Kilty Pleasures
Words | Robina Dam This month’s Homecoming Festival shows good food is as Scottish as tartan. There’s never been a better time to check out Glasgow’s newly booming restaurant scene AS SOON AS I mentioned that I was going to Glasgow on a gourmet fact-finding mission, friends asked how many deep-fried Mars bars I intended [...]
Words | Robina Dam
This month’s Homecoming Festival shows good food is as Scottish as tartan. There’s never been a better time to check out Glasgow’s newly booming restaurant scene
AS SOON AS I mentioned that I was going to Glasgow on a gourmet fact-finding mission, friends asked how many deep-fried Mars bars I intended to gobble. This cliché about Glaswegians, I was to discover during the next few days before my trip, was oft-repeated by wags in London – and wholly anachronistic once I was there.
Sure, every place and everyone has their dirty culinary secret – how you would you judge London given its dozens of touristy ‘steak houses’? – but Glasgow’s foodie scene is actually awash with high quality, but unstuffy restaurants and quirky local delicatessens. So on your next trip to Britain’s second city, leave more time than you previously anticipated for eating out. Heck, head out there just to eat.
With that in mind, whether you are looking for a place to impress clients during a brief trip or treating yourself to a leisurely long weekend, these are your must-stop pitstops.
I. Eating out
To celebrate clinching the deal…
Michael Caines at Abode
129 Bath Street, +44 (0)141 572 6011;
www.michaelcaines.com/restaurants/glasgow
Among the more recent launches of celebrity chef Michael Caines is his eponymous restaurant on the ground floor of the Abode Hotel in central Glasgow. Tucked away behind the lobby, the medium-sized restaurant looks like any other hotel eatery. But make no mistake: what it lacks in grandeur of setting is more than made up by the top-notch cooking of the kitchen. And the attention to detail isn’t just in the quality and style of the dishes – Scottish herds that are organically reared make for the tenderest steak. The wow factor is maintained from the amuse-bouche to the end of the meal. And when I didn’t have any room left for dessert, the plate of petit-fours that came with coffee were little artworks that could have happily been put on a pedestal in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery down the road. Afterwards, head downstairs to the MC Bar for cocktails. It’s a colourful setting in more ways than one.
To impress a potential client…
The Ubiquitous Chip
12 Ashton Lane, +44 (0)141 334 5007;
www.ubiquitouschip.co.uk
Strictly speaking this isn’t part of the new wave of the city’s dining scene, given that the old stalwart has been going strong for almost 30 years. But there’s a reason why celebrities including Kylie Minogue, Orlando Bloom and Meryl Streep head here when in town. Tucked away down the cobbled lane, which has eateries that cover all budgets and tastes, The Ubiquitous Chip combines a traditional boozer and a fine dining restaurant whose interiors make you feel as though you are on holiday. A retractable glass roof means the central dining area is flooded with light, and mini pools (complete with fish and floating flowers) plus hanging foliage have just enough exoticism without straying into the dubious category of ‘themed restaurant’. With some of the best Scottish seafood just a fishing rod away from Glasgow, this is the place to order the freshest oysters and melting scallops. And smoked salmon comes to your table practically straight from the wood chips.
A relaxed bite after sightseeing…
Nanakusa
441 Sauchiehall Street, +44 (0)141 332 6303;
www.nanakusa.co.uk
Not that good cooking in Glasgow always means credit card pain. On the Sauchiehall high street that is better known for fast food comes an authentic Japanese restaurant, called Nanakusa, which only opened last year but has already won awards. Although it has the usual noodle and teppanyaki dishes (around £6-£8), the elegant sushi sharing platters show that this is a cut above the usual noodle joint. Speaking of cut above, at the end of the long dining room with its refectory-style tables stands an alcove. Now used as a private dining area that can be booked for group parties, it was the organist’s area in a former incarnation: this former chapel is now a homage to well-priced cuisine.
II. Hands on
Smells like teen spirit…
Auchentoshan Distillery
By Dalmuir, Clydebank, +44 (0)1389 878561;
www.auchentoshan.co.uk
This distillery and visitor centre, which is only a 10-minute drive from the airport and about 20 minutes from the city centre, is home to Auchentoshan whisky, the best-selling lowland single malt. This is Scotland’s only triple-distilled whisky: the result for the drinker is that there is a much smoother sensation at the back of the throat when sipped.
So it would be a shame not to try a wee dram which is included at the end of an hour-long guided tour (£4.40 per person, or £18-£23 for a VIP tour including tastings).
Personalised ones can be arranged for special events or groups: ask in advance. True aficionados will be interested in the chance to bottle your own malt. The rest of us will have to be content with buying a normal bottle from the gift shop, from £20.99 for Auchentoshan Classic (an unaged whisky but still triple distilled).
I’m all shook up…
The Cookery School
The Cookery School, Peckhams Building,
65 Glassford Street, +44 (0)141 552 5239;
www.thecookeryschool.org
The Cookery School will get you to shake, rattle and roll, thanks to its charismatic founder. Even the most formal of groups will find themselves swept along in getting their hands dirty when it’s made to feel like playtime. On the top floor above Peckhams grocers and deli (though their well-sourced produce make it a destination in its own right), the school offers regular courses as well as one-offs like team building classes (from £50 per head) or corporate events (from £45).
Although it sounds like modern management speak – “The team that cooks together, sticks together!” – it’s true that you bond when having your first go at chicken stuffed with mozzarella and wrapped in prosciutto. It’s so satisfying (literally, as you get to eat your attempts) to see even non- Nigellas achieve a red and yellow pepper soup with its impressive-looking two tones.
For more information about the Homecoming Festival visit www.eatscotland.com
III. Food shopping
The Farmers Market
At the Saturday morning farmers market you can find organic suppliers of local produce such as fresh seafood from Arran. Knowledgeable farmers pass on their tips for how to cook the beef, lamb and pork that they rear. But there’s also more unusual stock. I bought some organic soap from The Caurnie Soaperie stall (www.caurnie.com) – set up 80 years ago. Choose from the vast rounds that have scents such as peppermint and sage or heather and lavender. Some even promise healing properties – I bought some chunks that are claimed to relieve eczema. The location alternates between two venues: the first and third week of the month it’s in Queen’s Park, the second and fourth week sees it in the West End.
www.scottishfarmersmarkets.co.uk
Specialist vinegar store
Yes, yes, I know this sounds peculiar but bear with me. Demijohns is a liquid delicatessen, divided into sections for wines, oils and vinegars. The rows of glass jars have handwritten labels stating the unusual vinegar flavours such as bramble and raspberry (from £1.40 for 100ml). The elderflower one is a particular labour of love as the wild elderflowers are handpicked from the Dalmeny Estate just outside Edinburgh.
382 Byres Road, +44 (0)141 337 3600;
www.demijohn.co.uk
