Sometimes you want to sit outside, enjoy the sunshine, a few glasses of wine and good food. A friend recommended La Taberna in Maidstone and so, last Saturday, a group of us popped along for lunch. The restaurant is located in a beautiful old building, the entrance hidden in a narrow road near the Fremlin centre. The surprise continued inside with a cavernous room and bar area which felt like being in a town in Spain rather than Maidstone. Outside there was a large, comfortable area for eating with plenty of shade available.
It had been a busy week, and we were all hungry – so were in the right place! La Taberna offers a large variety of hot and cold tapas – they recommend choosing 2 or 3 plates each and then sharing as a group. We chose croqetas with ham and chicken, baby squid, salad, fried aubergine, mushrooms in wine and garlic, padron peppers, patatas bravas, tortilla espanola, and chicken skewers. Bread and olives were also brought to the table. Sadly, they didn’t have the special Iberico ham, but we had plenty to enjoy.
I noticed that they also offer paellas which are pre-order for a minimum of two people and have my favourite – squid black ink with seafood and aioli – so am already planning a return visit. Another positive is that items on the menu are clearly marked if they are Gluten Free, Vegetarian and Vegan.
The food was very tasty – my personal favourites were the mushrooms, squid and tortilla. All the dishes went particularly well with the sangria, wine and fizz. We were too full for dessert but there is a great choice available including churros-con-chocolate, cake and ice cream.
We heard that La Taberna has held Flamenco nights in the past. I hope they run these again – I will be first in the queue!
La Taberna was a great place to relax and chill out at lunchtime and we look forward to visiting again soon.
La Taberna Restaurant
Corpus Christi Hall, 51 Earl St, Maidstone ME14 1JP
info@lataberna.co.uk
01622 750937