Top Ten and SubGrub

I was reminded after my meal at the old Buttery that I hadn't updated my top ten for quite some time. I also had the idea of a subway eating trail, based on the 'Subcrawl' which sees students riding Glasgow's circular underground train, getting off at each stop and downing a drink in each pub. I would hope to be a bit more discerning than this though - so I hope to pick my favourite restaurants or cafes within a ten minute walk of each stop at some point!

My overall top ten at the moment are:
1. Two Fat Ladies (any of them, they are all fantastic)
2. Gandolfi Fish
3. Battlefield Rest
4. The Wee Curry Shop
5. Cafe Gandolfi
6. The Sisters Kelvingrove
7. An Lochan
8. Sarti's (Bath Street)
9. Thai Siam
10. Blas

I have to confess that I've only eaten in the List's Top Restaurant for 09, Stravaigin, once - and it was so long ago I feel I can't judge it properly. As well as a few others (particularly Banana Leaf and Crabshakk) I will hopefully try it out soon.

Two Fat Ladies at the Buttery

I haven't kept my Top Ten updated for a while - I must try and get back to that at some point. I do have a few perennial favourites though; Sarti's on Bath Street for hearty city centre Italian fare, Battlefield Rest which is my 'go-to' restaurant, having never had a bad meal there, and Two Fat Ladies on Dumbarton Road.

I recently ate at the Blythswood Street branch of this Glasgow chain and wasn't disappointed. Everything I loved about the Dumbarton Road branch was there, with a few flourishes to make the restaurants distinct.

So, last night, I decided to whisk Mr Gastro to the only one I haven't visited - Two Fat Ladies at the Buttery. The owners have also opened a 'little sister' restaurant, The Shandon Belles, round the corner. Everything about the Buttery exudes class and warmth. We were greeted at the door by the friendly waitress, who took a drinks order and we sat in the front bar perusing the menu and enjoying a drink before being shown to our table.

The bread we were given was so fresh, it was either cooked in-house or from Tapa, there are so few places in Glasgow that make such good bread. Mr Gastro ordered the scallop and black pudding starter, served with some smoked haddock and a chive veloute.

I started with the confit duck ravioli, which had a madeira jus, and little cubes of tomato. Absolutely delicious, and just the right start to my wonderful main - scallops again, but this time served with a velvety cauliflower puree, asparagus and parma ham.



Mr Gastro had the venison saddle with braised red cabbage and juniper - looked lovely but a wee bit autumnal for me at this time of year - and we both had honeycomb ice cream with chocolate and pistachio wafers and milk gelato (think Mini Milk ice creams from when you were a kid!) which were lovely.

I would definitely recommend this place, along with the other two TFL restaurants, this one is a wee bit grander, for that special occasion! It will be on my mind when I draw up my top ten!

Gordon Ramsay Plane Food

On my way home from London, I had to stop in at Gordon Ramsay's Plane Food at Terminal 5. Given the prices of airport food, it was well worth the money (the only gripe being the inclusion of both a cover charge and a service charge!) - great quality food. I had a couple of glasses of a lovely South African chardonnay, and ordered the Suffolk pork cutlet with strips of pork belly, savoy cabbage, organic carrots and a barbecue sauce. I also ordered a side of chips.

All for under £30, including the aforementioned charges!

The chips were the best I've ever eaten, triple fried, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The pork was delicious, as was the sauce. The belly in particular was almost like a meaty creme brulee, crackly on top but melting and quivering underneath. My wine was smooth and the service was excellent. Hard to fault for what it is, and by a mile the best food I've ever eaten in an airport.

L'Angoletto Italian restuarant, Fitzrovia

I know this is not Glasgow (I will be doing more restaurant reviews very soon! And my thoughts on the List 09 guide!) but I wanted to blog about the food on my trip to London recently.

The hotel I stayed in had closed its restaurant, so I popped next door to a lovely little restaurant, L'Angoletto. I was ravenous and asked the waiter to bring me a plate of pasta - whatever was good. He brought a glass of red wine, and a tagliatelle dish with what tasted like an arrabiata sauce, but spiked with shards of Italian ham and meaty mushrooms. Absolutely bloody delicious.

Had To Show Off The Crayfish Salad!

Absolutely gorgeous plate of salad, that I had to share with you!

Yo! Sushi Paddington

I enjoyed a lovely quick meal at Yo! Sushi at Paddington station during my recent work trip to London. Apparently there is a branch in Silverburn in Glasgow, and for a quick meal I'd recommend it. You watch the conveyor belt move around with lots of little dishes on it, you help yourself and at the end they count up the empties (each dish has a colour code and price). Unlimited miso soup is £1.75 and water £1.

I had two portions of California rolls, which are essentially crabstick and avocado wrapped in seaweed and rice (very nice!), a crab wrap and a lovely crayfish salad. Delicious, fresh and great value.

Republic Bier Halle pizzas

I have been neglecting my little blog of late, and I want to remedy that fact!

Takeaway is becoming increasingly popular as people keep a closer eye on the pennies; in Glasgow we are spoiled for choice with the wonderful range of cuisines on offer.
I am absolutely bowled over by the delivery from the Republic chain, proper, stonebaked pizza - and they bring alcohol too!

My favourite is the one with the Parma ham, blue cheese, rocket and balsamic, a salty, vinegary mix of Italian gorgeousness...

Check out the menu here...

List Eating and Drinking Guide 2009

Been reading the new List Guide and I'm already making a list of places I have to visit.

Crabshakk on Argyle Street
Banana Leaf on Old Dumbarton Road
Nanakusa on Sauchiehall Street
Balbir's Saffron Lounge on Kilmarnock Road
Osteria Piero on West Regent Street

wow, I can feel so much GREED coming on!

Two Fat Ladies In The City

Went out last night for a belated Valentine's dinner with Mr Gastro last night, after having spent the afternoon in the GFT watching Breakfast at Tiffany's. After a few drinks in the Butterfly and the Pig on Bath Street (see below for a review of their fabulous burgers), we headed just around the corner to Two Fat Ladies on Blythswood Street.

I haven't tried the branch in the old Buttery yet, but the Dumbarton Road restaurant is a long standing favourite of mine. We hadn't tried the City Centre one before, but hoped it would be every bit as good as the original.

We weren't disappointed. This review doesn't even have pictures because I was so greedy and just ate what I was given, rather than pausing to capture the plate! Mr G had cullen skink ('the best I've ever had', he proclaimed) followed by monkfish, rosemary and bacon skewers on creamed savoy cabbage and leeks. It looked and smelled absolutely delicious, but I was more than happy with my own choices! I had clams served with linguine and a spinach beurreblanc - so tasty that I am going to try and recreate it! - followed by scallops on MacLeod of Stornoway black pudding, in a saffron and spring onion cream. Quite honestly two of the best plates of food I've eaten - everything was cooked to absolute perfection, and the flavour balances in each dish were spot on. The sauces were beautiful and rich (just how I like 'em!) but left no room at all for a pud - I was absolutely full by the end of the main.

Washed down with a lovely half bottle of Muscadet too, as Mr G was on the beers. Can't wait to go back - absolutely delicious.

Meal planning

I've written quite a lot about credit crunch cooking, but it's actually getting to the stage of planning meals weeks in advance to cut back on waste. I receive my lovely bag of fruit and veg once a fortnight from The Whole Shebag, delicious they are too. That can often form the basis of a few nights' dinners, as the produce is seasonal and so you get the odd surprise!

I'd recommend the bags to anyone who wants to eat real organic veg, not in packaging. My next bag comes on Wednesday and I am genuinely excited by what might be in it! It means that I can buy rice, pasta and bread to have with the lovely veg, some meat from the butcher and I'm all set.