La Taverna Lagos is stashed away on Balarabe Musa crescent, Victoria island Victoria, is almost in itself, Lagos’ Little Slice of Chile. On entering, “Taverna” as I fondly like to call it now, you feel as though; “okay, I have to maybe act a certain way” but soon enough you realize it’s okay to just be yourself, but not too messy, of course. The location adorned with Spanish memorabilia signals a nostalgic attribution to a Spanish heritage. The setting, colors and exposed wooden details, remind you of that movie centered around grand mama’s restaurant with special secret!
What’s even better about this location is it’s outdoor patio with natural sunlight and fresh air that’s screams for a BBQ grill! As for the food, it seems we were treated to a considerable amount of food, both dishes we liked and a few we didn’t. First, let’s get the not so great out of the way. Although I ate it after adding a sizable amount of hot sauce, vinegar and salt, I am not the one for PÂTÉ, no ma’am….(pâté is paste consisting of forcemeat liver 🤮).
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Now to the dishes we had, that were pleasantly delightful.
CARPACCIO: A dish of meat or fish, thinly sliced or pounded and served raw or cured and usually as an appetizer. We had Beef marinated for 48 hours with olive oil and apple vinegar served with chargrilled cabbage, beetroot, pickle, tartare sauce and aioli mayo — this was okay, portion was good for one person but since it was a tasting I wonder what the actual portion is like
LOBSTER TORTELLINI: A ring shaped pasta. If I’m correct we had two variations; a cream cheese with coriander and a lobster with mushroom variation. These two were really just amazing, honestly could have had second and third helpings (maybe because the portion sizes were tiny)
CRESPELLE: These are pretty much pasta crepes, as a person who hates crepes, this really got me. Stuffed with chicken, mushroom, some kind of garlic, cheesey white sauce and acelga (vegetable from the spinach family, I think) this crespelle took me outside the country with each bite.
When it comes to the energy of a restaurant, it’s important to intentionally observe how you feel while you’re there and when you leave.
Of the bat, it was quite obvious that their wait staff had been trained on all things customer service, including allowing guests use their staff’s iPhone charger which was the highlight of my evening aside the food of course.
After leaving Taverna, I honestly felt as though I had a day or two get away with friends, or maybe it was the several glasses of sangria that made me feel warm and fussy on the inside.
Side note: I know staff can be frustrating in the kitchen but sometimes a stern calm voice works better. (Remember there are customers present)
One thing is clear, La Taverna is a gem that’s carefully looked after by Chef Duhalde
By
Chizorom E. Okoronkwo
Founder Ceopr
Founder Restaurants In Lagos
