i have long been a customer at Tapa and when the need arrived for a girly dinner with Nikki A, Lou V, and Chelsea i had only one place to suggest. I knew the food was good, the location perfect, and an offer of £25 (per 2 people) for a bottle of rioja and four tapas, nothing could go wrong.
i wandered my way down to the shore, debating whether it was raining or just misty and arrived to a lovely Nikki A waiting for me with a glass of white wine at the little bar they have at the front of the restaurant. As the table was ready, we decided to move there and the waiter very happily brought over the first bottle of wine and a big pitcher of water. Lou V and Chelsea arrived shortly after this and more wine was poured and menus taken up.
We had a very friendly waiter (a rather attractive young man for the single ladies out there ;) ) who told us the specials and recommended how many dishes would be good for the four of us. 8 were already included in the offer, but he suggested we may wait one or two more but could easily order these later on if needed.
decisions were made and the final 8 tapas were spanish meatballs, crispy prawns, calamari, patatas bravas, patatas alioli, chorizo with tomato sauce, grilled tiger prawns, and fried auberinge with honey. (apologies although having been a spanish major at university that language skill fails me recalling the correct names...)
more chat ensued and more lovely rioja was poured and then the parade of the tapas began! the dishes came out as they were ready, but all fairly close together and it was a feast for the eyes and our tummies!! i immediately tucked into the crispy prawns, a favourite of mine, and they were just as sumptious and juicy as ever. the chorizo was still hot and the tomato sauce zingy and full of flavour. the meatballs came with a lovely tomato sauce, and the patatas bravas and alioli were crispy on the outside fluffy on the inside and accompanied with delicious toppings!! the auberinges were sliced thinly with a crispy batter and topped with honey making them the perfect combination of savoury and sweet. lasty the grilled tiger prawn proved a bit of a production for me as i had to have Lou V remove the head before i'd remove the rest of the body. after de-shelling, the prawn was enjoyed thorougly. i passed on the calamari as squid isn't my thing but it appeared that everyone else found this very tasty.
after the main dishes were cleared away, we took no time at all the inform the waiter to bring three portions of the churros con chocolate. i made it very clear that this girl does not share dessert, so while the others did i had my own portion :) the churros were freshly made with a cup of thick dark melted chocolate to dip them into. just heaven really....
phew...that was a lot of food to review!! but some last comments, although we were there on an offer and were rather loud with our chat and jovality, the waiter never failed to show up at our table with a smile and be as helpful as ever. i also appreciate that long after the food was finished and dessert consumed, Nikki A and i proceeded to have another glass of wine and were made to feel as if we could have stayed all night...if only we hadn't had to work the next day!
i seriously love this place and find it's a fantastic restaurant to go to for a catch up with friends over lunch, a girl's dinner, or a romantic date. and with the various offers that they always have on this place is an amazing value! £10 for 7 tapas to share between 2 people at lunch, £25 for a bottle of wine and 4 tapas between 2 people, and they're currently giving you a £10 voucher for your next visit when you settle your bill. seriously, why are you still reading this, go to Tapa!!! read more