Category Archives: Modern Scottish

The Grill on the Corner, Glasgow City Centre

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Once again, life has gotten in the way of my well-organised blogging routine! Here is a much overdue post about the dinner we had at The Grill on the Corner back at the end of March (eeeep!). We were invited in for dinner and headed into town for a wander before going in to dinner. Every single time I go into Glasgow, I’m always captivated by something new and exciting, or discovering some place I’ve never been before. This time it was the bar opposite Stereo, The Old Hairdresser’s which obviously isn’t new but it was very exciting as it had just the right vibe for a pre-dinner drink.

We arrived a little early for our booking at The Grill on the Corner, but that wasn’t a problem for them. The restaurant always catches my eye from the outside with the glittering fairy lights in the window – they definitely know how to make you feel like you’re visiting somewhere really special. We were guided to our table and left to look over the menu.

Me being me, I’d already studied it in great detail. I went for the asparagus spears with a duck egg which also came with parma ham salt. This was a great start to the meal – the asparagus had a buttery taste that let the natural flavour of the asparagus shine though, and then egg was cooked perfectly for dipping. I think my favourite thing on the plate was the parma ham salt – as moreish as it sounds!

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Graeme’s starter was the crispy calamari with lemon mayonnaise. Fresh, crispy, salty and with the perfectly tangy mayonnaise, this was a real treat. I liked the side of lime too for a bit of a contrast with the lemon.

 
Crispy calamari with lemon mayonnaise

 

For me, you can’t dine somewhere like the Grill on the Corner without going for a steak (unless you’re vegetarian, of course). I went for the 200g fillet with a side of chips, as well as a side of greens and peas. A really delicious, flavoursome steak that was cooked to perfection (medium rare for me). Addictive chips to top it all off.

 

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Graeme went for the burger, for something different. 100% Wagyu beef with cheese and smoked bacon as extra and served with chips and tomato relish. Presented on a soft bun which didn’t go mushy part way though. A lovely meaty burger made this a juicy treat which is of a high standard compared to other burgers in Glasgow. Again, those lovely skin-on chips – what other side goes better with a burger?

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I needed something light and refreshing to finish of my meal, so went for sorbet – standard lemon but hitting all the right flavours for a cleansing finish.

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Graeme went for his standard – chocolate – this time as a torte. Rich, smooth and indulgent, that’s his preferred way to finish a meal!

 

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The service at the Grill on the Corner was impecable – friendly, helpful without being pushy or overbearing. Everyone we came into contact with was lovely, and on a Friday night the restaurant had a buzzing, vibrant atmosphere with people raring up for a night out in town. Us – we were winding down for a relaxing night at home with a glass of wine.

Thanks to the Grill on the Corner for inviting us for dinner. While our meal was complimentary, we were not obliged to write a positive review. We look forward to returning in the near future.

After reading all about our delicious – tell me, what’s your favourite steak? Failing steak – vegetarian/vegan substitute?

The Lansdowne Bar & Kitchen, Glasgow West End

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We visited the Lansdowne on Wednesday to try out their wine dinner – 3 courses for £25 per person. We have posted about the Lansdowne previously (if you remember that far back!). This place is definitely one of my favourite pubs and restaurants in Glasgow for its consistently good food and awesomely relaxing atmosphere.

We sat in a booth (probably better for 4 people rather than 5) and were greeted with two glasses of wine to accompany the starter, a white and red. The wine aspect of the evening was a brief, non-intrusive chat from Chris from Bibendum Wines about the wines and how they matched the food. I thought he had the perfect balance of telling you enough interesting information without droning on and distracting from the food. After the meal he popped around to each table to see if anyone had questions which was a great idea.

Spinach and wild mushroom lasagne with toasted Italian olive loaf

For the starter, I had the spinach and wild mushroom lasagne with Italian olive loaf. I also got to eat the poached egg off Graeme’s dish (seared lambs’ liver with smoked bacon, poached egg and hollandaise) because he doesn’t like egg (still baffles me!). The poachy was perfect and I’d eaten it in two or three mouthfuls, I was that excited. My meal looked slightly soupy, which was worrying for a lasagne. But when I dived in, I was delighted by the super umami punch of the wild mushroom which made this a really exciting starter. My only criticism is that the portion size was a bit big – but that really isn’t much of a complaint!

Seared lambs’ liver with smoked bacon, poached egg and hollandaise sauce

For mains I went for the braised beef cheek, chorizo dauphinoise with white truffle and mushroom sauce. Again, another dish with a real wow-factor of flavour. The plating perhaps wasn’t the most beautiful I’ve seen, and it would have benefited from a side of green vegetables to cut through the richness. The dauphinoise was moreish and I continued eating until that exploding-full-breaking-point because I just didn’t want to stop.

Braised beef cheek, chorizo dauphinoise with a white truffle and mushroom sauce

Then we moved onto dessert – I had a few bites of the strawberry and mascarpone roulade and that was me finished for the night. It was really lovely but I had just eaten too much.

Strawberry and mascarpone roulade

The wine nights are on monthly and it was a really fun event to attend. For the amount of wine you got with your meal (5 small glasses) this was definitely amazing value. I also love sampling wines I wouldn’t normally buy or try. I’ve always enjoyed the food at the Lansdowne and it’s pleasing to see them keeping up the high standards! Keep your eyes peeled for their next wine dinner, probably at the beginning of May.

Malmaison, Glasgow City Centre

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We hadn’t visited Malmaison in ages and were thankful to be invited along to try their new Sunday lunch menu, the Mal on Sunday. I’ll forgive their play on the newspaper with a similar name but of dubious quality. Lunch at Malmaison was simply all class, no trash.

Chef’s Table at Malmaison

For £19.95 per person you get a three course meal in the Brasserie. Malmaison have gone for something a little different though, which makes this feel decidedly more decadent and special than a usual three course set menu. The starter course is served at the Chef’s Table – “a selection of hors d’oeuvres and chef’s cook station featuring eggs, omelettes, waffles and pancakes prepared just for you.” We arrived at around midday on Easter Sunday to find the Chef’s Table to ourselves – you can imagine my delight! I was also ravenous from playing roller derby the day before, so it was great to be able to head up and help ourselves without having to wait for our orders to come out.

Chef’s Table: pancake/omelette station

The Chef’s Table was incredibly well stocked, and would cater for all tastes – salmon, cold meats, salads, pancakes, fruits as well as the option to have an omelette made fresh with whatever filling you wanted. The chef at the table on Sunday was incredibly chatty and friendly, and was super helpful with any questions you had about what certain dishes were. My only comment would be that they could improve the lighting in this areas as it is pretty dark and could be difficult to see!

My first trip to the Chef’s Table

I can’t fault anything I ate at the Chef’s Table, it was all fresh, tasty and in good portion sizes. I was wary of eating too much and not being able to eat my main though.

For mains, I went for the steak: Mal steak frites (200gm). Graeme had the burger (180gm) with bacon, Gruyère and fries. Our mains arrived a good amount of time after we had finished eating from the Chef’s Table, meaning we felt relaxed and had some digestion time. The steak was massive and I found it a challenge to finish it all. It was cooked beautifully and had a nice charred grill flavour on the outside while being perfectly cooked (medium rare) on the inside.

Mal steak frites

Graeme’s burger made me drool with envy. I really struggle to find a burger that I like in Glasgow – I am really not a fan of a tower burger that is impossible to eat. While this burger was big, it tasted heavenly. I put it down to the relish on the burger which had a nice pickle flavour through it. The bun was also really soft and easy to bite into.

Mal lunch burger with bacon, Gruyère and fries

Finally we moved onto dessert. With 7 options it was a little difficult to narrow it down but I ended up going for the crème brûlée and Graeme ordered the sorbet.

Crème brûlée

Apart from the fact that this dessert was delicious, it was also served in a wide and shallow bowl – meaning more of the crunchy topping! Perfect! I did struggle to finish this though, just because it was rich and I was incredibly full by this stage.

Sorbet

Sorbet is such a great way to finish a heavy meal as it refreshes and cleanses, and is easy to eat as it’s so light. This sorbet was lovely and each flavour packed a real punch.

We had a wonderful lunch at Malmaison. It was quiet while we were there, but it was the first day of British Summer Time so people may have been still sleeping in! The staff was friendly and helpful – again, a shout-out to the chef on the Chef’s Table as well as the lovely hostess.

Thanks to Purple PR for inviting us along to sample the new lunch menu. It was a really lovely Easter treat!

Cookie, Glasgow Southside

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We finally managed to visit Cookie after many failed attempts (on our behalf!). We were able to get a seat without any problem on a Saturday around 1pm but it got a lot busier over the next two hours, so if you’re thinking of going for a special occasion I’d recommend booking in advance.

We were a bit confused by the menu, and I’ve read other people say this online. I put this down to the fact that their menu changes daily, and it’d be a bit of a waste to be printing out a new menu every day. Although, they could use the blackboards for this. Anyway, the point is that your waiter will tell you the specials of the day (two courses for £11.50) so make sure you pay attention!

There was a little more confusion as to whether we could order from the meals on the blackboard (we couldn’t) so we went for the lunch deal. We share the antipasti platter to start:

Antipasti platter to share

This had a generous amount of meats and cheese, as well as grilled vegetables underneath the rocket. We really enjoyed this and it was really nice and relaxing just grazing (I do tend to get a bit competitive when sharing food, thankfully Graeme has gotten used to this!).

Chicken with spinach bean stew/casserole

For main, we had the chicken and bean casserole. This was a large portion so I struggled to finish it after the antipasti. I am not the biggest bean lover but this dish was really nice and had a good balance of chicken to beans as well a refreshing spinach and some spring onion.

All their breads are baked in store daily, as well as the cakes. From the dining area you can see into the kitchen and have a spy on the calm, organised and tidy goings on. I was very impressed!

The waiter we had on the day was a little eccentric (“kooky” even, *boomtish*). He seemed a bit overwhelmed at times as he was taking care of all the tables in the restaurant with just a meal-runner to help him. The gentleman on the table next to us even commented on the service to us – but you know what, I like someone who is a little off-beat and not super slick. I think it can make the experience of dining out more fun and interesting.

One final word of praise – their cordials are served in a tea pot with a jug of water, so you can make it up to your own preference. Perfect for weirdos like me who like really weak cordial!

I can’t wait to go back to Cookie to try their dinner specials – they had a pea, wild garlic and blue cheese risotto which I am dying to try. It’s on the menu for a while longer (so they tell me via twitter) so I’ll have to go back soon!

Cookie on Urbanspoon

Blythswood Bubbles, Glasgow City Centre

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We were invited along to afternoon tea at Blythswood Square for the launch of Blythswood Bubbles on Friday. Blythswood Bubbles is either a three-course lunch from the market menu, or afternoon tea with Moët & Chandon Champagne for the duration, for £50 per person.

We had the afternoon tea option, and had the pleasure of sampling the three versions: The Duchess of Bedford (a traditional afternoon tea with sandwiches and scones); Blasad Albannach (Tasty Scotland) – Scottish themed as well as Tea Tox – a healthy option with salad, crudities and dips and some sugar free dessert options.

The Duchess of Bedford: An assortment of freshly cut finger sandwiches. Served on white or wholemeal bread, selection of miniature homemade cakes, pastries and desserts. Freshly baked plain or apple and sultana scones. Served with preserves and Devonshire clotted cream

Blasad Albannach (Tasty Scotland): An assortment of open sandwiches with poached salmon, smoked venison and Angus beef. Raspberry cranachan with shortbread. Dundee and Madeira Cake. Selected Scottish fine cheeses with oatcakes, quince jelly and grapes

Tea Tox: Detox salad – broccoli, cauliflower, cous cous, golden raisins, sunflower seeds and lemon oil. Vegetable crudities with hummus and guacamole. Apple and cucumber jelly. Sugar-free carrot cake. Raspberry sorbet, fruit skewers and berries. Served with honey and yoghurt dips.

As you can see, the food looks beautiful – and tasted great too! I think there is definitely an option for everyone here whether you’re a meaty cheese lover (like me), a traditionalist, or a lover of green stuff (that’s me too!). I particularly loved the tea tox salad as it was nice and refreshing after a few cakes. The open sandwiches were a big hit (I could have devoured a few more of the salmon ones!) and the desserts on The Duchess of Bedford were unusual and good sized for sharing.

Berry mint fizz

While I was sipping Moët, Graeme was sorted out with a treat of his own – a sweet, refreshing mocktail for the designated driver. This drink was lovely and still felt like a nice treat.

Blythswood Bubbles would be a great afternoon treat – whether it be for a weekend stay over at the hotel, or a night out in town. If you were planning on having a drink with your afternoon tea, it makes sense to get the Bubbles option so you don’t have to worry about the price either! We’re planning on heading back to try the option with the market menu as the food at Blythswood is notoriously good!

Which of the three afternoon teas would you choose?

The Finnieston, Glasgow West End

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We recently reviewed a couple of cocktail bars for Social and Cocktail, and one of the bars we had the joy of visiting was The Finnieston. I drive down Argyle Street a lot (because I train with Glasgow Roller Derby at Kelvinhall) but I hadn’t ever really noticed the Finnieston. On our first visit, I was intrigued - it really looked like my kind of place, and I wanted to try out the food. It is nautical without being cheesy, and offers lots of different seating areas to fill up.

Not long after, an itison deal came along for fish and chips for 2 people for £12. Too good to pass up, we finally booked and went along for lunch on Friday. We were seated by the window (great for people watching) and ordered a 1/2 pint of prawns to share as a starter. What I liked about the menu is that the seafood is locally sourced – crab from Orkney, salmon from Shetland and venison from Perthshire.

West Coast Prawns
Served on the shell with fresh lemon and bloody mary mayonnaise
½ Pint £6.50

These prawns were delicious. Our waiter kindly explained that some people have a problem with the shell – these were soft shell prawns, and as such it was near impossible to shell them. Instead, we just de-headed and de-legged and ate the rest. I wouldn’t normally eat the shell but it added a nice crunch. This was a great starter size to share.

Triple cooked hand cut chips, homemade tartar sauce, pea compote and your own jar of pickles. Choose from either: The Finniestons’ house beer batter or our signature panko crumb

Triple cooked hand cut chips, homemade tartar sauce, pea compote and your own jar of pickles. Choose from either: The Finniestons’ house beer batter or our signature panko crumb

Ok, these pictures are pretty much the same but Graeme had the batter, and I had the panko crumb. I think they were equally as nice though! The size of the fish was great – I hate getting a massive slab of fish when I order fish and chips (especially when it is 80% batter and 20% fish). The sides were all lovely – and the surprise hit were the peas. You can see they aren’t quite completely mushy peas, and with the mint through them they were really refreshing. We also had a side of mixed greens (kale and beans) which had been cooked in butter and I think possibly dill. The chips were really soft and tender on the inside with a firm crunchy outside.

As we were having quite a relaxing afternoon, we waited a while and then ordered some dessert to share.

Passion fruit and lemon posset with berry sauce

The menu said this was meant to have popping candy with it, but we were told when we were looking at the menus that there wasn’t any available. It really, really didn’t need it. The passion fruit gave it a lovely pop and worked really well with the berry and lemon. I would find it really difficult to order a different dessert from this next time we go back!

All in all, this meal was mind-blowingly amazing. I really didn’t expect it for the deal we had – all we had to pay for was the starter and dessert, as well as the drinks we had. I can’t wait to go back and try some of the other items on the menu as I really love seafood. The menu seems like really good value as well, so I wouldn’t hesitate returning!

Finnieston on Urbanspoon

Bo’Vine, Glasgow West End

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It’s been a while between posts! Sorry for the lack of content recently – life has gotten in the way. Thankfully I have a huge back-load to post over the Christmas holidays so prepare to be inundated.

We had dinner at Bo’Vine a while ago, and had a lovely time. We had been meaning to go to Bo’Vine ever since my first trip to Byres Road (probably in April 2009 – so quite a while!) as I thought it looked like an interesting place from the outside, and I love steak. We finally made our way there and were greeted by some seriously friendly staff members.

This restaurant is attached to the Hilton Byres Road, although I don’t think it felt like a hotel restaurant in any way. We had a drink before hand in the bar next door which was a nice place to start (although it was incredibly quiet the night we were there!).

We ate:

Carpaccio of Perthshire Venison, pine nuts, Parmesan, pickled wild mushrooms, Sloe Gin Shot £7.00

This carpaccio (hidden under the salad) was very generous and delicious. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with the shot, so I handed that over to Graeme to drink. I think it’s hard to beat the winning combination of rocket, Parmesan and pine nuts though, so I really enjoyed this starter.

Haggis Bon Bons, Madras fruit chutney, potato & truffle crisp £7.00

All Graeme’s dreams come true? Possibly! He really loved this starter, and I like what I tried of it although sometimes I find haggis a bit overbearing. I loved the crispyness of the bon bons, and the chutney worked really well with it – personally I wouldn’t have tried haggis with chutney before but I definitely will now!

Char-Grilled rib-eye 9oz – £17.00

We both had the same steak, just with different sides. I went for dauphinoise potatoes whereas Graeme had chips, and you can also choose a sauce or another size in the price of the steak. I think £17.00 for a 9 ounce steak is a pretty good price in Glasgow compared to other steak restaurants. Especially when you factor in getting two sides or a sauce and a side!

Dauphinoise potatoes

If I could, I think I would live on dauphinoise potatoes. I loved the cheese oozing off these potatoes and devoured the whole thing.

After eating all that food, we had absolutely no room left for dessert! This was a bit of a shame as there are definitely a few desserts I could have eaten – or even the dessert for two would have been a nice option.

We had a really nice time at Bo’Vine. The restaurant had a pleasant atmosphere with it being busy, but not crowded. I’m looking forward to our return visit to try the great value Market Menu which is £14.50 for 2 courses… or maybe the Lobster & Chateubriand (£85.00 for two) as I’ve heard Michelle from ananyah.com mention! Perhaps that’s one for a special occasion.

Thanks to DADA PR for inviting us to dinner.

Bo'Vine on Urbanspoon

The Living Room, Glasgow City Centre

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We were invited to “Dining in the Dark” – the Living Room Glasgow’s challenge for food bloggers to fight to the death, blindfolded, to win a coveted trophy for Dining in the Dark Champion 2012. Have I ever mentioned before how competitive I am? Well, let’s just say that I was determined to win, and get my paws on a trophy (and a bottle of wine too!).

We were treated to a bunch of canapés to try, while blindfolded, and given a test. What I assumed was going to be a total walk in the park was a lot tougher – some dishes were vegetarian and yet I am sure I tasted bacon. Damn you taste-buds.

We worked out way through the menu – trying out a whole range of items. Because we were blindfolded, the lovely Alfred offered to take photos while we ate our hearts out – thanks Alfred!

Here is what we ate:

 

Black forest smoked ham and fig; venison shepherds pie; pan fried sea bass; moroccan spiced lamb; glamoran sausages; duck breast with Szechuan pepper

Coconut and passion-fruit crème brulèe, basil grande eton mess, cheeses and some delicious cocktails

It was an amazing smorgasbord of delights which, after seeing Alfred’s pictures, I wish I had been able to see as it all looks so beautiful! It is surprising how much you rely on your eyesight when eating and I definitely appreciate it a lot more now. Thankfully the food was exceptionally delicious, and it was a real pleasure to eat with just your senses focusing on smell and taste.

So, you’re wondering how The Glasgow Food Blog went compared to the other bloggers? We wouldn’t let you down! We came equal first with Jen from Pie in Soup – who then won in a wine-off. Thankfully The Living Room took pity on me and gave me a trophy anyway. I went home very happy and content after a lovely meal with lovely people.

Thanks to the Living Room for inviting us along. I promise we’ll be back soon – no blindfolds this time! And thanks Alfred for sharing your great photos.

Total Food Geeks Glasgow Bloggers Event at The Arches, Glasgow

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Scottish smoked halibut with Scottish asparagus, caper pop corn and smoked oil emulsion

Rabbit and ham hough Battenberg with sage crisps and a cider and honey jelly

A while back, Graeme from A Scots Larder suggested the Glasgow food bloggers meet up for a drink to see about starting up a Total Food Geeks over in Glasgow. There is a well established Edinburgh group so we set about arranging a meet up by twitter. Eventually we decided that it wasn’t right to have a foodies get together without food, and we settled on The Arches for its very reasonable set menu (3 course for £10!) and casual vibe.

Pan seared mackerel fillet with glazed beetroots, cauliflower & horseradish mousse, seaweed, spring onion & rapeseed dressing

Cairnhill farm roasted chump of lamb served with pistachio dauphinoise, confit shallots, baby turnips with a Bitter + Twister ale jus

We’ve written about The Arches before, so I won’t go into a detailed review but to say the food cooked for us at our first Total Food Geeks Glasgow event was, without understating anything, drop-dead amazing. I’d like to extend a huge thanks to The Arches and to chef Robbie McGuinness who not only made us an amazing meal, but came out of the kitchen to chat with us afterwards. Sorry for the interrogation Robbie but we all had loads of questions!

Chocolate Nemesis with salted caramel mousse and a bee pollen chocolate shard

We decided to meet every 6 weeks for a TFG Glasgow meet up – so if you’re interested in blogging, food, Glasgow, or coming along, let me or Graeme from A Scots Larder know (a tweet to @glasgow_food or @scotslarder will get you sorted, or comment on our blogs). We even have a hashtag where you can follow the adventures - #totalfoodgeeksglasgow.

What we ate in Leith, June 2012

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We celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary last weekend! We decided to go to Leith for a couple of nights. Our lovely Australian friends had got us a voucher to use at The Kitchin so we booked in for dinner on Friday night, and then spent the next day wandering around Leith. Obviously the meal at The Kitchin was mind-blowing, but we also had some great food on Saturday.

The Kitchin

The Kitchin
From top left:
Appetiser – jellied chicken consommé served with a quail’s egg
Salmon & Crab – tartare of wild salmon from Usan and Newhaven brown crab served with cucumber, capers and salmon caviar
Razor Clams (spoots) – razor clams from Arasaig, cooked to order and served with diced vegetables, chorizo and lemon confit
Pig’s Head and Scallop – boned and rolled pig’s head, served with seared hand-dived Orkney scallop and crispy ear salad

The Kitchin

The Kitchin
From top left:
Hake – seared fillet of haje from Scrabster served with local St George mushrooms and sea plantain
Rabbit – saddle of rabbit from Burnside Farm served with Scottish asparagus and sautéed rabbit kidneys
Lemon – glazed lemon tart served with macerated cherries and cherry sorbet

The Kitchin

The Kitchin
Mint & Chocolate – delice of dark chocolate and Perthshire wild mint served with a mint chocolate chip ice cream
Petit Fours

The Water of Leith Cafe Bistro

The Water of Leith Cafe Bistro – Croque Salmon with salad and french fries

I was lured here by the good reviews on Urbanspoon and it really exceeded all my expectations. It had a really lovely neighbourhood vibe, with everyone who came in seeming like they were a local, and the owner was so friendly and welcoming we really didn’t want to leave. The croque salmon was so rich, creamy and delicate – filled with nice chunks of salmon and béchamel sauce. This was a great way to spend our fragile Saturday morning.

Mimi's Bakehouse

Mimi’s Bakehouse – aero and malteaser slice

Mimi’s was suggested by a lovely twitter follower. This place was packed! It does lunch and high tea, as well as cakes/slices as you can see above. I really liked this place but it did require queueing to get a table.

Sometimes two nights away with your beloved is all you need to rejuvenate after a hectic period of work and life. I really loved going to Leith and felt so refreshed when we got home. We stayed at Hot-El Serviced Apartments in Western Harbour, which looked right over the River Forth.

The Kitchin on Urbanspoon

The Water of Leith Cafe Bistro on Urbanspoon

Mimi's Bakehouse on Urbanspoon