One of my all-time favourite cuisines is Spanish. I adore the idea of Tapas and eating lots of flavoursome little dishes with a glass (or four) of Sangria whilst chatting in the warm evening sun. However I happen to live in England where the evening sun is often chilly and small dishes contain soup or a side salad. So instead I have to hunt out decent restaurants who can give me the moreish, tiny dishes and sangria but omit the actually being in Spain part.
The last two times I visited La Salsa in Wigan I had a wonderful time. They had managed to turn tapas into an eat-all-you like buffet. It meant that for £16 a head you could just keep ordering whatever tapas took your fancy and eventually waddle back home, safe in the knowledge that any true Spaniard would be ashamed of just how much you ate in the name of Tapas. So what that the wait staff were known for whizzing past before you can catch their eye, or tapas went missing between your order and the kitchen? Just reorder it and maybe two would show up next time.
When we visited again this time, we were a little disappointed to find that the all you can eat had been scrapped and replaced with larger dishes and your first 3 for £9.95 per person. I won't lie to you, it felt a little restrictive to not have essentially free range of the menu. Not only that but we were made to wait in the downstairs bar for our table, despite the restaurant being overwhelmingly empty when we finally ascended the stairs. I suspect a failed ploy to sell their 2 for £10 cocktails to us.
To order a dish you ask for its allocated number rather than the dish name which always feels strange to me. So my first 3 tapas were a number 7, a 36 and a 21. Which means absolutely nothing to you. Given their names they were Patatas Bravas, Calamari and Chicken Fajitas. That's more understandable, isn't it?
(7. Patatas Bravas)
My favourite tapas is Patatas Bravas, I could eat it forever. I've had it in markets and restaurants all over Spain and fallen deeper in love with the dish each time. Small, cubed roast potatoes with a fresh and spicy tomato sauce and usually with the most addictive Alioli garlic mayonnaise in existence. I was served what tasted like oven chips with a not so spicy tomato salsa. The most I could give it would be 'nice'. Previous visits had proven that their Bravas sauce can have a playful kick on the back of the tongue. So I was a bit disappointed this time around.
My second choice was Calamari rings. Now these I liked! The batter was a touch greasy but was seasoned beautifully and the calamari was still tender and did not remind me of deep fried car tyre. And the Alioli was just perfect for dipping anything in, let alone the Calamari.
The chicken fajita seemed to be filled with a similar, if not the same, tomato salsa on the Patatas Bravas but was spiced up with Jalapeños. The chicken was…well chicken. Neither dry nor succulent but at least tasted of chicken. One of the wraps had split on the side so a knife and fork had to be implemented but other than that they were my favourite of the three dishes.
(36. Calamari)
(21. Chicken Fajita)
(17. Nachos with sour cream, salsa and cheese)
(30. Lamb Stew)
Moo had similar dishes to me (I'm sensing copycat syndrome, having looked at the last few reviews I have written). Only he ordered the Nachos that I had opted to over look. A bowl lined with nachos, filled with melted cheese, salsa and sour cream. They gladly omitted the Jalapenos for him on request and I admit, they looked pretty good. I’d have personally wanted a few more nacho crisps in the dish but Moo certainly wasn’t complaining.
Mum and Dad shared a dish of Lamb Stew which was surprisingly aniseed-y and not really to my liking, but the meat itself was tender and melted in your mouth…and it all went which is a good sign.
Despite our misgivings about larger portion sizes making up for the lack of buffet, after 3 dishes each we were surprisingly full. Not too full for dessert, mind you, so mum and I ordered a slice of Tiramisu cake each, Moo had the chocolate fudge cake and Dad ordered tacos. Not really a dessert, I know, but he enjoyed them.
The Tiramisu cake did what it said on the tin. Coffee soaked sponge base with a mascarpone top and doused in cocoa powder. However I suspect it had been frozen, either to set or to store because the mascarpone had that slightly icy feeling in the centre, typical of a partly defrosted cream cake.
For once Moo didn’t finish a chocolate cake! It was a seriously sweet cake, not chocolatey sweet but too much sugar sweet. One forkful was enough for me before Moo surrendered to sugared, chocolate defeat. It looked pretty enough though.
(Chocolate Fudge Cake)
(Tiramisu Cake)
So despite the varying disappointment layered in the dishes, the meal was still a good one. Not sure I would go back any time soon or recommend it as a place to definitely go. I’d still eat there, but it has fallen several notches in my books.