I stumbled across La Tasca whilst exploring Chiswick during my first summer in London. I had noticed it before from my car- the exterior is striking and on summer evenings the doors are left open and the customers spill out onto the high street.

It turns out the interior of the restaurant is equally interesting. The walls are decorated with lots of Spanish pictures and fabrics. There is barely an inch that isn’t covered. The lighting is dim, sultry salsa music is played and candles adorn all the tables.

The menu here is dominated by tapas. There are full size paellas available too if two or more people want it. I haven’t been disappointed with anything yet. Particularly good items are the meatballs, breaded chicken in white wine sauce and the aubergines with tomato. On the other hand, the calamari is average and the paella doesn’t seem to be real paella. By that I mean it doesn’t have the moist texture one would associate with paella. It is more like rice boiled with saffron that is left to sit for a while and has the other ingredients stirred in just before it is served.

The wine list has a good selection of Spanish wines and cavas. However I rarely try them because the Sangria here is amazing. It is definitely the best I’ve had anywhere. It costs about £11 a pitcher which is equivalent to 4 large glasses.

On the whole, food is good value for money but this can vary. The anchovies, although very nice, are expensive, as are many of the prawn dishes. Chicken and vegetable dishes are very reasonably priced.

In summary, this is an excellent place  for those new to tapas and those who have been enjoying it for a while. Thoroughly recommended.