Address: 327 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3HW (View map)
Tel: 0141 332 6789 or 0800 195 3195
Web: www.harlequinrestaurants.com
Cuisine: Spanish, Tapas
Average price*: £16-£20
Torres is Glasgow’s latest addition to the Harlequin restaurant group. Better known for their curry houses, Torres is Harlequin’s second Spanish-themed venture in Glasgow.
Nearby/similar restaurants:
*Average price based on a 2 course meal from the a la carte menu for 2 people
I visited Torres for dinner a few nights ago with the wife. This was the first time we have been to Torres, and since it was part of an Indian restaurant group, I wasn’t expecting too much.
If you didn’t know it was a Spanish-themed restaurant before you arrive, the bull motif on the windows might just give it away. Inspired by Andalucian style, Torres is stylish and cosy with all the vibrant colours and latin music one might expect of a tapas restaurant. Staff were helpful and did try to be friendly, but I’m afraid the smiles came across as being more rehearsed than genuinely warm. Nevertheless, this did not spoil our dining experience as the service was still pretty good.
The food was great. All of the dishes we ordered were lovely (with the exception of the Croquetas de jamon, which we have yet to receive). They somehow mixed our order up, and instead of receiving one calamari dish and one ham croquette dish, they gave us two plates of calamari. It was delicious; not the usual plate of grease that I have gotten recently when visiting certain other tapas chains (La Tasca). But one plate of it would have done us… The tomato sauce in the patatas bravas dish was also particularly tangy and very enjoyable.
There are a number of the tapas favourites on the menu that can be found in almost every tapas bar. These include patatas bravas (potatoes in a tomato sauce), albondigas (Spanish meatballs), gambas pil pil (cooked prawns with garlic and chilli) and of course the traditional Spanish omelette (tortilla Espanola). There are also a few signature dishes on the menu, such as grilled sardines (sardinas a la plancha) and Serrano ham croquettes (croquetas de jamon), as well as one or two with a more Scottish twist, notably the chorizo & butifarra negra, which is a combination of chorizo sausage and black pudding.
All in all, this new(ish) tapas restaurant provided thoroughly delicious food in an atmosphere akin to something Spanish. Despite the order mix-up (perhaps the waitor was having an off-night), Torres still definitely gets a thumbs-up from me.
Torres is open from noon until 11pm daily. Dishes cost between £3.50 and £5.00, and the paella dishes are available for two (or more) to share. Our meal came to £25 (this didn’t include any alcoholic beverages, just soft drinks).