Tasca Viva is conveniently located metres away from Glenelg Beach. I must admit I was a bit hesitant about coming here due to mixed reviews but a friend of mine told me it was one of her favourite tapas places.  The menu essentially consists of small tapas dishes and larger options to share.

The decor is certainly nice with Moroccan influences and an earthy toned colour scheme. I really liked the unique patterned ceilings and the low hanging light fittings. This place really has a nice cosy feel about it.

For dinner, I ordered a selection of tapas dishes. The dishes came out very quickly, usually within 5 minutes of ordering.

The Piquillo Peppers are peppers filled with goats cheese and moscatels (variety of grape). The presentation was fairly average. The only highlight of this dish was the subtle sweetness of the peppers.

The Empanada was good. The pastry was nice and crispy, while the filling was soft and moist. The jam like dipping sauce provided good balance.

The Potato and Ham Croquette was amazing. It didn’t look like anything special, but the delicate potato and ham filling was very good. The croquette was nicely crumbed and fried to a golden brown.

The tortilla was well presented, however, I thought the omelette was a little bland. The potato and onion inside the omelette didn’t do much for this dish.

The Pinchitos are lamb skewers. The meat was a bit dry but it was well marinated.

The Chargrilled Corn wasn’t too bad but I’ve had better. The cheese and condiments were only on the top of the corn, and even then it dropped off onto the plate as you were trying to eat it. There’s a nice place called Mamasita in Melbourne that have perfected this dish. The condiments completely cover the corn and they also use a better quality cheese.

My friend ordered the Roast Beetroot Salad which I had a taste of. It contained lentils, mint, rocket and goats cheese. A very tasty combination.

The following dishes are what the other members of the group ordered. I was told that the Chickpea and Spinach Fritter wasn’t very nice but all the other dishes were good.

The staff were friendly and the service was pretty good. The waiter went through the menu explaining how it all worked, meals arrived quickly, drinks were constantly refilled and plates were cleared when we finished. The atmosphere was relaxed, even though it was a Friday night.

How much you spend eating tapas depends on your appetite and I know this varies from person to person. After ordering 6 tapas dishes at a cost of $26, I was just content, and I think I could have eaten another 6 dishes. This is the feeling I have about tapas in general. I don’t feel you get your money’s worth here. A lot of the small tapas dishes only consisted of one item. That’s kind of pricey when other places give you at least 2 or 3 portions per dish.

Verdict: Bring plenty of money if you want to get full here, but even then, the dishes are hit and miss.

WHERE: 18 Jetty Rd, Glenelg