Tasting Britain
TastingBritain.co.uk - La Tasca, Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London
The first La Tasca opened in Manchester in 1993 and was the brainchild of a guy called Neil Gatt (and that is literally everything I know about Neil Gatt..). Since then they have been extremelybusy conquering high streets all over the UK (and apparently, the USâ¦) with their own brand of accessible, mass market Spanish cuisine/culture (mainly in the form of tapas and sangria - which I suppose what English people associate with Spanish food?). If you've lived in the UK, you've probably been to a La Tasca, or at least seen one - right?.
Tasting Britain have a pretty good relationship with these fine and friendly people, and so we got the invite down to their 'flagship' location in Maiden Lane/Covent Garden, after their recent, rather hefty refurb to see what the 'new look' is going to be like. And to drink some Estrella & Sangria with Spanish people :3 All in all, not all that mindblowing but as consistent and reasonably priced as you would expect from such a big chain. Plus, that refurb looks pretty slick too.
More about La Tasca (or should I say more info about Mick Hucknall?). Despite their size, I'm pretty sure that they're an independent group, being owned by one 'La Tasca Holdings'. They part of the Bay Restaurant Group/conglomerate at one point but I think went independent again in 2011. I also heard a rumour that Mick Hucknall has/had some ownership but this MAY be uncited nonsense on wikipedia as I can't find the original reference (and I don't have the time/inclination to go hunt this info down properly *cough*journalism*cough*).
Instead, the rabbit hole of research led me to some of the internet's dark, hateful places - and let me to the conclusion that a lot of people on motoring forums have too much time on their hands - spending much of it hating on Mick Hucknall. Srslytho. Simply Red aside, La Tasca also do the best tortilla I have yet to have anywhere (and I have had tortillas all over spainâ¦). The 'Slow-Cooked Pork Cheeks with Pedro Ximenez' are certainly worth a look in as well. What I really want to do now is see how good their wine selection is. Soon...
TastingBritain.co.uk - La Tasca, Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London
The first La Tasca opened in Manchester in 1993 and was the brainchild of a guy called Neil Gatt (and that is literally everything I know about Neil Gatt..). Since then they have been extremelybusy conquering high streets all over the UK (and apparently, the USâ¦) with their own brand of accessible, mass market Spanish cuisine/culture (mainly in the form of tapas and sangria - which I suppose what English people associate with Spanish food?). If you've lived in the UK, you've probably been to a La Tasca, or at least seen one - right?.
Tasting Britain have a pretty good relationship with these fine and friendly people, and so we got the invite down to their 'flagship' location in Maiden Lane/Covent Garden, after their recent, rather hefty refurb to see what the 'new look' is going to be like. And to drink some Estrella & Sangria with Spanish people :3 All in all, not all that mindblowing but as consistent and reasonably priced as you would expect from such a big chain. Plus, that refurb looks pretty slick too.
More about La Tasca (or should I say more info about Mick Hucknall?). Despite their size, I'm pretty sure that they're an independent group, being owned by one 'La Tasca Holdings'. They part of the Bay Restaurant Group/conglomerate at one point but I think went independent again in 2011. I also heard a rumour that Mick Hucknall has/had some ownership but this MAY be uncited nonsense on wikipedia as I can't find the original reference (and I don't have the time/inclination to go hunt this info down properly *cough*journalism*cough*).
Instead, the rabbit hole of research led me to some of the internet's dark, hateful places - and let me to the conclusion that a lot of people on motoring forums have too much time on their hands - spending much of it hating on Mick Hucknall. Srslytho. Simply Red aside, La Tasca also do the best tortilla I have yet to have anywhere (and I have had tortillas all over spainâ¦). The 'Slow-Cooked Pork Cheeks with Pedro Ximenez' are certainly worth a look in as well. What I really want to do now is see how good their wine selection is. Soon...