CAFES
In association with
Glasgow thebutterflyandthepig.com | Mon–Sat 9am—8pm; Sun 11am–8pm. [Bar open: Mon–Thu 11am–midnight; Fri/Sat noon– 3am; Sun noon–midnight.] Veg; BYOB (£5); HW £12; Kids; T/A. £7.50 (set lunch) / £12.50 (dinner)
Cushion & Cake (page 135): a lovingly retro and craft-filled tearoom with Crafternoon events for budding creators
Rose and Grants
27 Trongate, Merchant City, Merchant City, G1 5EZ (Map 7: C2, 36) 0141 553 0501, roseandgrants.co.uk | Mon–Fri 8am–5pm; Sat 9am–5pm; Sun 10am– 5pm. Veg; Kids; Wh; T/A; D. £5.50 (set lunch)
A welcome addition to Argyle Street’s eastern end – an already interesting arty area that has for long held so much potential – recently opened Rose and Grants Trongate is the sister café to its namesake in Milngavie. Bright and spacious, with a couch for lounging and plenty of tables, it is already pulling in the lunchtime crowd and may soon be open as an evening bistro too. The breakfast menu ranges from bagels to yogurt muesli while lunch includes soups, salads and sandwiches. The best of both worlds is the chicken caesar baguette which skimps a bit on the parmesan but makes up for it with the tasty dressing. The less common soup combo of tomato and parsnip works very well – the tomato adding so much more than its subtle background taste suggests. The grilled goat’s cheese salad is a melting marvel, served with a generous portion of pancetta and pine nuts on a bed of rocket. + Quality, healthy food in an area that needs a boost - Quite a price hike to sit in
+ Food that tastes as good as it looks - Closed in evenings
Stewart’s Victorian Tea Rooms 89 Glassford Street, Merchant City, G1 1UH (Map 7: B1, 6) 0141 552 0646, stewartsvictoriantearooms.com | Mon– Sun 8am–6pm. Veg; Wh. £12.95 (set lunch)
Drinking tea and all the rituals that go with it may be back in fashion but that’s where Stewart’s association with what’s ‘current’ ends. Everything, from the classical music on loop to the cake-stands and the royal portraits on the walls harks back to the past. So it’s a surprise then to find some incongruous dishes on the savoury menu: ravioli arrabbiata, eggs Benedict and Greek salad would have been out of place in late 1800s Britain. The mostly elderly clientele (with the exception of some tourists) don’t seem
TIPList FOR COFFEE & TEA • Artisan Roast In-house roastings and unrivalled dedication 131
✱ Sonny & Vito’s
• Avenue G Single-origin beans and award-winning baristas 131
Walking into Sonny & Vito’s can make you forget that you’re in Scotland. This appealing deli-café’s shelves are stocked with all manner of epicurean delights from Italy and the wider Mediterranean area, and this feeling of continental culinary delight continues onto the plate. The £4.90 lunchtime soup & halfsandwich deal enables you to enjoy fresh organic bread with your own choice of filling – the chorizo is to be particularly recommended – along with their own lovingly home-made soup. Those looking for something a bit different can pick from a specials board for the likes of a flavoursome Spanish sausage roll with warm new potato salad. If you fancy a cake afterwards then you’re in luck. Unusual combinations like Tunisian chilli and orange cake or chocolate and pineapple muffins abound, and the baking is as tasty as it is eye-catching. A real gem on the Glasgow café scene.
• Coffee, Chocolate and Tea McCallum’s cool espresso bar and tea shop 133
52 Park Road, West End, G4 9JG (Map 9: G2, 71) 0141 357 0640 | Mon–Sat 9am– 6pm; Sun 10am–6pm. Veg; Wh; T/A. £4.90 (set lunch)
• Cup Speciality teas and infusions, with branch No2 due 135 • Cushion & Cake Crafty charms and various teas in vintage crockery 135 • Tapa A quality brew from the original artisan roasters 139, 171 • Tchai-Ovna House of Tea Eccentric and laidback with exotic teas 171
to mind though and may instead opt for more traditional omelette, York ham salad with new potatoes, or, more likely, the selection of sandwiches and homemade cakes that make up the two choices of afternoon tea. Jenier first flush tea (served in pots with strainers) such as the wonderfully subtle Rose Congou, and home-made cakes like the moreish mint cheesecake are what this place does best. + The full tea experience - Hot dishes not the strong point
Tapa Coffeehouse
721 Pollokshaws Road, Southside, G41 2AA (Map 8: D2, 11) 0141 423 9494, tapabakehouse.com | Mon–Sun 8am–6pm. Veg; HW £14.50; Kids; Wh; T/A. £7.95 (set lunch) / £11.50 (dinner)
Tapa encapsulates every wannabe cafe owner’s pipe dream: own bakery and roasting house ensuring freshness of house staples? Check. Home-made cakes and locally sourced ingredients? Check. All of which is more than enough to ensure a returning fanbase. But then add the fun, relaxed atmosphere (especially at weekends) and we’re not just onto a winner but a contender for best in Glasgow. The menu is appealing, with a choice ranging from breakfast goodies (pastries, organic muesli and even full English – traditional and vegan) to soups, sandwiches, omelettes, open boards (dishes of deli delights) and mains such as beefburger, lentil and pine nut burger, vegetable jalfrezi and fish and chips. Then there are daily specials: the vegetable sausage and mixed bean chilli has a pleasantly rich tomato base, served with Tapa bread rather than rice. Then it’s on to the wonderful cakes . . . + Almost everything - Service can be underwhelming
The ‘odd pair’, it states in the blurb, and they could be talking about the mismatched cutlery and crockery. A step back in time to a more genteel age awaits on climbing the stairs to the sister venue of the Buff Club and companion piece to the pub/restaurant below, though it feels like a world away from DJ sets, comedy nights, and everything post-1950. Here it’s conversation, afternoon teas and an array of utterly delicious home-made cakes. Before the quaint old tradition of high tea is served, there’s a lunch (and all-day breakfast) menu for toasties and sandwiches, specials such as ploughman’s lunch and various ‘open sanners’ that fill a hole but aren’t prize-winners for imaginative fillings. The post-5pm menu, however, is fresh-tasting and restaurant standard – fish batter is light and crispy and the chips genuinely hand-cut, while the stuffed mushrooms with salad is a pleasant light meal. Other options may include vegetable frittata, mixed grill or chicken and leek pie. + Granny chic, and using local ingredients - No surprises on the daytime menu
Tibo
443 Duke Street, East End, G31 1RY See Bistros & Brasseries
Tinderbox
• 118 Ingram Street, Merchant City, G1 1EJ (Map 7: C1, 5) 0141 552 6907 | Mon– Sat 7.15am–10pm; Sun 8am–10pm. [Bar open: Mon–Sun 10am–10pm.] Veg; HW £12.95; Wh; T/A. £8 (lunch) / £9 (dinner) • Princes Square, 48 Buchanan Street, City Centre, G1 3JN (Map 6: D4, 77) 0141 221 5557 | Mon–Wed 9am–8pm; Thu–Sat 9am–10pm; Sun 11am–8pm. Veg; HW £14.20; Wh; T/A. £6.95 (set lunch) / £9 (dinner) • 189 Byres Road, West End, G12 8TS (Map 9: C2, 27) 0141 339 3108 | Mon–Sat 7.15am–11pm; Sun 7.45am–11pm. Veg; Wh; T/A. £7.50 (lunch) / £7.50 (dinner)
21 Whitehill Street, East End, G31 2LH See Vegetarian
Tinderbox’s original Byres Road coffeshop café opened in 1998 but the interior still feels contemporary and enticing. No food is prepared on the premises though, with savoury options being either pre-prepared sandwiches or salad/noodle bowls. It’s an extra £1.50 to eat-in with a sandwich, which includes a packet of unbranded crisps and a small pot of mayonnaise. Mayonnaise with a sandwich being treated as a form of bonus could raise an eyebrow or two. Tinderbox’s cakes feel much better on the eye, the tastebuds, and the pocket. As well as usual favourites like carrot cake, there are also more unusual but equally delicious options like a parsnip version, as well as a range of tempting-looking cupcakes. People looking for a café to work in should be aware that none of Tinderbox’s three branches offer free WiFi, only paid. + Delicious cakes - No free WiFi
Taste
Tramway Café Bar
Tchai-Ovna House of Tea
Trans-Europe Café
Tapa Bakehouse
240 Sauchiehall St, City Centre, G2 3EQ See Sandwich Bars feature in Cafés
42 Otago Lane, West End, G12 8PB See Vegetarian
The Tearoom @ The Butterfly and the Pig 153 Bath Street, City Centre, G2 4SQ (Map 6: C2, 35) 0141 234 2459,
25 Albert Drive, Southside, G41 2PE See Arts Venues
25 Parnie Street, Merchant City, G1 5RJ (Map 7: C3, 39) 0141 552 7999, transeuropecafe.co.uk | Mon–Sun 10am– 5pm (Supper club Fri–Sat 6.30pm–10pm). Veg; HW £14.95; Kids; T/A. £7 (lunch) / £14 (dinner)
The retro Trans-Europe Café, fitted
The List Eating & Drinking Guide 139
E&DG12 GlasgowJT2.indd 139
17/04/2012 23:47