FOOD & DRINK NEWS & REVIEWS
KITCHEN CONFIDENCE Another café-bistro of the contemporary, casual kind has opened in Glasgow. Jay Thundercliffe went to Finnieston (again) to see what’s new
lime pickle with a zingy salad. Gin-infused salmon is another hit, its smoky notes mingling with pickled cucumber strips and tangy capers. Beetroot hummus, served as a dip with local bakery bread, is intriguing as much as gratifying.
Mains continue the edifying, occasionally exciting and generally very enjoyable experience. A main course of roast chicken breast is well cooked with a satisfying creamy mushroom and Madeira sauce, squeaky beans and crushed potatoes. A lovely slow-roast pork belly comes with black pudding and separate pieces of skin which should have more crispy crackle. It’s an imaginative pig three ways idea, let down by overwrought mash. Desserts seem quite reliant on outside suppliers, such as ice-cream from Lanark that can’t carry its weight of expectation or elevation on the menu. That said, a rather odd vegan chocolate brownie could have done with a scoop of it or anything else creamy to cut through the rich cocoa and amaretto sauce.
+ Casual, comforting dining at (almost) its best - Occasional ambushes by underwhelming elements
F innieston’s latest opener is every bit as hip- looking as the numerous newish spots up and down the road, with an attractive, crisp and modern interior with big windows and period detailings, all done up in wood and brick. Time- served Ubiquitous Chip manager Kathleen Sheridan and husband Scott Burgess have set the place up with chef Laurie McMillan, quickly establishing a bright, buzzing atmosphere that clearly appeals to the young professionals and Finnieston’s better- heeled residents (let’s face it, there are still plenty who are not) who are willing to meet the upward- reaching prices.
Not that the food doesn’t justify the costs, in the main. A bacon buttie might startle at £3.50 but it is Puddledub bacon on a brioche roll, and that’s the sort of place this is: quality local ingredients prepared by a conscientious, ambitious kitchen. The compact pan-European main menu is joined by imaginative sandwiches and lighter bites for lunch, helping the Scullery straddle the economically important café / bistro frontier. The food is designed for casual, often comforting, dining – fairly safe crowdpleasers rather than risky groundbreakers, rustic satisfaction with a smattering of finesse. Fried halloumi sticks are an excellent starter, light and fluffy, lit up by a fiery chilli and
THE SCULLERY
10 Claremont Street, West End, Glasgow, 0141 221 6200 Ave. price of a two-course meal: £8 (lunch) / £19 (dinner)
50 THE LIST 11 Dec 2014–5 Feb 2015
SIDE DISHES News to nibble on
Two prominent Edinburgh bars have embarked on new ventures: The Hanging Bat are transforming the former New Town Bar on Dublin Street into Spit/Fire, a two-level bar featuring beer and bourbon in the basement, and wine, spirits and rotisserie food upstairs. Elsewhere, the Bon Vivant have taken over the neighbouring Tex Mex II and turned it into El Cartel Casera Mexicana.
The Scratch Series has the look of one of the more compelling pop-ups to have hit Edinburgh. Two well-travelled Edinburgh chefs, Ben Reade and David Crabtree-Logan, have taken over the upstairs restaurant at Iglu on Jamaica Street for four months, serving refined, whimsical, thought- provoking food. More at thescratchseries.com
RECOMMENDS . . .
THE CUCKOO’S NEST EDINBURGH
Great food and drink at affordable prices makes The Cuckoo’s Nest a lively favourite in Tollcross