Glutton En Famille – Part 2

Arisaig, Merchant Square, Glasgow

So on to part two of Glutton’s family friendly eating out mission.  I mentioned in part one about there being plenty of Italian restaurants in Glasgow providing a good, relaxed child friendly atmosphere, but as it happened we didn’t actually go the any of them.  The reason.... a great fun but slightly tiring visit to Edinburgh Zoo left us a little too exhausted for another meal out however a handy solution was some excellent take away from the newly refurbished O Sole Mio on Bath Street.   

We feasted on risotto, pizza and some particularly delicious flatbreads all of which were of a great standard for take away food.  The Italian sausage on the pizza was high quality and punchy, the chicken and truffle oil risotto was packed full of flavour and well cooked but the highlight was the rosemary and garlic focaccias which were actually thin pizza bases cooked in the stone oven until crisp and golden – utterly addictive!  If you live in the city centre or nearby it is definitely worth considering and I can’t wait to go back and sit in to enjoy the food again.

That covered I’ll move on to our next dining out experience which was Arisaig in the Merchant Square.  I love the Merchant Square because it always makes me think of continental Europe, no rain, cobble stones and simulated “al fresco” dining make it and pleasant change.    I haven’t always loved the restaurants though, so it was up to Arisaig to change my mind.....

We had booked a table for six and a highchair but when we arrived it seemed to show two on the reservation, luckily they had plenty of room inside the restaurant so problem averted.  The restaurant inside has been nicely decorated with some funky Scottish twists and the table provided was nice and spacious.

The menu is mostly Scottish themed and has quite a large selection of both seafood and meat options.  What I wasn’t convinced on was the price of some of the dishes,  for example £7.95 for a bowl of mussels, even rope grown ones from Lewis, is excessive however it did seem to even itself out with some of the meat dishes and a reasonable pre theatre menu.  The kids menu is quite limited, but the offerings are homemade which is commendable.

For starter I decided on the crab cakes and honestly I was a wee bit disappointed, they were too big and quite stodgy and the crab seemed lost in amongst a lot of potato.  However the accompanying tomato cream sauce was good and helped carry the cakes along and a deep fried piece of curly kale garnish was absolutely stunning.   My husband’s smoked venison was delicious though, not for the faint hearted it has been well cured but the watercress and beetroot salad was a lovely accompaniment to the strong meat.  The rest of the table enjoyed the unusual smoked Brie dish and some nicely cooked if a little boring fried squid.

On to main course, I decided on the chicken fillet and haggis which was tasty and well balanced.  I had read the menu wrong and assumed the chicken would be stuffed with the haggis but I liked it never the less.  The whisky cream sauce was well seasoned and complimented the moist chicken and spicy haggis well.  Arisaig don’t serve carbohydrates with all of the main courses but they did provide a decent selection of vegetables.   The best plates of the night were surprisingly from the pre theatre menu, a spiky dish of chicken in a chilli coconut sauce served with sweet potato mash and a generous beer battered fish and chips were met with delight by all who had them.  Unfortunately a vegetarian dish of red pepper and spinach sausages fared less well and was deemed almost inedible, but thankfully my nephew’s ample and delicious portion of homemade chicken nuggets and chips came to the rescue of my hungry sister-in-law!

No desserts required as we had a chocolate birthday cake to finish off, brought out by the cheery and in tune waiting staff, it was a good finish to an okay meal.   Apart from the evil veggie sausages most of the food was tasty and well presented, a few tweaks here and there would have made all the difference and because of that if I’m back in that part of town Arisaig probably won’t be my first choice.  If you do fancy trying this restaurant I would opt for the pre theatre, it definitely came up trumps on our visit.

Glutton En Famille – Part 1

Café Rouge, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow

 

Glutton’s challenge this week; find child friendly restaurants in Glasgow city centre.  I began the task with great gusto, only to find that most of the promising offerings were Italian restaurants.  That was one night out of three sorted but the other two proved slightly more challenging. 

Our family along with our two year old nephew were visiting from Shetland so I wanted something appropriate but a wee bit different too.   After reviewing many a kid’s menu I have to say that if your child doesn’t eat chips (there must be some surely) then you’re in bother!  Almost every restaurant I looked at had a chip fetish, that and bread crumbed protein.  Now I’m not naive enough to think that the average kiddie would expect anything but chicken nuggets and chips in a restaurant, but I did find the choice pretty limited.  Incidentally, Wagamama’s kid’s menu was brilliant but we decided not to try it on this occasion, what I did go for was the new Café Rouge in Royal Exchange Square and it proved a good choice.

Café Rouge is a chain restaurant that offers a nice selection of uncomplicated French food in uncomplicated surroundings.  The decor in any Café Rouge always makes me smile, it’s like an imaginary French bistro, lots of mirrored art, brass fittings and dark wood - all you need is a man with a moustache and onion garland.....

The menu is varied and inexpensive with ample consideration for smaller appetites, the kids menu is quite good, omelettes and fishcakes made a nice alternative to the bread crumbed norm.  There are plenty of familiar Gaelic offerings such as onion soup, rillettes and confit duck as well as a few Moroccan style dishes to provide diversity.

For starter I went for the predictable deep fried Camembert and it was delightful, crispy on the outside and gooey, melting cheesiness in the middle.  Served with cranberry sauce and an above average dressed salad I enjoyed every morsel.  I stole a taste of the pâté which was a little run of the mill but perfectly reasonable.  Other dishes on the table included a decent houmous and fiery Merguez sausage both of which were well received.

Moving on the main course, I opted for the classic steak frites with a peppercorn sauce.  The steak was cooked medium rare as ordered, the sauce had a nice flavour but was slightly too alcoholic as if the brandy hadn’t been adequately cooked off and the pot of perfectly seasoned fries were out of this world.   My husband’s duck confit was equally well cooked and delicious, the duck had a gutsy whack of flavour and the meat was meltingly tender, the accompanying plum sauce wasn’t too sweet and only some flaccid green beans marred an otherwise great main course.  The Toulouse sausage, Breton chicken and beef Bourguignon also received positive feedback. 

 

My adorable nephew at the end of the table seemed to enjoy his sausages, chips and peas and he definitely enjoyed his vanilla ice cream so happy families indeed.

Service was amazing, a proper Glaswegian and slightly gallus waitress proved fantastic entertainment for all, she was full of funny anecdotes but efficient and courteous as well.  That combined with the tasty food, quaffable house wine and reasonable bill I was pleased I picked Café Rouge.  No fuss, good for kids, families and large parties alike, I’ll definitely be back.

Thai me up!

Thai Siam - revisited

We recently went back to the Thai Siam but this time we dined on the a la carte menu.  I’m pleased to report that the food was still pretty decent although we did notice quite a difference in price.

To start four of us shared the mixed starters which was excellent regardless of the £8.00 a head price tag.  A pretty bamboo platter arrived, generously stacked and with three dipping sauces to accompany the myriad of delights.  Chicken spring rolls and fishcakes were of the same standard as our last meal, but the chicken satay was stand out.  Charred on the outside and moist in the middle it was superb as was the accompanying peanut sauce.  The Pandan chicken was also tasty, quite fragrant and again well cooked.  Prawn tempura was advertised but what arrived was a mountain of battered vegetables and I was glad they did, although nowhere close to a tempura batter the vegetables had been lightly coated with a Chinese style batter (think sweet & sour chicken) and quickly fried so they had the perfect amount of crunch.  The selection of veg was wide, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, onions and green beans to name a few - a big portion but excellent for a group of friends to enjoy.

For main course I opted for the duck Ped Thai Siam, a spicy and sizzling dish which was well cooked and interesting, it's one I would order again but beware, there was quite a bit of fat on the duck which as a glutton I devoured, but if you're a fataphobe steer clear.  Managed to snatch a taste of my husband's Gang Panang this again lived up to the last review, although he was accidently given duck instead of beef!  Noodles and rice were delicious as were the thai prawn crackers which I have managed to source from my local Chinese supermarket and have now started frying at home, not good for the waistline I admit but everything in moderation.....

The bill for four was £130 which included two bottles of wine and service was friendly and efficient.  My advice is to try the Thai Siam's pre theatre first and if it's your cup of tea go a la carte for the mixed starter alone!

Original post below.

Thai Siam - Argyle Street, Glasgow

Pre theatre dining can be hit or miss when dining with friends, I often think restaurants limit these menus too much however Thai Siam is not one of these restaurants.  With a vegetarian in tow it seemed like the perfect place to get a reasonable meal without compromise on choice. 

Greeted with a friendly face and Thai prawn crackers on the table, drinks were ordered and menus perused.  The pre theatre offers a generous three courses for £12.90 which I think is brilliant value for money.  All main dishes are available with a choice of bean curd, vegetables, chicken, beef, pork or prawn which again appeals to all tastes and your side dishes are included.

I started my meal with chicken spring rolls which were full of chicken meat and vegetables with a slight curry hit which I enjoyed and served with a standard sweet chilli sauce.  I managed to steal a taste of the fish cakes which again were very enjoyable and although I would argue that they are probably not homemade, it didn’t bother me or my husband who wolfed them down with great gusto.  Other starters of vegetable spring rolls and chicken satay got equally decent reviews from our friends.

Main courses were tasty, my beef in black pepper and garlic was more reminiscent of a Chinese dish with a slightly gloopy sauce but I still tucked in.  Again a swift fork manoeuvre allowed me a taste of my husband’s choice of Gang Panang, a much more traditional Thai dish with a well spiced coconut sauce it left me struck with a bit of the old food envy.  An unfairly advertised “plain” noodle accompaniment was livened up with well cooked vegetables and was utterly delicious, as was the egg fried rice which along with large portions left us all feeling more than satisfied.

Sadly nobody had room for dessert, even the temptation of a banana fritter couldn’t coax a space in our bellies.  Service was great, really nice and quick with copious prawn cracker refill requests met with a smile.  I recommend you try Thai Siam especially the pre theatre or lunch deal which has similar broad choice and good value menu.