Church on the Hill, Algie Street, Shawlands, Glasgow
Glutton ventured South this weekend, a rare treat I know. There are tons of tempting restaurants in Shawlands and I really should visit this part of town more often. My lunch partner and cousin (a true South-sider) suggested the Church on the Hill and I happily obliged.
It bills itself as a gastro pub, the decor is funky and it has a huge bar which I’m sure will be rammed on a Saturday night. Our waitress escorted us to a nice booth and provided us with wine and food menus. On the subject of wine I can strongly recommend the house cava, highly drinkable.
The menu is eclectic and varied, I don’t always like menus that hop from one country to the next but I think it can be appropriate for pubs and this one still managed to have a flow to it.
I started with the prawn tempura, a respectable dish with crispy, light batter and tasty salad and dipping sauce. I’m sure the average Japanese connoisseur may have passed comment on authenticity but I still enjoyed it.
My cousin opted for the goat cheese tart which consisted of a puff pastry base filled with red onion marmalade and topped with an oozing slice of goats cheese. This was a triumph, well executed and generous I was tinged with a bit of the old food envy – thankfully we both ordered the same main course!
For the main course we chose the steak sandwich and I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived. All too often a steak sandwich seems like a smart idea until you’re chewing for Britain through some doughy, thick bread and tough steak. It seems the good folks at Church on the Hill have thought of that and so deconstructed it into an open sandwich come canapé. My tip would be to order the peppercorn sauce on the side as it might threaten to turn this lovely easy to eat dish into a bit of a mush-fest. If you’re a traditionalist looking for a desperate Dan steak sandwich I would consider another choice but personally I loved it. The chips were homemade, chunky and delicious and the peppercorn sauce had a great depth of flavour, perfect for dunking.
Next time I’m back in Shawlands I’ll find it hard not to gravitate back to this inexpensive and friendly venue. The food was good, service was top notch and the wine bordering on addictive. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the neighbourhood.
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