Food Drink
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Goat special .
Do not as Goat
A new bar in Glasgow’s West End revives the rudiments of pub food and Barry Shelby finds some home-cooking worth leaving the house for.
mere glance at the menu at the (ioat will be comt‘orting to many. The recently opened pub on Argyle Street in Yorkhill. (ilasgow. ol't'ers sausage and mash (with onion gravy). macaroni cheese. chicken and ham pie. and all-day breakl'ast. Most of the favourites ot' the [K public house canon are here. along with a few
more thrown in for bit ol‘ international flair and modern bar
food balance: paninis. Thai prawn and chicken noodle sotip and roast tomato bruschetta.
Now. it‘ the menus more traditional British tare wasjust a matter of frozen food lapped in a microwave. we could end this piece here and now. But the (ioat‘s Laurie (lggy) Keith. with his partners Robin and Lorna Morton. wouldn‘t do that to us. With a chef recently recruited from the Mussel Inn and another who worked with Keith at Bar ()1. the food has a home cooking feel to it.
A steak and ale pie (£4.95) combines tender pieces of. beet. chunks of carrot and mushrooms in a generous. il‘
slightly soupy. tomato-based sauce. served in the metal pot with a flaky puff pastry crust. Accompaniments include a pile of hand—cut chips. golden and fluffy. as well as some
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l‘resh mange tout and baby corn. The small salad Nicoise (£2.95) has fillet of fresh tuna. while the (‘ajun chicken (‘aesar doesn't stint on the meat amid mixed leaves and croutons.
At about £8 to £10 for a filling two-course meal. the prices at the (ioat are right. too. At least. most of the time. However. charging £3.70 for a pint of draught l’eroni seems rather budget busting. Tennents. such as it is. is a more familiar £2.10. and a large glass of house wine is £3.20. while cocktails are under £5.
Physically. the (ioat — modern but C(HHTUI'IHMC with low-slung sol'as at ground level and sturdy tables and chairs upstairs ~ doesn't look radically different than when the site traded as Moloco. which came alter Murphy‘s Pakora Bar tried its last l’ritter. But come 2005 that will change. The mezzanine and bar will be expanded. the kitchen relocated to the basement. and the main entrance moved from and centre.
The Goat, 1287 Argyle Street, Glasgow, 0131 357 7373, www.thegoat.co.uk
113 Buccleuch Street, Edinburgh, 0131 662 9111
These days. 'ethnic~ restaurants < be they Indian. ()h:nese. or Tiléil -~ are unremarkable features on our culinary landscape. So it's a surprise to encounter a national cuisine that is not only untapped but also coherent.
Coyaba brings an unashamedly Jamaican flavour to Edinburgh: Jerk (jil|(3l\(}ll may have made its way onto mainstream bar bistro menus but ackee and saltfrsh and :tal bean stew give Coyaba a bit of an edge. The restaurant's goat stew —- made from organically reared kids — has caused such a run on Scotland's (£l(illllii(}(“\,’ slight) reserves of organic goat meat that the lriver‘rfess—shire stock has been exhausted. The restaurant is now trying; to set up a partnership With its current supplier. a local Lothran farmer. to ensure demand can be met.
Coyaba isn't big on lrrlls: it's a compact place With plain. dressed tables. But it isn't afraid to offer diners a dose of Caribbean culture. wrth plantain crisps served as nibbles. and various root tonic drinks. some of which enjoy a reputation as 'Iurrve potrons'. rDonald Herd
Sideliislies
News to nibble on . . .
I At Holy Corner in Edinburgh, 3 new French restaurant named Le Bistrot des Arts has taken up the space vacated by Mon Petit Boudin. The men behind the venture are chef/patron Eric Ortiz and maitre d’hotel Pascal Kurth. Eric has experience as head chef at the Michelin-starred Chez Ambroise in Paris, although this is his first venture as patron. The Frenchmen aim to create a neighbourhood bistro offering dishes in the classic tradition, with regular sightings of truffle and foie gras. Le Bistrot des Arts, 19 Colinton Road, is open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. For bookings call 0131 452 8453.
I Meanwhile. in the West End. One Alva Street is a new venture arming at well-priced. smart dining based on locally sowced — and sometimes organic — Scottish ingredients. Buccleuch beef is prominent on the menu, alongside wild Scottish salmon, venison and organic corn-fed chicken. Manager Chris Graham and head chef Ben Watson have chosen a fairly Iow~key start- up. a favourable contrast to the sometimes desperate, over-hyped openings often seen in the run-up to the Festival. One Alva Street, 1a Alva Street. is open Monday to Sunday from noon to 3pm and 5.30pm to 10.30pm. Call 0131 225 9594.
I Congratulations to Valvona & Crolla [pictured], which is now in the running to be named the UK’s best cheese shop in a competition judged by the food retailing bible, The Grocer magazine. Recently it was the first venture in Scotland to be named ‘best regional cheese counter’ in the British Retail Cheese Awards. The finals for this accolade will be held in September.
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