Tapas ticks all the boxes

THE big debate was reaching fever pitch at Tec Towers. I didn’t see how we were going to break this stalemate on the major question of the day.

No, not the referendum
... where to take Toots for dinner.

To be honest I was still undecided – and I have always been a bit of a yes/no man... yes dear, no dear, you get my drift.

The little lady’s patience was wearing thin.

“If you don’t come up with somewhere fast, Tec, I think I’m going to pass out,” Toots declared.

With the old grey
matter under pressure, I struck gold.

I’d heard about a new tapas joint in Finnieston, called Rioja.

Not wanting to take a chance of missing out or disappointing Toots, I called ahead and booked.

Moments later blondie had her coat in hand and we jumped in the Buick.

Rioja is the latest addition to the Argyle Street eaterie explosion which is fast becoming known as restaurant row.

My senora and I were soon inside, but felt a little lost on arrival.

We didn’t have the warmest of welcomes and we had the usual tussle over where to sit.

Toots wasn’t happy with the pew we had been offered and spied another one she fancied.

However, we were told that was for someone who had booked – so our booking didn’t count then.

Eventually we settled on a window seat.

“It’s a little uncomfortable on the derriere,” pipes up Toots, but she was quite happy she could do a fair bit of people watching from her throne.

Drinks orders were a little slow and I was beginning to wonder if I had made the wrong choice, but I decided to keep an open mind.

Our server handed us the menu and we ordered up a couple of rose wines.

A quick scran scan and it all looked pretty tasty. It was recommended we share about six dishes.

I could see Toots sniggering behind the menu –
sharing isn’t something she is known for.

I thought I would stick to what I know, with the chicken and lamb options and some bread on the side.

Her ladyship on the other hand was embracing the Mediterranean vibe and was eyeing up squid, Spanish style tomato bread and morcilla (black pudding) wrapped in thin crispy pastry.

We put in our orders and were happy to sit back and relax. The atmosphere was certainly building up and diners were packing in.

The food was quickly served up  – and the plates just kept coming. We were beginning to run out of room on the table.

Neither of us knew where to start but just dived in.

Toots’ peepers lit up when she saw the morcilla. This was not your average, deep-fried fish supper black pudding. It came in golden crispy pastry and was served with an apple chutney on the side.

“It simply melts in the mouth,” The Moll declared.

My chicken and vegetable, and lamb with rosemary dishes were adventurous enough for me – and went down a treat.

The lamb was succulent and had a great flavour.

Toots looked like she was having a mini fiesta.

She was hoovering up the battered squid with garlic mayo on the side like there was no tomorrow.

The DIY tomato bread was a build your own combo and took her
right back to the tastes
of a back-packing trip
to Barcelona in the
pre-Tec days.

From a shaky start, Rioja managed to win us round with its quality food and buzzy atmosphere.

And when the bill came in at around £46 – this taste of Spain scores an  ‘Ole!’ from me.

RIOJA 1116 Argyle Street Glasgow G3 8TD Tel: 0141 334 0761