BISTROS & BRASSERIES
In association with
GLASGOW
Dakota Deluxe Bar and Grill (page 121): luxury hotel restaurant serving succulent steaks and swanky cocktails
scene, there’s something admirable about a long-standing restaurant that just does its thing while maintaining its appreciative custom. A spot of modernising wouldn’t go amiss at owner-chef John Quigley’s popular Red Onion – the décor of thick floral drapes, fake plants and chunky wood must date back to its 2004 beginnings. The menu – updated seasonally but sticking to core dishes year round – is agreeably resistant to fleeting food trends, though lacks a strong culinary identity outside of abundant Scottish ingredients and a fair bit of, yes, red onion. And yet you can’t argue with the quality. A trio of Scottish bonbons – balls of Ramsay’s haggis and black pudding, and Finnan haddie – is not only delicious but comes in a portion that would be a main elsewhere. The beer-braised blade of beef is tender and succulent, surrounded by glazed heritage carrot, smoked shallot purée, crispy kale and a black pudding champ – there’s so much going on with this dish. Gluten-free and vegan menus speak to Red Onion’s readiness to move with the times – some other aspects of the operation just need to catch up. + Healthy portions all the way - Overdue a makeover
Riverhill Restaurant & Bar 3 West Nile Street, City Centre, 0141 248 3495, riverhillcafe.com | Closed Sun | £15 (lunch)
With only 30 covers, a no-bookings policy and (currently) no regular evening opening, Riverhill is hard-pressed to keep its many fans satisfied. Lunchtime often sees a queue – although staff will do their best to squeeze you in – and a look at the appealing menu explains why. Hot sandwiches like Philly cheese steak and Korean fried chicken join a trio of daily specials – a curry, a ramen bowl and a mac and cheese. The mac might come with pastrami and pickle mixed through the sauce, the curry could be Malay one day, Indian the next, so although the menu’s pretty short you could eat here for weeks without ever having to order the same thing twice. Helpings are huge and hardly anything is over a tenner. Open from 8am in the week, breakfast includes the usual suspects plus naan bread stuffed with bacon, sausage or halloumi. The full Scottish is available in trad, veggie or vegan incarnations - and as Riverhill is a bar-restaurant, you can get a Bloody Mary with it. It’s open for dinner just a few times a month – ask for details. + Buzzing atmosphere - Can be hard to get in when it’s busy
Rogano 11 Exchange Place, City Centre See Fish
✱ The Scullery 10 Claremont Street, West End, 0141 221 6200, thesculleryglasgow.co.uk | £22 (lunch) / £24 (dinner)
With vintage paintings and mid-century mirrors adorning exposed brickwork, the Scullery’s timber-floored interior fits right into the Finnieston hipster vibe. Yet there’s as much substance as style here, and from interesting cocktails to satisfying puds, the food and drink strikes a balance between comforting and clever. A subtle Scottish theme sees Shetland mussels, Ayrshire beef and venison sausages get star billing on an appealing evening menu, while an inventive Cullen skink croquette concentrates the flavours of smoked haddock soup into a velvety, crunchy deep-fried lozenge, served with a soft-poached egg as a substantial starter. It’s not all about Scotland, however, with curry flavours, bocconcini mozzarella and Thai broth lightening things up here and there. Brunch (from 10.30am) includes the likes of eggs Benedict and Florentine or a full Scottish, giving way to NY delistyle sandwiches and à la carte from about noon. Bigger inside than it looks from the street, the Scullery even manages to squeeze in a 30-seat private dining room in the basement. + Inventive yet non-flashy food - No major bargains
✱ The Shandon Belles 652 Argyle Street, City Centre, 0141 221 8188, twofatladiesrestaurant.com/ shandonbelles | Closed Sun/Mon | £12 (set dinner)
The wee sister of the Two Fat Ladies family, Shandon Belles sits in the basement of the group’s grand and gorgeous Buttery, itself tucked away among blocks of residential flats a few minutes’ walk from Charing Cross. A quirky interior is decked out with ornate panelling, stained glass, blonde wood furniture and a collection of ornaments and curios, managing to turn a windowless cellar into a bright, jolly little space. A short, regularly changing menu tends to focus on old-fashioned comfort food – steak pie, fish and chips, rhubarb crumble and the like. Another welcome touch of retro is the pricing, with two courses at £12 for dinner (or £10 for High Tea between 4 and 6pm, though there’s no lunchtime service). Food is prepared with the same loving care as the more elaborate (and significantly more expensive)
restaurant upstairs, representing remarkable value for money. Lovely service – and good house wine for just £12 a bottle – add up to a pleasant, civilised night out on a budget. + Lovingly prepared, smartly served food, at near fast-food prices - Not the most comfortable furniture in town
The Sisters Jordanhill 1a Ashwood Gardens, 512 Crow Road, West End See Scottish
The Sisters Kelvingrove 36 Kelvingrove Street, West End See Scottish
✱ NEW Six by Nico 1132 Argyle Street, West End, 0141 334 5661, sixbynico.co.uk | No Kids | Closed Mon | £25 (set dinner)
Opened in March 2017, Six by Nico sees Nico Simeone bring his rapidly rising stock as a restaurateur into the heart of the fiercely competitive Finnieston scene, taking over the narrow premises once of Table 11. The concept is so appealing as to surely have neighbouring businesses watching nervously. A six-course tasting menu costs just £25, with wine-pairings – large pourings, be warned – only an additional £25. Better still, the theme changes every six weeks making for a fun and functional gimmick. A ‘chippie’ theme puts inventive spins on Scottish favourites, be it chips and cheese transposed to an amuse-bouche of confit potato topped with frothy parmesan espuma, served in a tea cup, or ‘special fish’ comprising soft white Shetland cod topped with a crispy cloud of beer batter (the ‘wine pairing’ being a pale ale). There’s theatre as the lid is lifted on Ayrshire pork ‘smoked sausage’ in a literal swirl of smoke. Deep-fried Mars Bar has no place in a fine-dining restaurant, except when it’s deconstructed to dulce leche, chocolate nougat and malt, each bite a treat. Come back six weeks later and you’ll eat a different meal altogether – and you will come back. + Full vegetarian menu available at all times - Dishes aren’t served as hot as they ideally ought to be
✱ Stravaigin Café Bar 28 Gibson Street, West End, 0141 334 2665, stravaigin.co.uk | £18 (lunch) / £18 (dinner)
With 23 years as an institution on Gibson Street, few places in the West End could afford to rest on their laurels more so than
Stravaigin. If staples such as beer-battered fish and chips, haggis, neeps ’n’ tatties and nasi goreng ever left the café-bar menu then there’d probably be a very polite riot. But they always find ways to raise their game, through inspired application of their ‘think global, eat local’ mantra. That means the best of Scottish ingredients served in symphony with flavours from central and Mediterranean Europe and, increasingly, the Far East. Chorizo and butterbean stew with slow-cooked egg and manchego is so rib-stickingly satisfying it could be beefed up to a main course. Pork and pheasant bratwurst with caraway mustard, sauerkraut and fries is a Germanic classic taken to a new level. Specials include the likes of Malaysian coconut curry, served with a pile of cumin and garlic basmati, sambal hot sauce and toasted paratha bread – delicious. Formal enough to feel a bit fancy, but not so formal that it isn’t warmly family-friendly and even dog-friendly, Stravaigin is always finding ways to refine its offering. + They’ve upped their draught beer game with Lagunitas IPA on tap - Pre-booking advisable at peak times
Tibo 443 Duke Street, Dennistoun, East End, 0141 550 2050, cafetibo.com | £6.50 (onecourse set lunch) / £18 (dinner)
Building a loyal and appreciative custom base since 2006, Tibo helped pioneer Denistoun’s current food boom and remains one of the cooler places to eat, drink and kick back in the East End. A pleasantly cluttered interior of wooden furniture and paper lampshades is hung with contemporary art, and big windows look out onto a busy main drag (there’s parking in the side streets if you need it). You could start with a draft beer from West – or something from a good selection of bottled craft ales, cocktails and wines by the glass – while perusing a menu that brings pizzas, burgers and sandwiches together with Scottish-international dishes like Stornoway chilli (black pudding and beef mince, with a touch of dark chocolate for a particularly rich flavour) or West Coast mussels in a light Thai broth. A great breakfast menu (full Scottish or veg, eggs Benedict, hot filled rolls) is available right through till 5pm. Regular open-mic nights and other events add to the community feeling here, reflected in a relaxed, friendly and unhurried atmosphere. + Particularly excellent chips - Toilets aren’t great
Tron Theatre Bar & Kitchen 63 Trongate, Merchant City See Arts Venues
Turnip & Enjoy 393–395 Great Western Road, West End, 0141 334 6622, turnipandenjoy.co.uk | Closed Mon | £18 (lunch) / £26 (dinner)
While Turnip & Enjoy has been keeping local Kelvinbridgers and more well fed for ten years – previously as more of a café operation, recent years have seen it transformed into a top-end bistro, bordering on the finer side of dining. A stylish yet informal venue, with a pleasant continental vibe, the upscaling of the food paid off in 2016 when they were awarded an AA Rosette. There’s been the inevitable creep up in prices – which had previously offered a real bargain for cooking of this calibre. Lunctime service has recently reduced to only Fri-Sun, with the once great-value set lunch menu gone, yet lunchtimes still offer top-notch dining at reasonable prices. The lunch and evening à la carte menus lay on the French-inspired flourishes while maintaining a Scottish edge with the likes of bacon dashi with rabbit ballotine, seabuckthorn with The List Eating & Drinking Guide 123
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