Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Address: 9 South Charlotte Street
Type of Meal: Dinner
Address: 9 South Charlotte Street
Type of Meal: Dinner
La Tasca
isn’t anything fancy, but if you’re looking for reasonable prices and a low-key
but not family restaurant environment, this UK chain is a great option. The
menu is quite extensive with tapas, paellas, whole fish and simple salads;
items we tried are unfussy and reminiscent of the tastes of Spain.
One of the
better dishes of the night was the calamares (£4.60) a simple fried calamari
dish. Cut into thicker slices the squid
tastes fresh and tender. The crust is
crispy and thin with just some sea salt, although the dish does have a spicy
aioli sauce on the side if you need a bit more flavour.
The
langostinos (£5.95) was a good value dish comprised of four large tiger prawns
– heads on for some who may be squeamish.
Grilled on a flat top so that juices are retained but without charring
the shell, the prawn is delicious and maintains its natural flavours.
A dish with
some kick were the empanadas de carne (£4.35) filled with spicy ground beef and
regato cheese wrapped in a crunchy yet soft coating.
If you want
something more filling the flatbread for two (£6.95) may be the dish for you –
certainly sufficient for us to share even amongst a table of four. Arriving on a wooden platter the bread is not
exactly flat but rather like a thick
crust vegetarian pizza. Topped with roast peppers, tomatoes, cheese and onion
it’s a dish built for sustenance.
The gratinado
verduras (£3.75) is for individuals who like their vegetables hidden under a
layer of cheese and mixed into cream.
Garlicky creamed spinach sits on the bottom with a scalloped potato
layer on top.
After my
visit to La Tasca, I’ve learnt that “salsa” essentially translates to “sauce” -
not the tomato Old El Paso variety available in mild, medium and hot but just “sauce”. When the pollo con salsa (£4.95) arrived we
were a little surprised that the chicken was sitting in a creamy sherry sauce,
we should read the menu carefully. But, the dish was still good with the pieces
of white meat mixed with mushrooms.
I enjoyed the
variety of salads on their menu; by this point in the trip I was craving
something simple and healthy. We ordered a regular green house salad (£2.95) as
well as the beetroot, carrot and butternut squash salad (£4.80). Personally, I
enjoyed the simple green salad more as I’m not a huge fan of sweet squash
dishes.
La Tasca has
a fair variety of beers and wine on their menu. Choice is abundant with wines
offered in 125ml, 250ml, half bottle and full bottle options with a 250ml will
glass setting you back about £6. So, if you’re tired after walking through Old
or New Town, this is a good choice to stop for a bite where you can likely
comfortably feed two with £20 without having to eat a burger.
Overall mark - 7 out of 10
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Gastro World's Grading System
Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
