Loucedes Tapas Restaurant - Spanish Revolution

They're planning a Latin revolution down Walmgate way - but panic not: only your taste buds are in the firing line.

The York street is home to another new restaurant, Loucedes Tapas, run by Samantha Croft and Maxine Bradford, whose taste for Spanish tapas was acquired during a series of holidays to the Iberian peninsular.

Tapas means 'lid' and comes from the habit of Spanish bar owners of covering your drink with a small snack on a saucer.

But these simple offerings of ham or cheese have developed into a plethora of tasty snacks featuring exotic ingredients and unusual combinations of vegetables, fish and meat.

In Spain, the custom is to go to a tapas bar for a drink and a snack or two, then move on to another bar for another drink and more snacks.

Given the dearth of tapas bars in the city, the idea at Loucedes - at least for the present - is to order a selection of dishes and make a meal of it, washed down with cold Spanish beer or good Spanish wine.

That's what everyone seemed to be doing the night we called and we were happy to join in.

The rotating menu - dishes are changed about once a fortnight - featured a host of goodies, with a handful of starters, side dishes and desserts but lots of choice in the main courses for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.

With help of our friendly waiter, we selected four main courses - king prawns wrapped in bacon, chicken and chorizo stew, stuffed mussels and pork cooked with onions and almonds - plus side dishes of Spanish potatoes and anchovies in vinaigrette.

All tapas come with a large bowl of crusty bread and a tomato salad and we had more than enough food for two, especially as we wolfed down the potatoes (in a hot and sweet sauce) and the delicious anchovies.

It's hard not to find something you like on the menu, and I certainly liked the mussels (stuffed with prawns and cheese) and king prawns.

Most of the dishes come - at regular intervals - in terracotta dishes, although they vary in size from a small snack to a fairly substantial portion.

You won't go hungry at Loucedes and the food is tasty and different. We had quite a struggle deciding on whether to tackle a pudding or not - although we were helped by the rather haphazard service which was all over you one minute and absent the next.

After a suitable rest we finally caught the waiter's eye and ordered fruits of the forest pancakes and a trio of ice-creams - both up to the high standards of the main courses.

With coffee, a couple of cold San Miguels while we studied the menu and a bottle of very friendly and very drinkable Spanish red, our bill came to a few pence over £44 - not cheap but reasonable value given the quality and quantity of the food.

We could easily have managed with a course less, and that would have brought our bill to under £40 - and that is good value. But the future success of the restaurant, I reckon, lies in that cultural revolution.

Samantha and Maxine have wisely decided to open Loucedes from 4.30-11.30pm, leaving plenty of time before and after the main eating times, for snackers to enjoy a dish or two with a glass of wine or a bottle of beer.

The beauty of tapas is that you can eat as little or as much as you like, and the thought of a quick snack on your into town for a drink, or on the way out after one, is most appealing.

Indeed, as we were finishing our meal at around 10.30pm, two couples wandered in, plonked themselves down at the bar and ordered a drink and a snack each.

Restaurant: Loucedes Tapas Restaurant

Address: Walmgate, York.

Telephone: 01904 674848

Reviewed: June 1, 1999

Food: Tasty and different

Value: Reasonable

Service: Friendly if a little haphazard

Ambience: Lively and welcoming