Eating Out.

keveh · Post by **keveh** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:24 am

communistworkethic wrote:tapas - is a style of eating rather than a dish itself. It's spanish of origin, and involves taking 3 or 4 small dishes rather than one big plateful. One dish might be fish, another meat, another veg etc.

All you really need to know is that it's gorgeous!

Little Green Man · Post by **Little Green Man** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:30 am

jmjhb wrote:Tapas is lovely, though I've only just got into it the last 6 months or so. There's a place in Sheffield that I tend to frequent, La Viña, which is quite delicious. I'm not sure if it's a chain or not. I should try La Tasca sometime soon too.

La Viña is very good.

Favourite dish - boquerones.

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 11:11 am

The Tango guide to Tapas:

"Tapas" meaning literally, "tops, platters or lids" comes from the tradition of long-standing, of being served a drink with a small saucer of treats placed atop it. Sometimes (knowing the finicky tastes of tourists) these treats can be as simple as a hard-boiled and sliced egg, a chunk of bread with chorizos (spicy sausage), sardines or tomato. You have to seek out the Spanish bars as this won't happen in "Joe's Piano Bar", and manners and a few words of Spanish go an amazingly long way towards better service.

The original tapas ( I've had them many times going back a lot of years) were always free as a "thank-you" for custom. The habit spread and the tapas bars of the Spanish went on to serve things like "Roast Sparrow", particular to Madrid at one time. Public outcry (mainly from tourist interference) has mainly put an end to this but the tapas bars flourished and the ones over here bear little relation to the country of their origin. In Spain the tapas are displayed along the counters in a sizeable array of choice through meat, chicken and seafood together with the ever popular "patatas bravas" (cubed fried potatoes in a rich tomato based sauce) and "Tortilla Espanola"(Spanish omlette of potatoes and onions). When in doubt, start with these.

Tapas bars (mainly on the restaurant style) have become very popular now over here and a lot of places (El Rincon is the best example) serve a core dish with the tapas as additions according to taste. ( Paella is a big favourite with the Spanish and a whole family will have a monstrous wok-style dish of it as their main meal). Dishes that were once the preserve of the poorer classes, ie, Salpicon ( a sea-food mix) and Gazpacho soup (A wonderfully flavoured tomato based gruel made for field workers initially) has croutons, sliced onions, chopped tomato and greens to be added to taste are now regular restaurant fare. Although Gazpacho is seved cold, it's my favourite soup on earth.

Hope this helps a little to those unfamiliar with tapas.

boltonboris · Post by **boltonboris** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 11:16 am

Flaming 'ell Tango! Tell me something I don't know!!

I actually went to Leonis in Manchester last night and had a rare venison steak... It was bloody deer!

Boom Boom

CAPSLOCK · Post by **CAPSLOCK** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:12 pm

Get to Ainsworth for a proper restaurant

Theres only one, so you can't go wrong

Dujon · Post by **Dujon** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:00 am

Thanks for the education, gentlemen, it is appreciated. I could have gone a-googling but thought it best to ask you lot about the local presentation.

Some of those selections certainly sound quite attractive, though I'm not too sure about the cold gruel.

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:11 am

Dujon wrote:Thanks for the education, gentlemen, it is appreciated. I could have gone a-googling but thought it best to ask you lot about the local presentation.

Some of those selections certainly sound quite attractive, though I'm not too sure about the cold gruel.

Believe me, Gazpacho is magnificent. No doubt Bruce tried it in Nerja?

boltonboris · Post by **boltonboris** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 4:42 pm

Milan in Worsley was shut down for a couple of days not so long ago for the 2nd time due to an awfully dirty kitchen. It has a terrible reputation and I avoid at all costs

There is a new Tapas place in Worsley called Ambiente (i'll be going next week and will let you know) supposed to be expensive but excellent.

Also, not sure why but I'm going to St. Petersburg on Sackville St on Sat with the missus, which is a Russian restaurant. I will also let you know what I think of that!

On a side note, I signed up for Toptable.co.uk and have accumilated quite a few points, which has gotten me a free meal at Evuna (tapas place) in Deansgate.. I recommend it to anybody who eats out much

ratbert · Post by **ratbert** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 4:59 pm

boltonboris wrote: Also, not sure why but I'm going to St. Petersburg on Sackville St on Sat with the missus, which is a Russian restaurant. I will also let you know what I think of that!

There's a branch in Liverpool I visited last September. Food is very good (not all boiled fatty meat and cabbage, as you might expect) and wait until you see the vodka selection!

mummywhycantieatcrayons · Post by **mummywhycantieatcrayons** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:06 pm

Ha... the only contribution I have to make to this thread at the moment is to ask whether anyone else has ever had 'Tapas for a tenner' at La Tasca. Happens on a monday night in the Cambridge branch.

I had 14 tapas dishes in one sitting last time i did it a couple of months ago... needless to say they weren't very impressed.

CrazyHorse · Post by **CrazyHorse** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:08 pm

mummywhycantieatcrayons wrote:Ha... the only contribution I have to make to this thread at the moment is to ask whether anyone else has ever had 'Tapas for a tenner' at La Tasca. Happens on a monday night in the Cambridge branch.

I had 14 tapas dishes in one sitting last time i did it a couple of months ago... needless to say they weren't very impressed.

Bloody students....

mummywhycantieatcrayons · Post by **mummywhycantieatcrayons** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:23 pm

CrazyHorse wrote:
mummywhycantieatcrayons wrote:Ha... the only contribution I have to make to this thread at the moment is to ask whether anyone else has ever had 'Tapas for a tenner' at La Tasca. Happens on a monday night in the Cambridge branch.

I had 14 tapas dishes in one sitting last time i did it a couple of months ago... needless to say they weren't very impressed.
Bloody students....

The place is filled out with students handing over their £10, pushing the all-you-can-eat thing far beyonds the bounds of decency, all the time chugging down jugs of tap water! I have no idea how they turn a profit on it.

Athers · Post by **Athers** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:36 pm

boltonboris wrote: Also, not sure why but I'm going to St. Petersburg on Sackville St on Sat with the missus, which is a Russian restaurant. I will also let you know what I think of that!

Borscht, mmmm.

warthog · Post by **warthog** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:45 pm

mummywhycantieatcrayons wrote:Ha... the only contribution I have to make to this thread at the moment is to ask whether anyone else has ever had 'Tapas for a tenner' at La Tasca. Happens on a monday night in the Cambridge branch.

I had 14 tapas dishes in one sitting last time i did it a couple of months ago... needless to say they weren't very impressed.

Isn't that the whole menu, and some?

The one in Bolton does the pig out menu from Monday to Thursday. I'll warn them next time you're in town.

mummywhycantieatcrayons · Post by **mummywhycantieatcrayons** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:14 pm

warthog wrote:
mummywhycantieatcrayons wrote:Ha... the only contribution I have to make to this thread at the moment is to ask whether anyone else has ever had 'Tapas for a tenner' at La Tasca. Happens on a monday night in the Cambridge branch.

I had 14 tapas dishes in one sitting last time i did it a couple of months ago... needless to say they weren't very impressed.
Isn't that the whole menu, and some?

The one in Bolton does the pig out menu from Monday to Thursday. I'll warn them next time you're in town.

Well naturally i repeat my favourites like the Paella Valenciana, the Alitas de Pollo and the Chorizo Frito al Vino a few times over...

But you mean to say that the Bolton branch does it 4 days a week?!

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:02 pm

Tried "Viva Espana" on Winter Hey Lane in Horwich a week or two ago. Not cheap, but not bad. Just don't order the one with the steak as a dish name. First time I've ever seen a fifty pence-sized piece of meat called a "steak". Oh, and they had no champinones ( mushrooms) on the night we went. That didn't go down too well with me either.

The Manchester La Tasca on Deansgate wasn't at all bad when I used to go there at lunchtimes, but none of them can hold a candle to El Rincon de Rafa. You want tapas (or a meal for that matter) it's the tops (bad pun)

Bruce Rioja · Post by **Bruce Rioja** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:27 pm

TANGODANCER wrote: but none of them can hold a candle to El Rincon de Rafa. You want tapas (or a meal for that matter) it's the tops (bad pun)

Oi, let's just keep it amongst ourselves eh, Tango. It's hard enough to get a table at the best of times.

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:50 pm

Bruce Rioja wrote:
TANGODANCER wrote: but none of them can hold a candle to El Rincon de Rafa. You want tapas (or a meal for that matter) it's the tops (bad pun)
Oi, let's just keep it amongst ourselves eh, Tango. It's hard enough to get a table at the best of times.

Aye, you're right Bruce. Time was.....sigh! Oh, er, it's in Rochdale isn't it?

enfieldwhite · Post by **enfieldwhite** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 9:04 am

TANGODANCER wrote:Tried "Viva Espana" on Winter Hey Lane in Chorley a week or two ago. Not cheap, but not bad. Just don't order the one with the steak as a dish name. First time I've ever seen a fifty pence-sized piece of meat called a "steak". Oh, and they had no champinones ( mushrooms) on the night we went. That didn't go down too well with me either.

The Manchester La Tasca on Deansgate wasn't at all bad when I used to go there at lunchtimes, but none of them can hold a candle to El Rincon de Rafa. You want tapas (or a meal for that matter) it's the tops (bad pun)

There's a Viva Espana on Winter Hey lane in Horwich, too!

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 9:48 am

enfieldwhite wrote:
TANGODANCER wrote:Tried "Viva Espana" on Winter Hey Lane in Chorley a week or two ago. Not cheap, but not bad. Just don't order the one with the steak as a dish name. First time I've ever seen a fifty pence-sized piece of meat called a "steak". Oh, and they had no champinones ( mushrooms) on the night we went. That didn't go down too well with me either.

The Manchester La Tasca on Deansgate wasn't at all bad when I used to go there at lunchtimes, but none of them can hold a candle to El Rincon de Rafa. You want tapas (or a meal for that matter) it's the tops (bad pun)
There's a Viva Espana on Winter Hey lane in Horwich, too!

Ooops, I meant Horwich. Got carried away.

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