Decent food, funky environment, sets the benchmark for the chains

If you want a completely authentic tapas evening go to Spain. That's the basic truth, at least in Cardiff. But assuming you don't fancy being crammed in the back of a tangerine-coloured 737 before getting your dinner then La Tasca is a surprisingly good place to go.

OK so it's a chain. But so's the NHS and my local hospital still does brain surgery like the best of them. But we digress. I want my tapas to be relaxed, tasty of course, in a characterful setting, and fun. La Tasca actually managed most of them.

Before I forget, must give full marks to the waiter. The place was busier than Terminal 5 on a Bank Holiday but he still did a brilliant job of finding a table for us. Plus a bowl of juicy lemon olives to keep us going. In fact the service throughout was really hot, with one waitress dedicated to our needs for the whole evening. Now you don't get that very often.

As for the food, well you need to choose a little carefully. The Manchego cheese is rather anaemic, the chorizo paella is surprisingly bland, and the meatballs might well be made by mixing egg yolks with a lot of dust. But do try the rich chicken croquetas, keeping them away from everyone else on the table if you can. Desserts are variable too. Some chefs seemed to have had a sugar fight in the vicinity of the chocolate mousse, and piercing the cream-filled interior is a little like lancing a particularly pus-filled spot. But you might well like the way they've transformed the concept of the Terry's chocolate orange into a dessert thanks to the cheesecake option. Wines are decent too, although definitely prefer the reserve Rioja option to the rather watery standard Crianza.

If there's a big down side it's the total indifference to season. No Spaniard in his right mind would be eating pale, mushy tomatoes in the middle of winter. Also, could someone have a look at the CD player please? Or at least stop it after a maximum of 15 seconds of skipping. Muchas gracias.

But let's not be too down on La Tasca. It's fun, has a curious staircase to sit under, and even fills up with salsa dancers once a week. Now that's not a bad sign is it....