In fragrant delicht
With the traditional Burns Night menu of cock-a- Ieekie, haggis and whisky approaching, The List surveys some of the finer restaurants that dish up classic Scots dishes.
GLASGOW
CITY CENTRE
Arieaig
40 St \fincent Street, 0141 204 5399 www.arisaigrestaurant.co.uk Arisaig's chef and owner Stephen Bonomi aims to offer people a taste of Scottish produce. giving IFEIUIIIOIIZII Scots dishes an unusual twrst wrth ingredients such as lavender and seaweed on. The menu is drvrded into ‘sea' and land sections. and there is a good choice of imaginative vegetarian options. Among main courses. roast venison sausages are served wrth sturdy Curly kale mash. A majestic. multi-textured cranachan continues the Scottish flavour on the dessert menu.
WEST END
The Bothy
11 Ruthven Lane, 0141 334 4040 www.bothyrestaurant.co.uk
Set in an old house behind Byres Road. the Bothy matches modern and kitsch retro style touches while service is accorr‘lingly bright. bree/y and happy to help wrth the Scots-inflected menu. A salad of smooth black pudding. bacon. and poached egg could be followed by ‘real' scampi (hefty monkfish medallions wrth a cool caper and lemon mayonnaise). and rounded off wrth lrn Bru sorbet. More ambitious dishes include stoved howtowdie. a soft breast of pot-roast chicken. crisped on the outside and stuffed With sticky, nutty white pudding.
MERCHANT CITY
The City Merchant
97-99 Candleriggs, 0141 553 1577 www.citymerchant.co.uk
The City Merchant restaurant. established in 1988. was one of the first in Glasgow's then up-and-coming Merchant City district. Run by the Matteo family. it has a plethora of menus and dishes that can range from grilled trout fillet with almond butter to a rack of lamb outlets to Cockburns of Dingwall haggis.
SOUTHSIDE
The Kitchen Restaurant
Pollok House, Pollok Estate, 2060 Pollokshaws Road, 0141 616 6410 Housed in the admirably preserved Edwardian kitchen, once added to the
88 THE LIST .2 ‘18 Jan 200/
Amber
otherwise Georgian Pollok House. the Kitchen Restaurant's seasonal lunch menu draws on a variety of influences. Afters. SUCh as home baked scones or a warm clootie dumpling — prove a temptation that's difficult to resist.
WEST END
Sutheriands
969—973 Sauchiehall Street, 0141 357 4711 www.argyllhotelglasgow.co.uk
In the Argyll Hotel, Sutherlands occupies a prime spot near the corner of Kelvingrove Park. The menu plays it fairly straight - solidly traditional Scottish fare designed to meet the needs of tourists and city diners — while the speCIals board may offer pan-fried west coast scallops with black pudding or baked Arbroath smokies wrapped in Ayrshire bacon.
EDINBURGH
OLD TOWN
Amber
354 Castlehill, 0131 477 8477 www.3mber-restaurant.co.uk
In the Royal lvlile's Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre. this restaurant sets out to ‘change the way people think about whisky“. To whit. an extensive Wine list is eschewed in favour of a Bible-length whisky selection. And the ‘water of life' is used in recrpes. too. such as smoked salmon in Highland whisky and dill.
NEW TOWN
The Dining Room
28 Queen Street, 0131 220 2044 www.smws.com
Ensconced in the members-only New Town branch of the Scotch lvlalt Whisky Society, chef James Freeman has scoured Scotland to bring in venison from Penhshire and Anstruther-landed halibut for a menu that steers away from the obvious temptation to douse everything in whisky. An lain Mellis cheeseboard and a malt digestif should finish things off in style.
OLD TOWN
Dubh Praia
123b High Street, 0131 557 5732 The menu at Dubh Prais (Gaelic for 'black cooking pot') is packed with traditional choices. Barley kedgeree is
EAT&DR|NK
delimous: lemon sole may be served in an Orkney cheese sauce. Puddings tend to really shine: the Athol Brose. with its home-made Drambuie-infused ice-cream and toasted oatmeal. should be fed to visiting ambassadors.
Jackson:
209 High Street, 0131 225 1793 www.jacksons-restaurant.co.uk After streams of tOurists. the waiting staff at Jacksons have learned to be patient with repeated questions about what haggis is. It may never win any culinary awards. but for solid Scottish cooking in the lOurist heart of the city Jacksons is a reliable option.
NEW TOWN
No 28 Chaflotte Square
28 Charlotte Square, 0131 243 9339 No 28 houses both the National Trust for Scotland's headquarters and a cafe overlooking Charlotte Sguare. The lunch menu provrdes an astute array of dishes wrth a decidedly Scottish flavour. Syllabub is a little-seen dessert. and mirrors the cafe in its reflection of a bygone era.
WEST END
A Room in the West End
26 William Street, 0131 226 1036 www.aroomin.co.uk/thewestend In the basement beneath Teuchters Bar, A Room in the West End is traditionally popular wrth a young professional clientele ouaffing sauvignon over plates of Scottish food with Mediterranean accents: plenty of fish dishes. salads. and cute haggis and vegetarian pancakes.
NEW TOWN
Stac Polly
29-33 Dublin Street, 0131 556 2231 www.stacpolly.co.uk
Accomplished cooking makes Stac Polly a reliable choice for traditional Scottish food and atmosphere in the city. Mr Macsween may turn in his grave at baked filo parcels of his haggis served with a sweet plum and red wine sauce. but it's clearly popular. It's tasty too.
Please phone reception to book your place: 0|4| 334 5007 or visit www.ubiquitouschip.co.uk