GLASGOW 2014 CITY GUIDE
MY FAVOURITE PLACE IN Glasgow
‘Whenever we get off tour, my first stop is Mother
India’s Cafe for tapas-style
Indian food. Everything is fresh and cooked to order with lots of great vegetarian options (the saag paneer is one of the finest I have ever eaten).’
LAUREN MAYBERRY MUSICIAN, CHVRCHES
COTTONRAKE 497 Great Western Road, West End, G12 8HN, 07910 282040, cottonrake.com A passionate bakery at heart, producing all manner of patisserie delights and breads as you linger over breakfast. Morning pastries, croissants and scones hit the shelves early, with various toasted options and homemade jam also available, savoury tarts and rolls starting from mid-morning.
MCCUNE SMITH CAFÉ 3–5 Duke Street, East End, G4 0UL, 0141 548 1114, mccunesmith.co.uk Named after Dr James McCune Smith, the black intellectual and abolitionist, and first African American to hold a medical degree (from Glasgow), this café is a lesson in Scottish Enlightenment as well as a top spot for breakfast. Quality, local produce means classic rolls, French toast, pastries and porridge are a cut above – with great coffee, too. STRAVAIGIN CAFÉ BAR 28 Gibson Street, West End, G12 8NX, 0141 334 2665,
Cottonrake
stravaigin.com Maintaining a reputation for creative and interesting food, this bistro, under the same umbrella as the famous Ubiquitous Chip, offers an unpretentious yet undeniably swanky brunching experience. Options range from eggs Benedict and the full Scottish with quality essentials and outstanding black pudding, to more unusual nasi goreng and an Asian-inspired bacon-filled steamed bun.
GREAT VALUE FOOD Where to fill up on good food without emptying your purse
ASIAN GOURMET 17 West Princes Street, West End, G4 9BS, 0141 332 1639 Appearances can be deceptive at this unglamorous basement Chinese diner near St George’s Cross, especially when the first waft from the kitchen reaches you. The salt and chilli squid is among Glasgow’s best, and huge main dishes all burst with simple, classic Asian flavours. When the bill comes you’ll wonder how so much that was so good cost so little. COOK AND INDI’S WORLD BUFFET • 90 Renfield Street, City Centre, G2 1HG, 0141 332 3215 • 410 Sauchiehall Street, City Centre, G2 3JD, 0141 333 9933, cookandindisworldbuffet.com Cook and Indi’s serves the ‘world on a plate’ in speedy, super cheap (eg £10.99 midweek dinner), all- you-can-eat buffet style. There’s Italian, Indian, Chinese, Thai and Japanese, with recently added Mexican and Spanish in their seeming plan for world (cuisine) domination. Dishes are regularly replaced and are remarkably good for such staggeringly low prices.
40 THE LIST 10 Jul–21 Aug 2014
Loch Lomond
DAY TRIPS Head out of the city and admire Scotland’s natural treasures
Within touching distance of Scotland’s Highland hills, expansive golden beaches and historical treasures, Glasgow is well placed for days out beyond the city. Scotland’s first of its kind, the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs
National Park is a 30-minute drive away and is packed with stunning scenery, activities and events. The loch itself serves as a watery playground for Glasgow: take an informative cruise, hire canoes to explore the islands or, for the more high-octane, try a jet-ski. Landlubbers can hire bikes, visit picturesque Luss, climb Conic Hill near Balmaha, or walk a stretch of the West Highland Way.
For a spectacular insight into Scotland’s industrial past, the World
Heritage Site of New Lanark, situated in a gorge by the Clyde, is an impressive 18th-century cotton mill complex. It became a model of utopian socialism under Robert Owen whose care of the social and welfare needs of his workers was decades ahead of the rest of the industrialised world. Those wanting to sample one of the nation’s 790 islands can catch
a train to Ardrossan and then a ferry to one of the country’s best: the Isle of Arran. Known as ‘Scotland in miniature’, the island is split by the Highland Boundary Fault that crosses the entire country, giving Arran the characteristic lowlands in the south and hills in the north. Ayrshire’s coastline is a popular destination for Glaswegians looking
to be beside the seaside. Ayr, Troon and Irvine all have excellent, expansive sands, while a visit to nearby Largs should include a stop at one of the UK’s best ice-cream parlours, the art deco Nardini’s of Largs.
Despite little love lost between the two cities, given the proximity and easy 45-minute journey to Edinburgh from Glasgow, it’d seem rude not to visit Auld Reekie. Assume absolutely everyone else will be there, too, during the Fringe; at other times soak up the historic Royal Mile, visit excellent galleries and restaurants, or take a ride on the much- bedevilled new tram system. (Jay Thundercliffe)