The place is small but with a nice bistro type vibe with dark furniture and light walls with the odd advert on the wall for different theme nights coming up in the restaurant. Think global eat local is the tag line for this restaurant, maybe I just didn't get it with so many different global dishes there was no order to the menu, especially the £9.95 two course menu. .  This was a lunch meeting today so the two course for £9.95 was appealing. Unfortunately with only three starters and three mains to choose from there was little options. One of the three starters was onion bhaji and one of the three mains was curry I was forced on to the a la carte menu. If i had wanted curry i would have visited the Wee Curry Shop in nearby Ahton Lane. The menu has a good mix of dishes from around the world with mussels and coriander with chilli to start and main courses of Jerk chicken or their homemade haggis !! . I was confused again even with the larger menu. I chose the special of the day to start, a ham hough consommé with Ayrshire bacon and peas with my friend Morag going for the cured trout, I have never seen or Heard of a ham hough consommé but when it arrived it looked wonderful, a dark transparent liquid with thin strips of bacon and a scattering of peas.  The soup was fantastic with the salty taste of the ham hough and bacon balanced by the sweetness of the peas. Morags trout looked good if a little on the small side but she said it was fantastic. For the mains we both had the fish supper with homemade tartare sauce which as far as fish and chips go was certainly up there. The batter was perfectly light and crisp with thick cut chips with a nice zing from the hone made tartare. If I had a complaint it would be the portion of fish was a little on the small side but all being said was very good.  The young waitress came back with the desert menu and asked with a smile if we had room for deserts, after the small portion on the mains i went for the key lime pie with orange and chilli sorbet with morag going for ice cream with cookies. The desert was definitely the star of the show with the sweetness of the pie working perfectly with the citrus and chilli in the sorbet.  A nice enough lunch with really friendly attentive staff and the bill just short of £40.00. There are better restauarants nearby for the money. Rating out of 100 65/100 |
Monday 31 January 2011
Stravaigin 2 Ruthven Lane Glasgow Review
Stravaigan 2, Ruthven Lane, Glasgow
Monday 24 January 2011
Recipe : Moroccan Chicken with Lemons and Olives
Recipe : Moroccan Chicken with Lemon and Olives. Slow Cooker
Feeds 3-4
This recipe was inspired by a recent trip to Marrakech where the tajine version is a Moroccan classic with preserved lemons.
I have adapted it slightly for the slow cooker but the simplicity and outcome are superb.
4 chicken legs
1 litre chicken stock
2 lemons
1 teaspoon cumin
6 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground Ginger
1 jar pitted olives
Olive oil
Salt / Pepper
1. Heat a frying pan with some olive oil and put in the chicken pieces, fry until brown on all sides.
2. Remove the chicken pieces when browned and set aside on kitchen paper.
3. Add the spices and garlic to the slow cooker bowl then add the chicken stock ( stock cubes are fine or jelly stockpots ).
4. Mix everything together and add the chicken pieces and olives. Squeeze in the juice of the 2 lemons and add them to the mixture (discard before serving). Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Put on the lid and cook on medium for 8 hours.
6. Serve with cous cous or rice for a simple tasty unusual meal.
Sunday 23 January 2011
La Garrigue Edinburgh Review 23.01.11
la Garrigue , Jeffrey St , Edinburgh , 21.01.11
Ok so technically this is a Glasgow restaurant guide but occasionally I get out of the city boundaries, On this occasion we were meeting two of my wifes friends in Edinburgh as they had just moved up from London, No surprise really as it is difficult to find many scots in the capital these days.
After meeting in a pub just off princess St we walked across the bridge to La Garrigue. There was a little hype about this particular restaurant after featuring on Gordon Ramsays best restaurants in the French category.
We arrived at the restaurant and were immediately greeted by a young French guy who showed us to our table at the back of brightly lit dining room. THe restaurant has a simple layout with blues and cream with dozens of framed paintings hanging on the walls.
The menus were perched on our tables attached to slates with the first page showing the aperitif menu where we opted for a bottle of Cramant (£28.00) the fizz promtly arrived then we got on to the serious business of choosing our food and wine as we searched through the pages attached to our slate.
A bottle of Sauvignon blanc and a bottle of Merlot were chosen from the "grand terroir" old vine section of the wine list. Both at £28.00 which were both very good.
The £28.50 two course set menu had a good variety of traditional french fayre from soufflés and fish soup for starters to French rabbit and veal cassoulet for main courses.
After much deliberation I opted for the scallops with spinach and garlic butter to start (£3.00 supplement) and the braised leg of veal with haricot beans for main course. Our starters arrived promptly with my scallops being served in a shell. After the endless rosettes and awards this place has had I would have loved to have said that they were great unfortunately they were slightly over cooked and I didn't really get any flavour from the garlic butter. On the other hand my wife and friends raved about the fish soup and blue cheese soufflé.
On to the mains and my veal arrived which was rustic to say the least, this is no doubt traditional French regional simple food but I was just expecting a bit more, whilst what I had was perfectly fine it just lacked that something. My friends had the braised shin of beef with my wife having the french rabbit, black pudding and cabbage. Again there was no complaints with the food but just didn't have the wow factor i think we were all expecting.
After a short brake the desert menu arrived (additional £4.00) where I went for the chocolate fondant with a glass of Maury desert wine on the recommendation of the waitress. The fondant was perfection with a crust on the outside and gooey chocolate sauce in the centre.
All in all a good night out in the capital with great service and somewhat average food.
The final bill £248.00 with 10 percent tip already included.
Rating out of 100
65/100
Ok so technically this is a Glasgow restaurant guide but occasionally I get out of the city boundaries, On this occasion we were meeting two of my wifes friends in Edinburgh as they had just moved up from London, No surprise really as it is difficult to find many scots in the capital these days.
After meeting in a pub just off princess St we walked across the bridge to La Garrigue. There was a little hype about this particular restaurant after featuring on Gordon Ramsays best restaurants in the French category.
We arrived at the restaurant and were immediately greeted by a young French guy who showed us to our table at the back of brightly lit dining room. THe restaurant has a simple layout with blues and cream with dozens of framed paintings hanging on the walls.
The menus were perched on our tables attached to slates with the first page showing the aperitif menu where we opted for a bottle of Cramant (£28.00) the fizz promtly arrived then we got on to the serious business of choosing our food and wine as we searched through the pages attached to our slate.
A bottle of Sauvignon blanc and a bottle of Merlot were chosen from the "grand terroir" old vine section of the wine list. Both at £28.00 which were both very good.
The £28.50 two course set menu had a good variety of traditional french fayre from soufflés and fish soup for starters to French rabbit and veal cassoulet for main courses.
After much deliberation I opted for the scallops with spinach and garlic butter to start (£3.00 supplement) and the braised leg of veal with haricot beans for main course. Our starters arrived promptly with my scallops being served in a shell. After the endless rosettes and awards this place has had I would have loved to have said that they were great unfortunately they were slightly over cooked and I didn't really get any flavour from the garlic butter. On the other hand my wife and friends raved about the fish soup and blue cheese soufflé.
On to the mains and my veal arrived which was rustic to say the least, this is no doubt traditional French regional simple food but I was just expecting a bit more, whilst what I had was perfectly fine it just lacked that something. My friends had the braised shin of beef with my wife having the french rabbit, black pudding and cabbage. Again there was no complaints with the food but just didn't have the wow factor i think we were all expecting.
After a short brake the desert menu arrived (additional £4.00) where I went for the chocolate fondant with a glass of Maury desert wine on the recommendation of the waitress. The fondant was perfection with a crust on the outside and gooey chocolate sauce in the centre.
All in all a good night out in the capital with great service and somewhat average food.
The final bill £248.00 with 10 percent tip already included.
Rating out of 100
65/100
Friday 21 January 2011
Piccolo Mondo Glasgow Review 19.01.11
Piccolo Mondo , GLasgow 19.01.11 , Lunch
A lunch appointment with a business colleague Brian brought me to the middle of Argyle St to Piccolo Mondo on a Wednesday afternoon.
As I walked through the door I was greeted by a smart waiter with bow tie and waistcoat and quickly walked through the dining room to the back where my dining companion was already seated.
The dining room is kitted out with red plush carpet, leather backed chairs, brass fittings and the odd Romanesque statue dotted around for Italian authenticity one presumes!! Not what I expected on this part of Argyles St.
We opted for the Executive 2 course lunch menu at a reasonable
£12.50 per head. It has a decent choice of starters and main courses from soups, antipasto and shellfish to start to mains of meat,fish and pastas.
The waiter came round with a free basket of Italian bread and butter then described the special additions to the menu for the day. A nice touch I thought especially with a set lunch menu.
I opted for the special soup of the day a Pasta & Fagioli soup while Brian chose the minestrone. The main course I ordered the penne princess with my colleague ordering capri chicken. The starters arrived in piping hot bowls with mine having a couple of slices of garlic bread on the side, the soup was a traditional tuscan soup of barlotti beans, potatoes, pasta and cured ham in a light broth with herbs and vegetables. As far as soups go this was up there with the very best I've had. Judging by the silence at the table my fellow diner had no complaints with his minestrone.
With the starters finished a brief 5 minute wait and the mains arrived again on piping hot plates. My pasta dish was very good served in a rich creamy tomato sauce with large chunks of chicken with a generous helping of Parmesan and pepper dished out by the waitress on delivery, a really tasty dish. Brian had no complaints with his Capri chicken although I did find it odd that it was served with both potatoes and rice.
With cleared plates removed from the table the waiter presented the desert menu (£4.00 supplement) with a reasonable choice of traditional Italian classics like tiramisu and pannacotta we both chose the not so classic hot chocolate fudge cake with cream and ice-cream. This was probably one of the few dishes on the menu which was not home made and was probably my first ordering mistake of the day. It was fine but not in the same league as the previous courses.
All in all If you are looking for an old fashioned dining experience with traditional Italian fayre then piccolo mondo certainly ticks the boxes. I would think nothing much has changed from the original Piccolo Mondo Renfrew Institution of the 70s and 80s.
All in all a fantastic lunch with a couple of soft drinks and coffee for a very reasonable £40.00.
Rating out of 100
78/100
A lunch appointment with a business colleague Brian brought me to the middle of Argyle St to Piccolo Mondo on a Wednesday afternoon.
As I walked through the door I was greeted by a smart waiter with bow tie and waistcoat and quickly walked through the dining room to the back where my dining companion was already seated.
The dining room is kitted out with red plush carpet, leather backed chairs, brass fittings and the odd Romanesque statue dotted around for Italian authenticity one presumes!! Not what I expected on this part of Argyles St.
We opted for the Executive 2 course lunch menu at a reasonable
£12.50 per head. It has a decent choice of starters and main courses from soups, antipasto and shellfish to start to mains of meat,fish and pastas.
The waiter came round with a free basket of Italian bread and butter then described the special additions to the menu for the day. A nice touch I thought especially with a set lunch menu.
I opted for the special soup of the day a Pasta & Fagioli soup while Brian chose the minestrone. The main course I ordered the penne princess with my colleague ordering capri chicken. The starters arrived in piping hot bowls with mine having a couple of slices of garlic bread on the side, the soup was a traditional tuscan soup of barlotti beans, potatoes, pasta and cured ham in a light broth with herbs and vegetables. As far as soups go this was up there with the very best I've had. Judging by the silence at the table my fellow diner had no complaints with his minestrone.
With the starters finished a brief 5 minute wait and the mains arrived again on piping hot plates. My pasta dish was very good served in a rich creamy tomato sauce with large chunks of chicken with a generous helping of Parmesan and pepper dished out by the waitress on delivery, a really tasty dish. Brian had no complaints with his Capri chicken although I did find it odd that it was served with both potatoes and rice.
With cleared plates removed from the table the waiter presented the desert menu (£4.00 supplement) with a reasonable choice of traditional Italian classics like tiramisu and pannacotta we both chose the not so classic hot chocolate fudge cake with cream and ice-cream. This was probably one of the few dishes on the menu which was not home made and was probably my first ordering mistake of the day. It was fine but not in the same league as the previous courses.
All in all If you are looking for an old fashioned dining experience with traditional Italian fayre then piccolo mondo certainly ticks the boxes. I would think nothing much has changed from the original Piccolo Mondo Renfrew Institution of the 70s and 80s.
All in all a fantastic lunch with a couple of soft drinks and coffee for a very reasonable £40.00.
Rating out of 100
78/100
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