written by Woodie09 on 28/01/2009
Bad Points
A chain restaurant, so there can be a lot of variation between branches. Some dishes aren't as good as you might expect (paella springs to mind). The decor can feel a little faux
General Comments
I'm a bit of a fan of La Tasca. I have eaten in a few branches. The one in the Trafford Centre in Manchester is nice because you enter the restaurant and you no longer feel like you are in a large shopping mall. I've had a few good meals in the one on Deansgate, Manchester as well. This branch can be pretty busy on Saturday nights though as they don't (or at least they didn't last time I went) accept bookings and people also go there for a drink as well as to eat. I have also visited the branch in Leeds a couple of times. The first time the food was a little diaspoointing compared to what I was familiar with, though the second time was a great improvement.
Overall the food is usually pretty good. I especially like the chorizo and the meat on skewers and some of the casserole type dishes are pretty good. I did try the paella once and was a little disappointed with this as it tasted too much like a Bacehlor's Savoury Rice, though the manager happily removed this from the bill. I am perhaps a bit biased as I really love Spanish tapas when I've been to the country on city breaks, but La Tasca feels like a good approximation of the real thing.
The decor is a little fake, but it does lend some ambience and as I mentioned from the Trafford Centre branch, it does offer a nice respite from retail mania happening outside!
In summary La Tasca is a decent place to stop for a reasonably priced light meal, or more if you feel hungry (just order more dishes), though as I say it is subject to variation because it is a chain restaurant
Oh, and they accept Tesco vouchers which means you can get lots of food for very little (though you have to order the vouchers online)!