Saturday 29 November 2014

Scran and Scallie

Well, there is a lot going for this place. Lovely decor, good service with a lot of attentive waitstaff, some good cocktails both alcoholic and non, in fact the non alcoholic being the better of the two. The food was pretty good too. It's child friendly not just tolerant which is a great plus.

What were the negatives: the inside of my steak pie was so hot that the other two mains were finished by the time it was edible. When most food served in restaurant runs the risk of being lukewarm it seems churlish to say this is a drawback.
The other disappointment was my winter moijto which I ordered as it was meant to have ginger beer apple juice and other things in it. When I got it there was no ginger beer and too much ice so it started off very alcoholic then very watery.
The sour plum drink was amazing as was the milkshake.
The tempura squid very good with a great doping sauce.
The steak tartare was very good also.
The crispy pigs ears and cracking a bit too hard for me.
The bavette was very good and the steak pie, which looked lovely and was tasty was the weakest of the lot which is not that weak at all.



































Milkshake








Hot sour plum


















Not warm bread








Very good squid








Very good steak tartare








Watery too strong moijto





























Friday 28 November 2014

Cail Bruich

This family run restaurant used to have a branch in the oddly chosen location of Quarriers village. This has since shut and is now a home baking cafe called the three sisters.

I have had lunch here before, but never dinner and was keen to try it. The chef here seems to take his food seriously and did a stage at Noma last year.

The positives are good service if more formal than the gannet and definitely than Ox and finch.

The lighting also could do with being turned up. I know, I sound like the old person I am but I find it essential to be able to see what you are eating. After all presentation leads to anticipation leads to enjoyment.

That aside, the food does show good technique and the combination of ingredients show a palate with reasonable taste.

It was a surprise to get amuse bouch, all of which were very good especially a gouger that was filled with something green but very tasty.

There was also a complimentary pre-starter of a mushroom cappuccino, which was savoury and tasty.

I have only two criticisms: one of which eas that I thought the food over salted, and I am the first to admit I usually love salt. I don't know if it was because the jus that accompanied my beef cheeks was reduced so much it had become a very sticky, intensely savoury and lovely sauce, but in that process the salt came more to the fore?
The other note was that my celeriac was slightly on the hard side but still a good foil for the meat.

The treacle tart was much better than The Gannet's but I do not understand why it was served with an intensely Lemon purée.
It was nice enough it could have been served just with clotted cream.
The lemon purée appealed to my palate as I like sour things but it was not natural in its consistency and almost ascorbic acid in its sourness. A nods to Heston but not one that was necessary.

Sorry about the poor quality photos, the lighting was low and for some reason some of my pictures are missing.





Amuse





Lovely freshly baked bread




Pulled pork croquette


Sea bream ceviche very good





Very rich, unctuous beef cheek


Pheasant





Treacle tart with lemon purée





Plum pudding not as good as Mark Greenaways







Location:Glasgow

Wednesday 26 November 2014

Firebird

Another child friendly place that serves decent food.


Salad special of the day marinaded melon with Parma ham and goats cheese. This was very good.


The hunters rabbit rice dish. The rabbit was moist and it was a generous portion size although I wish they had used a different grain of rice.


3 very large fresh king prawns, sweet flesh with a very tasty chilli caper dressing.

Location:Glasgow

Italian caffe

I have been coming to this place for at least 7 years and glad to see its still going strong. It's perfect for a Paleo ish diet and suits my eldest (5yrs old) palate too.
We had lovely mother- son lunch
With a very good steak tartare with a lot of cornichon and capers and that had a good bite to it too.
Beef carpaccio with rocket and mussels in marinara sauce.






Lovely beef carpaccio


Green olives only

Location:Glasgow

Bread meats bread

I am a bit late to this party but this place is felt to be one of the best burger places in Glasgow. HI days it's the best and he has sampled a fair few so I take his word for it.
Like many trendy places (yes, I am old) it doesn't take reservations and at lunchtime there was a queue out the door.
They are child tolerant which is a good thing for us and the service was reasonable given how busy it was.
My eldest pronounced his share of my burger 'very delicious' and was very taken with the poutine. Really who wouldn't be? Chips, cheese and gravy...































The Gannet

My first meal at the Gannet was a bit of a pleasant surprise. I was meeting a friend for a catch up and had thought it more of a bar that served small plates. I was not expecting a proper restaurant at the back with cooking that showed good technique and a refined touch.
The service was very good too. Kevin used to be the maitre d at La Valle Blanche, which has sadly closed down. Warm and professional without being intrusive.
The bread was excellent. I don't eat bread much these days but ate some as it was so good.
The only disappointment was the treacle tart, which was too sweet and I had to leave it. It was more of a golden syrup tart than treacle. My bar is set high after eating the treacle tart of my dreams at 10 Greek St earlier this year. Crispy chewy top, dark not too sweet middle with the right amount of texture and a bottom that was not too soggy.
The food was very tasty and overall I am more impressed with this place than Ox and Finch although I am more excited by the menu at the latter. If only the two would get together and have a love child together..































Ox and Finch

The Ox and Finch is run by the people who run Scoop the mobile catering enterprise. It's doing very well for itself with Friday's and Saturdays being booked out 4-5 weeks in advance.
The first time I went I was quite impressed, it had a good buzz, I am partial to the small plate concept and the menu read no where like Glasgow, but reminded me of 10 Greek St and Nopi instead.
The second time I was less impressed primarily due to the fact I had had a meal at the Gannet the week before, and the ability to compare the two made me realise that the although the menu sounds great at Ox and Finch, the execution is slightly off. That being said its still very good for Glasgow but not Good enough for London or Edinburgh.
The one dish that is noteworthy is the peanut butter parfait with cherry jam. Very reminiscent of Jason Atherton at Maze or even PSS and in some ways better than the one found at Spuntino.


Crab, avocado and watermelon- maybe better as a salad than on bruschetta?


Very good beef carpaccio with fig and truffle oil












Freatherblade


Featherblade


Lamb with couscous- could have been special but was disappointing


Decent chips crispy and fluffy


Good Thai confit duck one of the better dishes


Excellent peanut butter parfait


Unmenorable chocolate tart.

Location:Glasgow

The Gannet

Until 7pm they serve small plates. The service is vey good with Kevin in particular being professional whilst personable.
The food is actually very good, showing good technique and a refined touch, although one might say even for small plates the portion size are a touch parsimonious. However, overall you will forgive that, as it is a pleasurable dining experience.


Perfectly cooked scallop with very tasty confit chicken thigh.


Good smoked salmon as home cured but being in Scotland you can get better.


Tasty chicken terrine


Pulled pork croquette


The house specialty duck egg with black pudding scotch egg.


Good triple cooked chips with vinegar, crunchy outside, soft inside.


The richest of the dishes, a great winter dish slow cooked diamond of beef with pomme purée.