Las Tasca

Before I start this review, I should probably be honest and confess that I did come to La Tasca with a series of prejudices. I’ve been to other branches before, and have been less than impressed, and in general, I’m not a fan of chain restaurants that produce creepily homogenous food, no matter where you are in the country, who’s cooking it, or what the season is. However, a good friend was keen to go, and she had a voucher giving us 50% off all «tapas to share» menu items, as well as £2 off a bottle of Torres wine. Having never been to the Exeter branch of La Tasca before, and being able to try it at a considerable discount, I thought I’d give it a whirl.
I visited on a Monday evening, with two friends. Being a Monday night (and it being the first Monday after a half-​term holiday), the restaurant was nearly empty and very quiet. Apart from us, I could see two or three other tables occupied by couples, and one larger table of around eight diners.
The atmosphere wasn’t great, but much of this can’t be blamed on the restaurant itself; had it been busier, I’m sure it would have felt warmer and more lively. Having said that, it was a really cold and windy night outside, and I felt pretty chilly at our table, and our meal was regularly punctuated by the thundering, hurried steps of the main waiter (who was so heavy-​footed it literally vibrated our table and chairs as he came past), who seemed to need to dash everywhere despite it being a really quiet night.
After being seated and given menus, it took around 10 – 15 minutes before anyone visited our table to take drink or food orders, which again seemed strange as the restaurant was almost empty. We placed our order (11 tapas dishes, and a bottle of wine). Moments after placing our order, our waiter returned to inform us that two of the dishes were unavailable, and so we had to make alternative selections on the spot; instead of giving us some time to reconsider our choices, the waiter stood over us as we hurriedly scrutinised the menu for alternative dishes.
The tapas arrived reasonably quickly, and as it was put down on the table, I was then told that a third dish wasn’t available, so again, had to decide on the spot (whilst the other food was sitting there waiting to be eaten) what I would like instead. When this happens once, it’s annoying, as I think that staff should know what is and isn’t available, so customers can be informed prior to making their menu choices. However, when this happens for a second time, it seems very disorganised and unprofessional, since it would make sense for customers to be informed of all unavailable items at once, if necessary.
The food itself was really poor. In fact, I was quite surprised at just how poor it was, particularly as the things which seemed to let it down the most were very basic things which would be easy to get right (e.g., the food being hot, and as described on the menu).
The patatas bravas con queso (£3.50; «fried potatoes spicy tomato sauce and melted cheese») consisted of unevenly reheated chunks of potato (clearly microwaved), with cold, unmelted grated cheese on top, covered with a warm (not hot), fairly bland, non-​spicy tomato sauce. This was hugely disappointing, particularly since it’s something that I hadn’t previously imagined would be easy to get wrong.
The gambas gabardina (£3.75; «king prawns in a light and crispy batter, served with roasted garlic mayonnaise and lemon») looked like one of the most sad plates of food I’ve seen in a while. The serving consisted of four really small king prawns (around the size of a 50 pence coin each), a sprig of greenery, a dollop of unremarkable mayonnaise, and a small lemon wedge. The prawns tasted fine, but given that the dish is meant to cost £3.75, meaning each prawn would normally cost almost a pound a piece, it was again, highly disappointing. I’d expected more than an eye-​wateringly stingy serving of small king prawns that tasted as though they had been previously frozen prior to being violently overcooked in a deep fat fryer.
The pollo con salsa (£3.75; «chicken breast cooked with sliced mushrooms, in a rich sherry, white wine, and cream sauce») was adequate, and pretty much what I would have expected from the menu’s description. In fairness to La Tasca, there was quite a lot of chicken in this dish, and given the stinginess I’d experienced in other dishes, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this dish was mostly chicken, with the odd piece of mushroom.
The ternera a la pimienta (£4.45; «slow-​cooked tender beef, with potato and a rich peppercorn sauce»), unlike it’s chickeny companion above, did not resemble it’s menu description whatsoever. There were approximately four small, tough, nuggets of what I can only imagine was once beef, hidden amongst a large number of potato cubes. I’m a big fan of peppercorns, and was really disappointed that the sauce accompanying this dish didn’t really taste of pepper at all — in fact, it

We tried La tasca in Exeter as we had a voucher and decided to give it a go. We wish we hadn’t the food took ages to arrive, THe staff were far to overstretched (management I hope you reda this it’s not their fault you know) When it did arrive it was cold and I have tasted better service station food. All were either bland or overcooked probably in a microwave !! I have never been to another la tasca so I can not compare I just hope this is the one off but I will not be going back anytime soon to find out !!!

Pretty poor.
Bad tasting food & awful service.
Why go here when you can get better & cheaper tapas elsewhere in Exeter? eg) El Bocado!

Great staff, have been there a few times but recently realised its getting better and better. If you are new to the whole idea of tapas the staff explain it very nicely to you before you start, as I am sure those who are use to more traditional menus can feel a bit daunted. Try the fish tapasamazing!

I love this restaurant! I think the setting is great and the staff a re superb. It has a wonderful menu, if you are into Tapas you will adore this place. The food is superb. You can also tell it is very well managed!

This is a great restaurant. Excellent Calamari. It has very strange lighting but I assume it is supposed to be romantic.
It is a great place to while away an afternoon with a bottle of wine and some tapas.
Recommended!