Tasca

The pumpkin gnocchi is to die for! The restaurant itself is tiny, with only about six tables inside and five outside. Bookings can only be done for a party of four or more. Thought in saying that we only waited ten minutes for a table for two on a Saturday night. The drink service was slow but the food came out quick. Well presented dishes of a decent size but delicious. For three dishes and two drinks it came to $101.

A very special place. This is a REAL stand out. Capital city level dining and service, with small town friendliness, charm and personality. Beautifully presented food, balanced and finely tuned. Really wouldn't be surprising to be served some of these dishes in big name farm to table restaurants. Great natural wines on offer. And a beautiful, intimate space. I really think these guys didn't get a hat or two in the next couple of years.

Really nice italian restaurant in the heart of Coolangatta. The servings were generous and thoughtfully crafted with fresh ingredients. I had the side greens with goats cheese and satay dressing which was superb. The staff were very attentive and had a great cocktail list. Mind you that there isn't a lot of seating so getting in early is a smart move.

Great that there was a selection of natural wines by the glass, but most were too clean for my taste. I wish there was more variety in character in that list. The food was very nice. One thing I would say, is that the beef dish was a bit too salty and over cooked. Still overall, 3.5 rounding up to 4.

If only I could give this six stars. With work I was eating out 200 nights a year for several years. Tasca is the first place I've eaten at in a long time that surprised and impressed me. Firstly, I thought I was headed to yet another Italian restaurant. Nope. From the jalapeno infused cocktail to the amazing spanner crab crumpet, the tastes were new, zesty and a complete surprise. There were no spare tables when we arrived but the staff were happy to seat us at the bar. From the bar we could see all the food prep and cooking areas and there were definitely no hygiene issues. Another surprise was that it is a female dominated work force, another indication of the progressive nature of this business. And the staff were lovely. From the bar the staff will engage in witty banter, answer questions about the food, or leave you to your meal. It's the first time in a long time that I've left a dining experience feeling revitalised and optimistic for the future of our service sector.