'You can leave KFC behind, try us and really taste the difference': We visited a unique restaurant bringing a taste of the Mediterranean to the Black Country
It's a restaurant which has been a hidden gem since opening, full of traditional Spanish flavours and culture, and with an owner providing a warm welcome to all.
La Casita is a restaurant unlike any other in Wolverhampton, providing diners with the tastes, smells and atmosphere of a traditional Spanish cantina, often found by walking down the cobbled alleyways of cities like Madrid, Valencia or Bilbao.
Open since November, the restaurant provides traditional food from across Spain and its islands, including Patatas and authentic small plates such as chicken skewers, meatballs in tomato sauce, chorizo and calamari, as well as a selection of hot and cold drinks, including a Spanish infusion tea.
Found by walking down Farmers Fold, La Casita is the creation of Antonio Leandro, who was born on Gran Canaria and has lived in the UK for 20 years and Wolverhampton for about four years.
He said he had 36 years of experience in catering, working in hotels, bars and restaurants, including time working in Southend-on-Sea when, after splitting up with his partner, he came to live in the West Midlands with friends and began to form ideas about running his own business.
He said: "I had some friends in Wolverhampton and decided to move there, rather than somewhere I wouldn't know anyone, and I started to see the food scene around here and noticed it was lacking any type of Spanish-style food.
"There wasn't much of a scene and, originally, I had been intending to open a greasy spoon cafe, but looked around and realised there were too many of them and no tapas bars, so I thought it would be a good idea to open one.
"I ended up here because I want for a meal with the person who ran other cafe around the corner and we started talking and she said she had a cafe she was trying to sell around the corner, so I took a look and decided to buy it."
Since taking over, Mr Leandro said he made a number of changes, including a brand new kitchen, fire safety tools and the bar, which can be seen on entry to the restaurant.
He said the food on the menu was tailored to tastes from all over Spain, looking at the different regions and preparing a menu which catered for all tastes and was the best of everything.
He also said that as he was opening La Casita, he was full of nerves, but those nerves had quickly dissipated due to the positive reaction.
He said: "I admit there was apprehension because it was my first business and it had taken me a long time to get here.
"The reception has been very good and we do get a lot of repeat customers here, although we do need to get more people in through the door to sit down, but the people who come love the food and the atmosphere."
Mr Leandro said there were plans to introduce things like Flamenco dancing and other entertainment along the way and said that if people wanted a different type of dining experience, they could come and give it a try.
He said: "I love my place and I am very proud of it, and I would say to people to just come and try us and don't be afraid of flavour and freshly cooked food.
"That's what we aim for and I think that you can come here, leave behind McDonald's and KFC, try us and really taste the difference."
