I visited Malaga Tapas on Sat 30th March 2013 - here's my review
Tener Cosas Buenas Y Malas
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| Malaga Tapas |
After seeing a favourable review of
Malaga Tapas I decided to give it a try. I was a bit disappointed
when I looked at the restaurant's web site to see that it was still
advertising their Valentine's Menu, almost seven weeks after the
event! There was no information as to what was on the present menu,
apart from Tapas, of course. Maybe the reviews would give a hint
but, sadly, the hyperlink to the recent Sunday Herald review didn't
work. Not a good start. However it was the restaurant and its food
and atmosphere that I was wanting to try, not their website.
We managed to book a table for two for
8:30 on Saturday evening and, as hoped, the place was bustling when
we arrived. The friendly staff left us standing just inside the door
as they searched for a table. We didn't mind having to wait a few
minutes for a taxi to arrive for those currently at our reserved
table. However it would have been good if someone had offered to
take our coats, offer us menus to browse, or even provide us with an
apéritif.
Our hard working, enthusiastic and
friendly half Spanish/half Scottish waitress showed us to our small
table by the window allowed us to soak in the atmosphere of the place
and it was clear that most of our fellow diners, including a number
of families, were regulars to this little corner of Andalucia in
Pollokshields.
We quickly decided to try the set meal
for two (£26:95), accompanied with a bottle of Rioja (£18:95) and
some iced tap water (gratis). The restaurante pequeño is owned by
the Chef Guillermo and his business partner Cristobal, who runs the
front of the house. Cristobal took our order and explained in some
detail as to what ingredients were in the various salads included in
our Set Menu. We chose a Ensalada de Garbanzos, a refreshing
Chickpeas salad with coriander, mint, tomatoes, peppers and
cucumbers.
The arrival of an unexpected, delicious
amuse-bouche was a nice touch, although three bite-size
portions, for a table of two, may lack a little attention to detail.
Various waitresses filled our small
table with our dishes served in the small, traditional, terracotta
Cazuelas. As well as the salad, which surprisingly was served half
way through our meal, as was the waitress's enquiry as to whether we
wanted some bread with our meal, the meal included: Patates Bravas;
Champi Ajillos; Pollo a Ajillo; Cordero en Salsa; Croquettes de Pollo
and Gambes Gamberdine. The fried potatoes in hot salsa were fine;
the mushrooms sauteed in olive oil with garlic and chillies were
delicious; unfortunately the chicken hadn't been sauteed in roasted
garlic oil as described in the menu but placed in a dish containing
the oil, the chicken portions on the top of the dish being bland ,
whilst those covered in the oil were much more flavoursome; the
simmered lamb in white wine sauce with onions, ginger and mango
fruit, although sounding superb was in fact very disappointing with
the lamb being very dry and obviously not cooked in the sauce; the
traditional chicken croquettes made of a light béchamel
with large chicken bits and minced onions, golden deep fried also
failed to live up to expectations with their being devoid of the
promised 'large chicken bits' and the croquettes being slightly burnt
rather than golden; the King Prawns lightly coated with beer batter
were not served with the Chef's special recipe: cumin seeds and lemon
garlic mayonnaise as promised but with a dip
resembling sweet and sour. The chickpea salad, exceeded
expectations, its freshness and flavours indicating that it had been
freshly prepared.
Our
café con leches (£2.25) could have been served a little
hotter but by this time the service had deteriorated, as the majority
of staff now concentrated in clearing out the restaurant in
preparation for the next day's business. I finally managed to catch
a waitress on her way to the kitchen and to get la cuenta but she
then disappeared and it took a while before another one appeared and
I could finally pay the £50.40 bill.
The evening was to
end on a high though when the head waitress presented us with a
voucher to receive, no less than, 20% off on our next visit, as long
as it's within 8 weeks. Given that we had already decided to return
to see their resident Friday night Spanish singer this was a pleasant
surprise but they do need to get some other things right as well if
it is to become my Andalucian local. In the meantime, I'll brush up
on my Spanish.
