Surf N Turf, Merrylee Rd Bar and Kitchen, Merrylee Rd, Glasgow

Surf N Turf, Merrylee Rd Bar and Kitchen, Merrylee Rd, Glasgow

A Scottish steak and seafood restaurant in the south side of Glasgow has sprung up with the inventive name of Surf N Turf, it must have took restauranteur Gordon Yuill all of 30 seconds to come up with the name. This however certainly does what it says on the tin and does it well.

The restuarant occupies the same building as Merrylee Rd Bar & Kitchen although that is where the similarities end. The old dining room has been transformed in to an intimate room with white chandeliers, stags horns and soft lighting. The star attraction is a huge Gerard Burns canvas depicting a cow and a young girl carrying a saltire.

The menu here is simple with a selection of fresh seafood and meats to start with venison, lamb, fish and beef for mains.

My wives friend was visiting from London so there were three of us dining on Saturday evening. I went for the prawn cocktail (£7.95) to start after being assured by the waitress that this was not a normal prawn cocktail of limp lettuce and frozen prawns. My wife chose the same with our guest Charlie opting for the platter of hot smoked salmon (£7.95).

We were waiting for our starters when the waitress came round with the days freshly baked bread selection, which all looked very good. I had pistachio soda bread which was excellent. The starters then arrived and we were not disappointed. The prawn cocktail was a mix of succulent king prawns and langoustine with green beans and a spicy marie rose sauce. If i had a complaint it would be the ratio of prawns to vegetables was a little off balance.

Charlies dish of hot smoked salmon was also very good and the bit of the restaurants own whisky smoked salmon i nicked of her plate was delicious.

On to the main courses, my wife and i shared the Chateubriand served with a choice of potatoes and sauce and vegetables on the side (£49.95). Charlie picked the mixed grill which was a selection of fillet steak, wild boar, lamb and a duck egg. (£22.50) again served with a choice of sides included in the price.

After a short wait our main courses arrived. The chef came with the main courses and carved and served our Chateubriand. I thought this was a great touch and added to the theatre of such a spectacular main course. This was beef of the highest standard and really did melt in your mouth. I had side orders of fat chips, pan gravy and roasted greens. Although the ingredients of the main course were simple, every bit of this was cooked to perfection. Charlie also had no complaints about her mixed grill with the addition of the 

runny duck egg delivering an extra touch.

This is certainly up there with the best meat i have ever eaten and would doubt there is any better being served in Glasgow restaurants today.

Desert menus presented and all we could manage was one between the three of us. After a heated discussion we chose the Highland Lavender Panacotta with Raspberry Sorbet and Candy Floss (£7.95). The desert was excellent, the delicate flavour of the lavender worked perfectly with the sharpness of the raspberry sorbet and the presentation was superb.  The candy floss didn’t do much in my opinion but was a bit of fun on the plate.

Coffee and petit fours to end and i was fit to burst.

Final bill for three with a couple of bottles of wine was £125.00 which for the quality of produce i thought was very reasonable.

Rating out of 100

85/100

Recipe: Rhubarb and Ginger Beer Sorbet

Recipe: Rhubarb and Ginger Beer Sorbet

My second sorbet creation on my ice cream maker, this is so easy to make but the results are spectacular. This is delicious.

500g Rhubarb

1.5 cups sugar

1 cup water

100 ml Good Quality Ginger Beer

5ml Vanilla Extract

1.       Chop up rhubarb and add to a pot

2.       Add cup of water and bring to the boil

3.       Add 1.5 cups of sugar and vanilla to the pot

4.       Simmer gently for 20 minutes

5.       Add ginger beer to the mix

6.       Pass mixture through a sieve and discard pulp

7.       Add the sieved mixture to an ice cream machine and leave for 20 – 30 minutes

Enjoy!

Recipe: White Onion & Thyme Soup

Recipe: White Onion & Thyme Soup

I had this as a canapé at the wedding i wrote about earlier on my blog, i thought i would have a go at making it. 

Here is the recipe.

Serves 4

1kg Brown Onions

1 litre good chicken stock

6 sprigs of thyme

100 g Salted Butter

100 ml Dry White Wine

100 ml Double Cream

1.      Peel and chop the onions

2.      Add butter ,onions and thyme to pan and sweat until onions are soft but not coloured (around 15 minutes)

3.      Add chicken stock and wine to pan and simmer gently for another 10 minutes.

4.      Remove sprigs of thyme

5.      Blitz with hand blender until smooth

6.      Pass through a sieve

7.      Return mixture to pan and thicken with corn flour if necessary.

8.      Add cream, stir and serve

There is a bit of work involved in making this but the results are fantastic, you will end up with a rich velvety soup packed with flavour,

Enjoy!

Altura , Skirving St , Shawlands, Glasgow, 22.02.11

Altura , Skirving St, Shawlands, Glasgow 22.02.11

A business meeting brought me to Altura in Shawlands for lunch, Occupying the old Spaghettis restaurant in Skirving St above the beanscene coffee shop. I had heard little about this relatively new comer to the South side dining scene.

As we walked down Skirving St I was amazed how much the street had changed in such a short time with Delis, Coffee Shops, Gift shops and even a antiquarian book shop it reminded me of the west end.

We walked into the dining room of Altura and quickly realised we were the only people there, after asking someone of they were opened we were shown to a table by the window and given the set lunch/pre theatre menus at £8.95. 

The menu was a mix of the odd seafood dish and the usual Italian fayre seen in every Italian in the city.

I went for the mussels (£2.95 supplement) and a main course of Chicken in a white wine and tomato sauce with peppers. The mussels arrived and were very nice, they were very fresh and the light sauce they were served in was excellent. The only drawback was there was no bread to finish off the liquid.

After a short wait the main course arrived, it was basically an Italian chicken and tomato stew which was again tasty enough, the flavour of garlic and wine came through and it was a very good stew, however I felt the green beans and carrots were a bit of an afterthought to fill the plate.

The chef proprietor came out to ask how the meal was going which was a nice touch and the service on a whole was excellent. We were of course the only people in the place and i would have been worried if we received anything but.

A final bill of £25.00 with soft drinks and coffees offered reasonable value for lunch. The food was tasty enough but nothing special and with another 3 italian restaurants within a stones throw i just feel they will need to do a bit more to stay alive.

Maybe i will go back on a weekend for dinner to see if anything changes.

Rating out of 100

68/100

Recipe: Strawberry and Black Pepper Sorbet

Recipe: Strawberry and Black Pepper Sorbet

I went to John Lewis in search of a birthday present for my wife and i left with an ice cream maker (and no birthday present). 

Here is my first creation.

This worked really well and should take less than 30 minutes to prepare.

450 grams strawberries

1 Cup sugar

1 Cup Water

1 Teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper

1 Lemon

1.     Remove Stocks from strawberries and blitz in a food processor.

2.     Dissolve sugar and water in a pot over a low heat

3.     Add dissolved sugar and water to the food processor

4.     Add black pepper and juice of 1 lemon to the food processor

5.     Blitz again for a couple of minutes until mixture is smooth

6.     Pass mixture through a sieve and discard Pulp, add the strained mixture to a ice cream machine.

7.     Leave in machine for 20-30 minutes and serve.

Enjoy!

The Mill at Lyons, Lyons Estate, Celbridge, Kildare, Ireland 12.02.11

The Mill at Lyons, Lyons Estate, Celbridge, Kildare, Ireland 12.02.11

A wedding invitation from friends brought my wife and I to the Lyons Estate in Co Kildare just outside Dublin, I have never had a good meal at a wedding and would would normally not write about it, however this was different.

Our friends married in a small chapel a mile or so away at 1.30 in the afternoon so after the formalities of photos and general wedding stuff we arrived back at the Lyons estate.

The estate is a huge sprawling area of greenery with converted old mills and various outhouses turned into luxury hotel suites and restaurants. The place is very nice all be it a little over done in places.

After a collection of canapés ranging from goats cheese tarts to shots of white onion soup we were called to dinner in the down stairs dining room.

There was a fixed menu of 4 courses with a choice of fillet of beed or cod for the main course. The bride and groom arrived in the dining room to a cheer then the food was quickly served.

The first course of Hot and Cold smoked salmon with apple and lavender jelly was presented beautifully with the combination of flavours working really well. The lavender jelly added a floral note that brought the whole dish together.

Course two was a curried parsnip soup which turned out to be a pleasant surprise, the last time i had a curried soup it was like eating a bowl of curry sauce so i have never ordered it again. I am glad to say this was different there was just a hint of curry which allowed the sweetness of the parsnips to shine through making for a very nice bowl of soup.

Ten minutes later the waiters and waitresses appear en mass with the main course. I opted for the steak with my wife going for the fish, when they arrived I knew immediately I had made the right decision. The presentation again was excellent with a large fillet of beef served with piped mashed potatoes, root vegetables in a red wine jus. The steak was cooked medium rare to perfection and was excellent, the vegetables were al dente and the sauce was perfect, how the chef managed to do this for so many people at the same time is a real credit to him. This was restaurant quality food for over 100 people.

The desert was a plum crème brulee with shortbread which was a fine end to the meal.

A really good meal made even more special that it was prepared for so many people at once.

Rating Out of 100

79/100

Merrylee Road Bar & Kitchen, Merrylee Rd, Glasgow 12.02.11

Merrylee Road Bar & Kitchen, Merrylee Rd, Glasgow 12.02.11

I had promised my good lady wife that we would go out but after my three courses at La Valle Blanche this very lunchtime i could see it far enough away.

However promises made and a quick nap later and i was ready to go for our 8.30 reservation.

Being the Saturday before Valentines Day i was expecting the restaurant to be mobbed but at best it was half full. This is a big restaurant so they need a lot of people in to make it look full. They have split the restaurant up into separate dining areas to make it more intimate but this is still a big place to fill.

The restaurant is laid out with crisp white tables and low slung lighting with dark wood features and gastro artwork adorning the walls.

We started off the night with a drink at the bar area where there are large leather sofas and chairs with a grand piano in the middle, sadly the only sounds this evening were coming from what sounded like the best of 80s volume 1.

After our drinks we were shown to our table in one of the raised areas in the restaurant and were presented with the menus for the evening. There are two menus to choose from with a sheet with the evenings specials. One of the menus offers a £8.95 two course set menu with a choice of three starters and three mains, surely this must be the best value menu in Glasgow on a Saturday night. The main menu offers a mix of dishes from around the globe, think Green Thai Curry, Smoked Haddock Risotto and Pork Belly with bubble & Squeek.

The specials menu harks back to the owner Gordon Yuills previous life in Rogano and Catch 22 with Oysters, Lobster and Sea Bass all making a show. I opted for the Mussels with white wine, garlic cream and herbs (£6.95) to start with my wife choosing the Scallops, black pudding and cherry tomato salad (£7.95).

For mains i ordered the Lobster Thermidor with Hand Cut Chips (£17.95) with my wife going for the Asparagus and Wild Mushroom Risotto (£6.50) from the £8.95 two course set menu. The wine of the month was ordered, a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley (£15.00)

After a short wait our starters arrived, the mussels were big and juicy and went well with the delicate garlic cream sauce all i was missing was a chunk of bread to finish off the delightful broth. My wifes scallops were also cooked to perfection and the whole dish worked really well.

After a short wait the main courses arrived and did not disappoint, the lobster thermidor was excellent with the fresh taste of the lobster managing to shine above the creamy sauce. An excellent mix of textures and flavours.My only complaint was it was a little on the small side and i could have one with the other half, but decent value at the price. My wife had no complaints about her Risotto other than it was a bit to rich for her taste.

The desert menus presented and i really should say no but i am intrigued by the cheesecake of the day. A Black and White Russian Cheescake. After asking the waitress she explains to me that it is made with Coca Cola, Kahlua and Vodka. It arrives and i am pleasantly surprised , the top of the cake has a tiny lair of black jelly which i presume is the Coca Cola. I couldn’t taste the vodka but a slight coffee flavour coming from the Kahlua did come through and the whole thing was very good. The only let down was the ball of tasteless cheap ice cream served on the side of the plate.

I have read mixed reviews of this restaurant and have eaten here before with mixed results, however if Saturday was anything to go buy then they have finally got the kitchen in order, the level of service from the waiting staff on Saturday was also excellent.  Pianists apply within!!!

Total Price with wine & coffee £62.00

Rating Out of 100

80/100

La Valle Blanche, Byres Rd, Glasgow 12.02.11

La Valle Blanche, Byres Rd, Glasgow 12.02.11

Valentines weekend and i go for a late lunch in the West End with my friend Nick to a French Restauarant. How Romantic!!

As i expected the dark minimalist dining room was packed full of couples sipping champagne whispering sweet nothings to each other. We on the other hand were discussing a building project and the football results the previous weekend, much to the annoyance of the the courting couple at the table next to us.

The lunch/pre theatre menu offers decent value at £13.95 for two courses and £16.95 for three. With four starters five mains and five deserts to choose from there is enough to satisfy most tastes.

We both opted for the Ham Hough Terrine with Seared Beef, Roast Shallots and Parsley with Gribiche Sauce to start. I chose the Chargrilled Steak Frites with Horseradish, Black Pepper & Parsely Butter (£2.50 supplement) and Nick chose the Corn fed Chicken Breast, Sauteed Potatoes and Leek and Merguez Sausage for mains.

The terrine arrived and looked excellent with a piece of rare beef running through the centre of the pressed ham. Everything on the plate worked really well together with the pickled Gribiche Sauce cutting through the flavour of the ham and beef perfectly.

After a short while the main courses were served by one of the young waiting team and again looked very appetizing. Ok so it is only steak and chips but it was a very good steak and chips, the steak was seasoned and cooked medium rare to perfection with a great added flavour coming from the black pepper and parsley butter.

My friend had no complaints with his dish and polished it off in no time. The young waitress then returned with the desert menus. I ordered an espresso and we both ordered the Iced Banana & Hazelnut Parfait, Vanilla Chantilly & Hazelnut Tuille.  The espresso arrived shortly afterwards and was a distant memory when the deserts finally arrived at least fifteen minutes later.

The deserts were the only let down of the day, there was a one cm slice of banana with two chunks of the parfait and the tuille perched in the middle. Whilst the desert was presented well it failed to deliver on taste and i was bored half way through eating it.

The final bill was £51.00 which included a couple of wines and coffee.

Rating out of 100

78/100 

Loch Fyne Oysters Restaurant, Clachan, Argyleshire 10.02.11

Loch Fyne Oysters Restaurant, Clachan, Argyleshire 10.02.11

After an unexpected morning trip to this restaurant i felt it merited a mention in my blog if only to buy some of the superb seafood on offer at the adjoining shop.

Leaving Glasgow at 7.30 am with a work colleague to a business meeting in Lochgoilhead i was not exactly filled with joy.

However the sun came up just as we were heading by Loch Lomond and i remembered just how spectacular this part of Scotland is.Its funny how even though it is 40 minutes away from Glasgow i very rarely visit.

Meeting finished early in Lochgoilhead and i was starving, with no sign of any life and an hour to kill we headed to Lochfyne.

The lochfyne restaurant sits right at the side of the loch with the mussel farms and fishing activity just in sight further down the loch.

As we walked into the restaurant the three staff were having what i can only assume was a very interesting chat as we were totally ignored. This promted me to ask if they were open to which the reply was yes!.

We were shown to a table in the sunroom at the front of the old building and presented with the breakfast menu. The menu had a good selection of kippers, mackerel and scrambled eggs etc.

We both chose the eggs bendedict with smoked salmon (£8.25) with a couple of coffees. As we sat looking over the loch drinking our coffees and chatting about the meeting we had just had the waitress delivered a basket of brown and white toast with butter and homemade marmalade. A welcome surprise givien my hunger.

A 20-30 minute wait before breakfast was served. A toasted muffin with their own smoked salmon and two perfectly cooked free range poached eggs smothered in hollandaise sauce. With these ingredients it is hard to go wrong and this was an excellent execution of this tricky dish.

A final bill of £22.50 offered reasonable value for the quality of food, a stop at the Loch Fyne shop attached to the restaurant and a dozen oysters and a some kiln smoked salmon purchased and we were on our way back to Glasgow.

Excellent unexpected breakfast in a wonderful setting.

Rating out of 100

Rating not applicable

Michael Caines @ Abode, Bath St Glasgow 09.02.11

Michael Caines @ Abode, Bath St Glasgow 09.02.11

Meeting an old friend for lunch brought me to Michael Caines @ Abode, I had never been here before even though it has been trading under this brand since 2005.

The lunch menu offers and “Amazing Grazing” Menu which gives you a choice of up to 5 courses (£18.95) from a choice of 9 dishes with wine pairing for £3.00 extra per course.

I was running late as usual so when i arrived my friend was already seated in the dining room, The dining room itself was very nice with modern lighting and mirrors making it seem much bigger than it actually was.

After having a look at the menu i opted for 4 courses (£14.95) paired with wine (£12.00)

A basket of bread was brought to the table by the bow tied waiter and the orders taken.

We both chose the same four dishes so it kept it quite simple.

To start Curried mussel soup with poached organic salmon. The soup arrived in a small white bowl with a lid on top. It reminded me of a sugar bowl. Inside was a beautiful light creamy broth with a couple of plump mussels and a chunk of salmon. The soup was excellent with just a delicate hint of curry.

The second course was Pickled Mackerel, beetroot salad, horseradish, capers and crispy shallot rings. This was probably the best looking of the 4 courses but didn’t deliver on much else. There was just too much going on and ended up a mish mash of flavours.

The third course was Risotto of confit duck leg with five spice jus. A risotto is a difficult thing to present in an interesting way and Michael Caines @ Abode proved this, delivering a bowl of rice that was reminiscent of ambrosia. The rice itself was perfectly cooked and the confit duck pieces worked o.k. The five spice jus didn’t work for me, the asian flavour coming through the dish just confused me. A play on an Italian classic perhaps but a classic is a classic for a reason.

On to desert, Ginger panna cotta, confit apples and  green apple sorbet.  I was expecting a grand finally but the desert was far from it, the sorbet was nice and refreshing but the mush of panna cotta and apples in a glass didn’t do anything for me. I failed to pick up any note of ginger in the dish and found the whole thing quite boring.

I have to mention the wines which were all excellent and the Maitre D explained them all in great depth and had a wealth of knowledge.

So my first visit to Michael Caines @ Abode in Glasgow, whilst the service was at a standard that outweighed the price we were paying, the food failed to deliver at this level. This restaurant has the highest score in the Good Food Guide of any restaurant in Glasgow, the head chef has had a plethora of awards in his time at the helm but i didn’t get it.  

Final bill with coffee and petit fours (12.5 % service included in final bill) £73.00.

The menu changes on a weekly basis dependant on local ingredients so maybe just a bad week at Abode.

Rating out of 100

65/100