A TALE OF TOP TAPAS AL FRESCO!

We tried the tapas al fresco at Tale Of Two in Cleethorpes - and we loved it

THERE is an old saying ‘April showers bring May flowers’. As far as pubs, cafés and restaurants are concerned, they’d probably have been hoping for a reprieve from the ‘tradition’ having finally been allowed to wipe the cobwebs off their outdoor furniture and welcome customers for something other than takeaway for the first time since early November.

Thankfully, their wishes were answered with the bitter irony of last April’s wall-to-wall sunshine in the midst of a full lockdown being largely repeated, only with the Covid crisis in a very different state than it was 12 months ago.

Not that a bit of wind and rain would have stopped some people from enjoying a pint in the fresh air – we’ve seen the pictures of people supping lager knee-deep in flood water in the past after all – but, after a torrid and tragic winter, this balmy spell felt deserved.

Well, ‘balmy’ is probably pushing it a little bit as, though the sun was out, it wasn’t exactly warm when we headed to Tale Of Two, in Cleethorpes, for a first meal out since people were carving spooky pumpkins. After days of highs in the upperteens, we picked the one afternoon last week when temperatures barely pushed into double figures to sample the tapas at the popular Alexandra Road venue.

Inside, it’s been undergoing a bit of a neon-infused refurbishment ready for when it can return to the cocktail bar/restaurant hybrid it normally is but, until then, Tale Of Two has gone fully al fresco, even being temporarily loaned some extra outdoor space by the neighbouring Navy Club until the tables inside are no longer off limits. Before then, it is, like many places, having to rely on the unreliable for five weeks, hoping days of bookings aren’t rained off like a county cricket match.

With no marquee and its rather splendid elevated patio area exposed to the gusty coastal breezes, it’s perhaps not the best-situated venue for this brief era of outdooronly dining at a time of year when the weather is a little temperamental, but it definitely has one of the finest spots in the resort when the sun is out, overlooking the Pier Gardens and the Armed Forces Memorial Gate with views of the beach. Given its precarious relationship with the elements right now, I wasn’t surprised to see Tale Of Two offering a simplified tapas-only menu for the time being with the emphasis clearly being on its expansive range of cocktails and drinks with lighter dishes backing them up.

That’s not to say the food is an afterthought though. Not by a long shot.

After being seated, we were asked to do the now ubiquitous NHS Covid app check-in with the QR-code on the table but, next to it, is another for the restaurant itself.

That takes you to the Tale Of Two ordering website where you can have drinks and food brought to your table by tapping your phone screen a few times and paying online.

It’s not mandatory, of course – we just ordered the normal way – but it’s another layer of convenience I can see become normalised in many places even after restrictions have finally been lifted. Similarly, booking a table online was barely an inconvenience – they do walk-ins when it’s not busy too – and it’s all slick and friendly, as if this way of operating has been in place for ages.

We didn’t try the cocktails as to avoid a misguided flouting of drinkdriving laws, but there are plenty to choose from as regulars will know. No, we were here for the tapas and, to use a cliché, there’s something for everyone.

When we visited there were no fewer than 20 options, each priced between £4.50 and £7, including meat, vegetable, seafood and cheese offerings, along with a handful of sides.

We picked six and every single one was downright glorious. Moroccan spiced chicken skewers were generously sized, with a lovely aromatic seasoning and the Romesco sauce they were served hovering over worked nicely.

A crispy teriyaki-style brisket was a particular highlight with wonderfully tender meat that had a truffleesque luxuriousness to it. Beer-battered haddock goujons – yes, mini chippy-style fish pieces – always goes down a treat and were as good as you’d expect in Cleethorpes, as was the superb fried salt and pepper squid.

I also thoroughly enjoyed one of the mainstays of any tapas menu – patatas bravas – here served with a wonderfully rich sauce and tasty aioli lathered on top making it among the most substantial of the dishes.

There wasn’t anything to complain about with the rosemary salted fries either – just spot on.

It’s just as well each and every selection delivered as the chilly easterly winds ensured devouring them before they went cold was something of a race against the clock. But eat them rapidly we did and we couldn’t have been happier. Hopefully, the admittedly muchneeded April showers will mostly wait until May (the 17th) as Tale Of Two has nailed this springtime al fresco era and it’s well worth a visit. ■ Tale Of Two’s tapas kitchen for outdoor dining is open daily from 12pm until 9pm. Bookings are available online at https://thetaleoftwo. co.uk. Bookings are also now available for indoor restaurant dining from May 19 onwards, depending on government approval for reopening.