 2 sangria's assuming they would be reasonably priced. However, we were shocked when the bill came and we had been charged €7 each for them.

Through and through this was overpriced yet sub-standard. If you're tempted to stop, I'd suggest you think again and go elsewhere!

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RECIPE: Spaghetti & Meatballs With Spicy Tomato Sauce

My quick and easy recipe is for spaghetti with Swedish meatballs and my home made spicy tomato sauce. It serves four people. Preparation & cooking time is approx. 15-20 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:
12 fresh, ripe tomatoes
140g concentrated tomato puree
2 small onions, chopped roughly
3 cloves garlic, chopped roughly
25g fresh, chopped basil
4-6 chopped green birds eye chillies (seeds in if you like it super-spicy or removed if not)
40 Swedish meatballs
280g dried spaghetti

METHOD:
For the sauce:
- Get a pan of boiled water
- Lightly score the tomatoes into quarters and place them into the water for a few minutes
- Remove the tomatoes from the water and the peel should come off them with ease
- Put the peeled tomatoes into a food processor
- Add the onions, garlic, chillies, basil and tomato puree to the processor
- Whizz it all together on a high setting until the sauce becomes purified

Put the meatballs in the oven on gas mark 4 and cook for 10 minutes.
At the same time, place the spaghetti into a pan of boiling water and cook for 10 minutes.
In the last few minutes of cooking the meatballs and spaghetti, put the sauce into a pan and warm gently on a medium heat.

Lay the spaghetti on the plate, leaving a well in the middle. Put the meatballs and sauce into the well and serve.

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RECIPE: Indian Shepherd's Pie

My recipe is a delicious turkey curry shepherd's pie, quick and tasty...

Serves: 4
Cooking time: 30-45 mins

Ingredients:
1 tbsp sunflower oil
500g lean turkey mince
1 onion, finely chopped
1 inch cube ginger, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp hot curry powder
400g tin chopped tomatoes
450ml water
6 finger green chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt
4 large sweet potatoes
10 white potatoes
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh coriander
Knob butter

Method:
- Fry the mince in the oil until cooked over a med-high heat approx. 5-10 minutes.
- Remove from the pan, drain and set aside
- Fry the onion, ginger, garlic and chilli until soft
- Add the spices and fry for 2 mins
- Add the mince and stir well
- Add the tin of chopped tomatoes and the water
- Boil at a high temperature, and stir frequently until the mixture is reduced and thick
- Add to a glass cooking dish
- Chop the white and sweet potatoes into small chunks and boil in lightly salted water (in seperate pans) until soft enough to mash
- Drain, then add the butter and black pepper to each pan and mash until smooth
- Add some plain mash onto the mince mix in the cooking dish and top it off with a layer of sweet potato
- Put in the oven on gas mark 4 for about 15-20 until the potato crisps over slightly
- Sprinkle chopped coriander on top and serve

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RECIPE: Devilled Eggs

Devilled Eggs Recipe:

8 eggs

2 tbsp chopped spring onions

50g Discovery salsa

1 tbsp Discovery garlic & herb soured cream

28g mayonnaise

56g grated cheddar cheese

Salt

Serves: 4

Cooking & preparation time: 15-20 mins

Boil a large pan of water. When boiling, add the eggs to the pan and cook for around 10 mins until hard boiled. When cooked, drain the water off and allow to cool slightly before peeling. Cut each egg in half and remove (but keep) the yolks.

In a jug, put the egg yolks, spring onions, salsa, garlic & herb soured cream, mayonnaise and cheese along with a pinch or two of salt and mix well together.

Spoon the mix into the eggs where the yolk used to be and velado!

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RECIPE: Pulled Pork Fajitas

Pulled Pork Fajita's Recipe:
1.2kg boneless pork

6 tsp smoked paprika
3 tsp salt
6 tsp dark muscovado sugar
6 plain flour tortillas
Salsa
Garlic & herb mild soured cream
6 large leaves of lettuce

Serves: 6

Cooking & preparation time: 9-10 hours

It is best to prepare the pulled pork the day before you wish to use it due to the long cooking time.

- Mix together the smoked paprika, salt and dark muscovado sugar in a bowl until well blended together.
- Pat dry your piece of pork with kitchen roll and then rub in half of the seasoning mix. Put it in the fridge for around 1 hour to allow the seasoning to infuse with the pork.
- Preheat the oven to gas mark 6. Put a large piece of foil in a roasting tin (enough that you will be able to cover the pork with it later) and put the pork (uncovered) in it. Place in the oven for approximately 30-40 minutes until it is well browned.
- Remove from the oven and then wrap tightly in the foil. Lower the oven to the ½ gas mark (i.e. pretty much as low as you can go) and put the pork back in the oven for 6-7 hours until the pork is so soft, it pulls away effortlessly (the internal temperature should be around 89°C).
- Remove and reserve the juices and put the pork back in the oven at gas mark 6, uncovered for 10 minutes to crisp it off.
- Now remove it from the oven and cover it tightly in foil and leave it to sit for 30-40 minutes.
- Next, pull the pork off in strips and put into a bowl, add the remaining seasoning to the bowl along with the reserved juices and mix together well. Now, ideally you will put it in the fridge overnight for the flavours to become well infused.
- When you're ready to make your fajita's, pull off 6 large leaves of lettuce and wash thoroughly.
- Put 2 dessert spoons of pulled pork per tortilla wrap in the oven on gas mark 7 to heat up for around 15 minutes.
- Warm the tortillas under the grill (6 seconds on each side) and put the lettuce on one side. Spoon 2 dessert spoons of pulled pork onto the lettuce on each tortilla wrap, put 2 teaspoons of salsa on top of each and some garlic & herb soured cream on top (use as much or as little as you like to your taste), fold over and velado!

If you are vegetarian, I suggest replacing the pork with soya pieces which is what I used in my husband's instead. You won't need to cook for several hours however ;)

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