Star Rating ****

Menu ****

Quality of food ****

Atmosphere ****

Service ***

Vegetarian dishes **

Children's menu **

Disabled access ****

Value for money ****

No smoking area No

HOW TO GET THERE: Take Chorley Old Road out of Bolton town centre. As you enter Horwich you will pass the Jolly Crofter pub on your left and then Horwich leisure centre. When you reach the traffic lights turn left onto Winter Hey Lane and Viva Espana is on your left. You can park on a free car park a little further down the road on your left.

CONSIDERING the love affair the British have with Spain, it is surprising how few restaurants in the North-west serve food from the sunshine-blessed country.

The success of La Tasca, which has eateries in Bolton, Manchester and the Trafford Centre -- all are busy every night -- makes the lack of Spanish tapas bars even more puzzling.

The recently opened Viva Espana! in Horwich (on the inappropriately named Winter Hey Lane) should manage to capitalise on the gap in the market.

This particular area of Bolton seems to be blessed with many top restaurants, but judging on this visit, the district's latest addition should not have too many problems keeping busy.

Viva Espana! looks very attractive from the outside with its red painted window frames and Spanish-flavoured momentoes in the window.

When you walk into the restaurant the first impression you get is that a lot of hard work has gone into the interior design, and that the place is very small.

The dining room must only fit around 20-25 people, so I would advise anyone thinking of going to book beforehand.

At first, the size of the restaurant can seem a little uncomfortable, but you soon mark out your territory and begin to enjoy the cosy atmosphere.

The interior is all warm, summer colours, and the lively salsa music is great background music for relaxing and enjoying a great meal.

There is something really fun about eating from a tapas menu as well. Rather than just getting a plate full of food placed in front of you, being able to mix and match makes the evening more interesting.

After a delay in being asked if we wanted any drinks, which was rectified by good service later, we chose from a menu which included 21 tapas.

Included in the list was Salmon Marinado Al Eneldo (marinated salmon with dill and olive oil) at £3.50, Habas Salteadas (sautes broad beans with Spanish black pudding and onion) at £2.90, and Tapas Paella (traditional Valenica style paella) at £3.25.

Myself and my partner decided to choose three each and we would sample them all.

I chose the Tortilla espanola, a traditional Spanish omelette (£2.75), the Pollo Al Chilindron, chicken with hot chillies (£3.75) and the Patatas Bravas, potatoes in spicy tomato sauce (£2.25). The omelette had a battle on its hands to be as good as the huge slice I had in Tossa De Mar last summer, but it came close. It was served with a side salad and was just right. Soft and tasty.

The chicken was also good choice. It was succulent and lean, but the spicy sauce, which left a hot aftertaste, made the dish.

The potatoes were pretty much what I expected, but there was a very generous serving of them.

My partner opted for the mixed olives (£2.95) the Pollo Frito Con Tomate, fried chicken with tomato sauce (£3.50) and Enslada De Tomate, tomato and onion salad (£2.50).

We were both starving and were grateful when the olives were brought out first. Once again, it was a generous serving of green and black olives in a garlic dressing, which lasted us the entire meal.

The chicken dish was also very tasty, although it came a runner-up to the hot chillies chicken. The salad was presented with the kind of huge Mediterranean tomatoes which are delicious and make our own supermarket varieties look so puny.

We happily ate away at the six dishes for a long time, drinking a bottle of red wine, and also enjoyed a Pan De Ajo con Queso each, which is fresh garlic bread with cheese topping (£1.35).

At first, our small table seemed like it could collapse under the weight of the food on top and we wondered whether we had ordered too much. But nothing was wasted and it was soon onto the dessert menu.

We were offered a selection of the usual gateaux and puddings and both our choices, cheese cake and ice cream, were both good and beautifully presented (£2.50 each).

As well as the tapas menu, Viva Espana! also has a list of six main courses, which includes fillet steak with Roquefort Cheese Sauce at £11.95 and Murciana-style roast sea bass (£11.95).

The service was very efficient and pleasant, after a slow start when we felt we had been forgotten, and disabled access should be easy. Children should enjoy some of the dishes on the menu as well.

It is difficult to see anybody not enjoying a night out at Viva Espana! My advice would be to book early and to wear something light inside, because the restaurant is only small and gets quite hot.

Our final bill came to £37.00, which included a £12.95 bottle of wine. Not bad value at all.