The Tapa Bar website tells me that "Tapas are small, flavourful dishes that can be served as an appetizer or together as a meal." Tapas should be small plates of great food. Tapas comes from a Spanish tradition of having a small dish placed on top of your beer or wine glass with a slice of meat or bread on it. The saltiness of the food would of course encourage people to drink more. And bar owners competed to have the best tapas to get patrons in the door.
The Tapa Bar doesn't sell small plates. The chicken wings "Pollo Chipotle" were a full portion size, and the chick pea salad I had was enough for two. It's a shame, as I've had Spanish Tapas, and it's awesome to have an array of very small dishes, and the ability to get a couple more 'little things' as you want them, to pick out over a coffee and conversation. The menu doesn't have to be large, just interesting.
The other problem I had with the Tapa Bar was that what was served really wasn't very good. The Pollo Chipotle was supposed to be marinated chicken wings and finished with white wine and chipotle. They tasted more of burnt garlic and chilli paste. None of the smokiness I'd expected from chipotle was in there. The (basmati) rice and (pinto) beans tasted old or reheated. In fact they tasted a lot like my own attempts at cooking rice where I've caught the bottom of the pan. The chickpea and chorizo salad was pretty good, once it had been liberally sprinkled with lemon juice, but it was a bit too big portion for one (yeah I guess I was supposed to share), and the artichoke strands mixed in tasted limp.
My companion had the Chicken Breast pizza, where the tapa bar donates $2 of each pizza to the Our Place society. The toppings were good, but the thin crust base was not nearly crisp enough to support the weight of the pizza. Nothing I could complain about as being wrong. Just all executed badly.
Still, there was one bright mark. The waitress, Kirsten, was fantastic. Bright, efficient and fast, coming around with the food, chatting away to all the customers and really made the meal better than it was. Plus she did bring around very good coffee to finish the meal out.
The atmosphere would be perfect for a nice date, or a more cosy gathering of a few friends. Except I'm not sure I'd want my friends to be recommended to eat there. It's just not tapas, and it's just not good. Half the portion sizes, improve the cooking and it could be there.
Final Bill :
Rice and Beans - $3.50
Pollo Chipotle - $9.00
Chick Pea Salad - $5.00
Smoked Chicken Pizza - $14.50
2 Coffees - $4.00
Location : 620 Trounce Alley
Telephone : (250) - 383 - 0013
Website : http://www.tapabar.ca
I agree completely.
ReplyDeleteOur bread and tortilla chips were stale, and our mushroom was burnt. The chicken was way overcooked. Generally lacked any freshness.
It was a VERY good restaurant, but I'm afraid I won't return until I hear good things about it again
Thanks for commenting, Greg. Glad to hear that other people have had similar experiences. Well not glad, but good to confirm I wasn't just unlucky.
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