An opportunity to share a meal with good friends should never be missed; this one was one of the best ever. Tim and Suzanne (formerly of Alizarin Wines) are friends who we took on Bodega visits, to special tastings and advised on wines for their import business to the UK before ‘Brexit’ screwed everything up!

They have a place in Valencia and regularly visit but it isn’t always possible to get together, last Tuesday was an exception!

We booked ‘Taska La Reina’ in Valencia´s historic Cabanyal district, not somewhere we had been before but which is much sought after by tourists and locals alike. Such is its reputation that a reservation is the only way to get a table.

Their online reservation system worked perfectly, first taking the date and time and then inviting you to pre-order one of the main courses (which are for a minimum of two people) and, which we did. An invitation to confirm the details leads to an efficient resumé being mailed to your inbox!

On arrival were shown straight to our table and Francesca, our waitress, started service. This was to be a service where attention to detail, advice on our order and even taking photographs were carried out in the most friendly and professional manner.

Taska La Reina (https://restaurantecabanyal-taskalareina.com/ ) prides itself on its use of fresh produce from the local fisherman’s market and is decorated outside with traditional tiles and inside in a more modern style with murals, and bare wooden tables. It is unashamedly a seafood restaurant with a good wine list (wines by the glass as well as wines that are predominantly local).

We ordered a bottle of Chozas Carrascal ‘Roxanne’ Cava (DO Cava de Requena) (https://chozascarrascal.com/) and a dozen Guillardeau oysters from La Marenne in France. These are fat and lightly crunchy, salty,  with an intense flavour of the sea, and at the same time, delicate. The Cava is the lighter style wine from the Bodega, (often seen as an aperitif cava) but we have always found that it is more than capable of matching with food. ( The bodega recommends it for shellfish!) In this case the fresh fruit (apple, apricot and tropical fruits) perfectly balanced the saltiness and the fresh acidity and bubbles carried and enhanced the taste of the luscious oysters! This has always been a popular cava at our tastings when we have shown it!

For starters, we ordered a pair of salads to share. The first was a variation of a ‘Russian Salad’, less complicated initially and then served with a pair of truly genius touches. ‘Ensaladilla de Anguilla Ahumada’ takes some of the basic ingredients (carrot, potato, egg, and tuna) of the original salad and then adds lightly smoked eel, wasabi mayonnaise, and a little black olive powder. The result is subtle, surprising and very satisfying.

The second salad was ‘Tartar de Atún Rojo Balfegó’. Probably the best tuna provided in the Mediterranean comes from Balfegó and we recently enjoyed slices of tuna loin at the Taittinger presentation. This tartar was served marinaded in a ‘pipirrana’  and with the yolk of a quail egg. It was soft, and melted in the mouth but had a good depth of flavours.

To match these salads and the main courses we ordered ‘Bobal Blanco,’ a Blanc de Noirs from Vicente Gandia (DO Utiel-Requena) (https://vicentegandia.es/), and Hispano-Suiza’s multiple award-winning  ‘Impromptu’ Pinot Noir Rosado (DO Utiel-Requena) (https://bodegashispanosuizas.com/). The Bobal Blanco is pale yellow with the slightest light red hint at the edge, white flowers, white fruit, and fruits of the forest on the nose, the fruit is carried into the mouth with a balancing acidity which makes the wine refreshing.

The Hispano Suizas ‘Impromptu’ has the colour of a Provençal rosé.  Very intense red fruit on the nose as it is pure Pinot Noir, and it has vanilla notes as well.  In the mouth, it has a more intense sensation of red fruits, good volume, and, a longer, creamy finish.

For main courses, we shared a ‘Fideua de Rodaballo a la Llauna’….Turbot fideua cooked in a baking tray (Llauna is the Catalan dialect word for the tray which is a ‘Llanda’ in the Valencian language). This was intense the result of a very deep-flavoured, concentrated stock, the turbot pieces on the top were light and creamy in balance and there was a little squid in the fideua. This was probably one of the best fideuas we have tasted.

Tim and Suzanne had Sea Bass fried in the Peking style with spicy hoisin sauce and a Turbot loin prepared on the plancha. Both were tender, the fish was fresh and the garnish of fried potato and Padron peppers was a good accompaniment.

It was only at the end that we realised we had not had the usual basket of bread, it would have been surplus as the portions we had ordered were a perfect size. Taska La Reina does bake its own ‘Hogaza de Pan’ which is served with tomato and aioli.

To finish we enjoyed Flan de Baileys and Leche Merengada artisan ice cream.

We all emerged raving about what had been a superb experience, one to be repeated the next time the opportunity presents itself! Great company, fabulous food, and a perfect pairing of food with the three wines, all of which are from the Valencian Community.