ROUND THE WORLD
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GLASGOW
Renowned for its lunchtime and pretheatre deals, this restaurant – once the theatre crowds have left – morphs into a cosy setting for a leisurely meal. The generous dishes are individually created from fresh locally sourced or genuine Italian ingredients. The ubiquitous Italian restaurant shared platter is sometimes little more than a few slices of meat and cheese with pickled vegetables, not so here, where the antipasto del Teatro truly does present a taste of everything including crispy salt and pepper squid rings, melting mozzarella and wild mushroom arancini, tomato bruschetta, olives, salami, parma ham, mortadella, mini mixed salad and, in pride of place, a toothsome buffalo mozzarella dressed with strands of red pepper. This generous dish can be had in starter or main portions and as a main with a few glasses of wine makes for a truly convivial evening. The mains can almost be overly generous although they all come with accompanying sauces in traditional sauceboats so the richness can be paced – the succulent chicken served with sides of spinach and mash for pollo alla Teatro is rich with mushrooms, cream and gorgonzola. + Generous portions at very reasonable prices - Slightly cramped seating arrangements
Salt & Vinegar 1044 Pollokshaws Rd, Southside See Fish
✱ Tarantino Ristorante 914–916 Sauchiehall Street, West End, 0141 237 3902, tarantinoristorante.co.uk | Closed Mon | £10.95 (set lunch) / £18 (dinner)
Tarantino stands out from the jostling crowd of Glasgow’s Italian restaurants with its regional focus and pristine retro style. Extra virgin olive oil is harvested from chef and owner Giovanni Giglio’s family olive groves in Sicily and the original wine list is sourced from Salento, the region at the heel of Italy that is home for the majority of the charming staff. Daily shopping trips to Glasgow’s fish market and local organic fruit and vegetable suppliers provide the ingredients for dishes based on the best of Scottish produce. Flavours are subtle without over reliance on parmesan or cream – pollo in padella transforms an everyday chicken breast with a sauce of garlic, rosemary and white wine while the gently creamy risotto prosecco e menta gives a fresh mint kick to a generous serving of carnaroli rice, salmon, prawns, rocket and prosecco. The evening Degustazione a Scelta tasting menu at £18.95 including a glass of wine is excellent value. À la carte dishes and chef’s specials are always inventive making use of imported ingredients such as burrata and fresh truffles, while desserts are house-made, with a delicious tiramisù as the star offering. + All dishes are freshly made to order - A rather solid and overly sweet cheesecake
Tony Macaroni 4 Byres Road, West End, 0141 334 5959, tonymacaroni.co.uk | £10.95 (set lunch) / £18 (dinner)
A trusted choice for families, groups and couples seeking no-fuss Italian cooking, Tony Macaroni’s small Scottish chain is a tried and tested option. There are over 20 starter options, double that for mains plus pizzas, bread and a mozzarella bar – it is an eye-boggling, somewhat overwhelming menu. Dishes arrive in quick succession from the busy kitchen, the stretched waiting team struggling at times, though never losing their smiles. Parmigiana di melanzane
is a tasty aubergine dish layered with tomato sugo, little bursts of basil and pungent parmesan dotted throughout. Focaccia formaggio caprino is huge and crisp, scattered with creamy goat’s cheese, sweet caramelised onions and a peppery finish from rocket piled high on top. Linguine allo scoglio is excellent, fresh with king prawns, mussels, clams and squid bound in a delicate white wine sauce – it may be the star of the show. Having bought over Nardini’s some time ago, ice-cream sundaes are a speciality – try the raspberry snowball delight, crammed with mini snowballs, raspberry sauce, whipped cream, wafers, chocolate curls and Nardini’s vanilla and strawberry ice-cream – delicious for anyone with a super sweet tooth. + Something to suit everyone with good value deals - Gigantic menu could do with being refined
La Vita 161 Queen Street, City Centre, 0141 248 3533, lavitapizzeria.co.uk | £9.95 / £10.95 (set lunch) / £17 (dinner)
La Vita has served Glaswegians and visitors to the city centre at its prime location on George Square for over a decade. At three stories tall, it still retains a family-run charm with its cosy interior and displays of old family photos. The mezzanine levels are open and relaxed, but there are plenty of nooks for a more intimate meal, too. The set-up is ideal for a quick stop-off during the day – service is quick, and most tastes are catered for. While pasta dishes (GF available) and crisp stone-baked pizzas are staples, there’s plenty more on the menu with eggs Benedict or French toast at breakfast, and a large section dedicated to burgers and other meat dishes on the à la carte. The highlighted specialties are especially tempting, and the chip shopinspired starter of battered black pudding and velvety pea purée is typical of their simple but moreish dishes. Desserts are ice-cream heavy, and with options like the ‘gelato burger’ – a toasted brioche bun soaking up melting vanilla ice-cream – La Vita will be a hit with the kids + Family-friendly - Limited selection of spirits
La Vita Spuntini 199–201 Byres Road, West End, 0141 339 4222, lavitapizzeria.co.uk | £6.99 (set lunch) / £10 (dinner)
This relaxed and convivial Byres Road restaurant operates a tapas-style menu with a splendid array of Italian dishes from which to build your meal. It is possible to eat in the standard starter, mains, dessert mode but the spuntini menu is fun and indulges those who love to share or want everything on the menu. Women in pairs and groups, as well as students, tend to favour eating here, and there is a thoughtfully selected range of wines by the glass to enhance the experience. Most of the spuntini are freshly prepared apart from slow-cooked meats or lasagne and the flavours are pronounced and enjoyable. The tomato sugo is orangey red indicating the use of fresh as opposed to tinned tomatoes, the arancini are crispy and substantial while the little pepperoni and potato frittata is simultaneously soft, crunchy and piquant. Polpette, the superbly seasoned beef and pork meatballs, are moreish indeed – and the beauty of the spuntini approach is you can ask for more without either overspending or seeming greedy. Steak, chicken and fish mains are oven roasted or chargrilled and come with inventive accompaniments. + Lots of choices from a thoughtfully constructed menu - Side salads are rather small
ROUND THE WORLD In this section you will find the biggest variety of tonguetingling flavours, the rarest of ingredients, the wildest of cooking styles and the most unusual of cuisines. From rootin’ tootin’-style burgers from the Deep South of the USA, and exotic Middle Eastern kebabs covered in herbs and spices to Mexican burritos and lashings of Greek olive oil and hummus – with all sorts of weird, wacky and wonderful styles of food in between – this section really does have it all. So open your mind, prime your taste buds, and explore the world of Glasgow’s global food scene. Reviewers: Erica Goodey, Rory McGinley, David McPhee
Alla Turca TURKISH 192 Pitt Street, City Centre, 0141 332 5300, allaturca.co.uk | £5 (set lunch) / £19 (dinner)
With a name derived from Mozart’s piece that is more popularly known as the Turkish March, Alla Turca is a fine example of Turkish cuisine that hits all the right notes. There is a clear affinity to doing meat properly (most of which is halal and sourced from Al Baraka on Great Western Road), with a number of signature grills that stand out. The Sultan’s Feast, created to honour Alla Turca’s tenth year, is a veritable celebration for two with a generous selection of lamb chops and fillet, barbecue chicken and kofte shish. Beef shish, which uses fillet of Aberdeen Angus, sits upon a casserole peppered with roast chestnuts – an often-used ingredient in Turkish cooking – and one that gives both texture and an exciting edge to the dish. Vegetarians will likely be drawn to an appealing variety of mezzes such as kisir (spiced couscous, walnut and hazelnut), sarma (vine leaves stuffed with sultanas and pine nuts) or borek (pastry with feta and parsley), all of which are freshly made each day. + In-house entertainment by saz (a stringed Turkish instrument) at weekend - Half the menu is an all-Italian affair to accommodate downstairs
NEW ’Babs MIDDLE EAST 49 West Nile Street, City Centre, 0141 221 3111, babs.co.uk |
If Glasgow has managed to really get the wrong end of the stick when it comes to this Middle Eastern dish, ‘Babs might just be able to set the record straight when it comes to kebabs. The latest venture from burger maestros Bread Meats Bread, the hook for their new joint is a very succinct, ‘Kebabs. Done right.’ While we may wonder what really is in the late night, boozy wonder that is a doner kebab, ‘Babs has set out its stall to use ethical and local Scottish produce – it looks likely there will be no room for the rotisserie grill either, with kebabs cooked on a charcoal-fire. If the BMB approach is anything to go by, your chicken tikka and lamb shish will likely be in for a creative interpretation, while garnishes will most certainly stretch beyond the ‘salad and sauce’ formula. The popularity that accompanied the first wave of dirty burgers, ribs and pulled pork looks like it
✱ HITLIST
ROUND THE WORLD ✱ Bibi’s Cantina This longstanding cantina in Partick offers a fresh homemade take on Mexican flavours in a lively bistro-style setting. ✱ The Calabash Restaurant Quirky surroundings, friendly service and authentic African cooking – a truly unique spot that could easily become a habit. ✱ Halloumi Newcomer Halloumi dishes up Greek-Cypriot cuisine in a fresh, bold and confident manner from its stylish diner. ✱ Restauracja U Jarka Terrific Polish restaurant next to Kelvingrove Park, where food is prepared with love and served with warmth and humour. ✱ Yiamas Greek Taverna Décor may be spartan, but it’s all about authentic and delicious Greek food packed full of flavour at this city centre spot. might be beginning to subside, Glasgow’s appropriation of gourmet kebabs could well mark a new trend for meat-lovers. [Not open for a full review at time of going to press – check food.list.co.uk for updates].
Bar Gumbo NORTH AMERICAN 71–77 Byres Road, West End, 0141 334 7132 | £5.95 (set lunch) / £12 (dinner)
With a distinct wooden façade and plenty of outdoor seating, you can’t help but notice Bar Gumbo. The mysterious wooden theme continues inside with panels a-plenty, tree trunk pillars, burgers in wooden trays, and giant racks of ribs served on fat boards. There’s nothing wooden about the live music, however, which is on most nights of the week and includes jazz, blues, rockabilly and soul. The Southern USA menu (which is due an overhaul in spring 2017) features gumbo – a rich tomato-based stew with peppers and okra, with either chicken, shrimp or vegetable, or jambalaya with chicken and chorizo. Alternatively, there’s lots of carby goodness on offer, like various Po’ Boyz – big, soft ciabattas with hot fillings such as buttermilk fried chicken and blue cheese sauce, or pulled pork with barbecue sauce. The Gumbo mac and cheese starter is covered in chewy mozzarella, beef brisket and jalapeños – not particularly sophisticated, but darned good. Desserts include deepfried cheesecake, which is an experience to behold – the creamy, sweet melted middle oozes out of hot, crispy batter – it’s so wrong but oh so right. + You won’t come out hungry - It’s pretty dark inside
The List Eating & Drinking Guide 151
EDG17 Glasgow Listings.indd 151
11/04/2017 15:55