Spain on a higher plane

THERE can be few more sociable ways to eat than with tapas, especially
when they taste this good.

IF A busy restaurant is the sign of greatness, Café Andaluz has few peers. Every night of the week, this Moroccan-style grotto is so packed it almost bursts at the seams. And this huge basement is not just full, it is gloriously noisy – the whole place reverberating to the sound of people enjoying a cracking night out. There is no standing on ceremony or sotto voce conversations in this little corner of the West End in Glasgow.

Even if you wanted to, it would be virtually impossible to go through a meal of tapas without the obligatory chatter about what's worth trying, what's too hot, what's too spicy. The Spanish are a famously convivial lot and their food forces you to follow their lead. It is the most sociable way imaginable in which to eat.

This is particularly handy if you have children. I found out long ago, while on summer holidays in Spain, that the best way to coax youngsters into eating is to give them a huge range of options to keep their interest levels high and their palates exercised. It's the best way to draw them in, get them talking about what they like and dislike. It can turn what might otherwise be a fractious and confrontational experience into one that's truly a joy.

So, when I broke the news to my family that we were to have a late Sunday lunch at Café Andaluz, it went down a storm. Even at 3pm, this huge restaurant was still more than half full, a gentle hum of activity rather than the ear-splitting, alcohol-fuelled din of the night before. Yet one of the great things about Café Andaluz is that the waiting staff are totally unflappable; even when the place is at full stretch, they're still attentive, always ready for a chat and determinedly good-natured.

Within seconds of sitting down, our waiter was talking us through the options, letting us know which dishes he would choose if he was in our place. We absorbed his advice and plumped for ten dishes: three fish, three vegetarian and four meat. None were to be a let-down, and a couple of options even turned the kids on to ingredients, such as mushrooms, which they have always refused point-blank to try.

More to the point, they sampled everything with a curiosity and gusto which doesn't generally mark their introduction to new foodstuffs. As well as the mushrooms, which were sautéed on a tarragon cream and came with a crisp breadcrumb crust, the other strong flavours that passed the kiddie test were the gambas rey (jumbo king prawns with chilli, ginger and soy sauce) and the spicy chorizo sausage in a sweet red-wine sauce.

The small bowls of each dish meant the children could try whatever they wanted, and before long we were all scrapping for the same favourites: the Spanish version of dauphinoise potatoes, the bomba piccante (Moroccan spiced lamb in mashed potato and breadcrumbs served with chilli yoghurt) and the stuffed aubergines and couscous proving the most fiercely contested battlegrounds.

The great thing about tapas is that there's something for everyone, and if I found the albigondas de pescado (deep-fried balls of salmon and haddock) a little arid, both the boys loved them. And while they weren't blown away by the seared king scallops with a sauce of creamed leeks and a topping of crisp Serrano ham, or by the marinated chicken with a chilli yoghurt sauce, both were perfectly produced dishes that had the adults purring. The kitchen even went out of its way to chuck in one dud, the otherwise excellent paella valenciana swimming in grease, just to showcase the excellence of the rest of the meal.

The puddings were more of a hit-and miss-affair: one was ordinary while the other was outstanding. Although the crema catalunya – a slightly denser and less creamy variation on crème brûlée – was fairly standard fare, the jalatine de mora, a raspberry trifle with amaretto, was a sublime shock to the system. It started off smooth and creamy, followed by a beautifully crunchy slice of amaretto-flavoured biscuit, and ended with a layer of raspberry which had been soaked in sparkling wine and fairly fizzed on the tongue.

It was a perfect ending to a family meal that my youngest described as "the best we've ever had". Although I wouldn't go that far, it's easy to see why Café Andaluz is always packed out. It's a simple but hugely successful formula that includes excellent value for money, highly professional waiting staff, a feisty atmosphere and food that transports you to the Spanish region that gave the restaurant its name.

Vital statistics

Café Andaluz

2 Cresswell Lane, Glasgow (0141 339 1111, www.cafeandaluz.com)

Out of pocket

Tapas £3.45–£5.95; paellas £9.45–£9.95 per person; fixed menu £16.95 per person; lunch three tapas for £9.95

Rating 8/10