La Tasca - Norwich

La Tasca is located in the Tombland area of Norwich. Despite its ominous name, the restaurant offers traditional Spanish cuisine and delicious tapas dishes. For a friend's birthday, we opted for the buffet-style menu, which required our group to choose from one of three menus at varying prices. We all chose the second option and were pleasantly surprised by the constant flow of tasty food. The quality of the dishes varied, but overall, it was a satisfying assortment of Spanish tapas. While the service was decent, it could be challenging to get the attention of the staff at times. If you're looking for something different, La Tasca is worth a visit. I've only tried their tapas so far, but I might have to return to try their main dishes.

I visited here on a Saturday evening with my husband. It was our first visit so we did not know what to expect, but we were not disappointed.A helpful waiter ook us through the menu options, and as we really wanted to try a paella, he suggested we should order a couple of tapas too as paella can take to serve. This we did, and I have to say I wished we had gone for the all tapas option. The dishes were great, plenty to share and felt a nice informal way to eat.As the place started to fill the atmosphere was nice, and there were lots of groups in. I found myself wishing that we were with friends as it would have turned a great meal into a fab evening.The paella was great too by the way, although was far too much to eat after snacking on the tapas so a lot was wasted. All in all good value, fun and lively place to eat.

This restaurant was once wonderful, but it closed down after being taken over by Bella Italia.

Last night, I went to La Tasca for a meal, and it turned out to be the perfect choice. Since I am always busy with work, I don't get much time to go out. When we arrived, our waitress greeted us at the door and promptly seated us at a table of our choice. The food arrived within minutes of us ordering, and it was excellent. Every member of the staff, from the waitress to the runners and bar staff, was polite and helpful. We took the staff's recommendations for a couple of dishes, and they were spot on. The food was exceptional. Overall, we had a fantastic evening with delicious food in a great atmosphere. I highly recommend La Tasca in Norwich and all of their staff. We will definitely be returning as soon as we can.

Buffets, for me, bring to mind an overabundance of sausage rolls and dearth of decent salad. They invariably leave me full of pastry and protein, with a possible baby tomato or two as a nod to the five-a-day vegetable pushing fascists Twenty* grapes is one portion? Come off it – But I digress.Mrs wifey doesn’t like buffets. She doesn’t know when she’s eaten enough. We recently found out that this is something to do with the difference between hunger and appetite. As Jeffrey Steingarten describes:‘hunger is an nagging sensation that triggers constant thoughts of food and reminds you that your body wants to eat … Appetite is simply the tendency to eat.’This partly explains how you can be fit to burst with lasagne yet somehow still have space for tiramisu. Or, in the case of tapas, how you (read I) just don’t know when to stop.With tapas, experience has taught me to exercise restraint. It’s like a buffet with less pastry and more meatballs. And salad. Oh, and you can get it on your plate without having to get out of your chair.Of course, you’ll not get much on your plate at any one moment, as La Tasca appear to support the tiny plate technique, probably to maximise the other dishes on the table, as it does seem to fill very quickly.The menu seems a little tamer than the last time we went – possibly it’s a seasonal thing, possibly it has been dumbed down. Either way, there’s no platter of whitebait to gnaw at. Instead we have fresh anchovies. It’s a naïve choice – despite the day’s glorious sun, one swallow does not a summer make. They would have been much better for a July lunch. We also have the ‘famous’ meatballs, ribs, tortilla and salad. The ribs are tasty, if a bit scanty, but everything else (even the salad) ticks its food group box. The music, however, sucks. Techno-carnival beats do not facilitate digestion or conversation. But neither are they the end of the world.La Tasca does not offer most exciting, authentic Spanish experience in Norwich, but it’s perfectly serviceable for the money, I’ve never had to book, and (this might be all in the mind) it feels a damn sight warmer than La Torero.