Wednesday 18 May 2011

Kitchenvoyage restaurants in Glasgow

First, where we stay.
Bedroom - Gran Central Hotel
We stayed here at the beginning of May. The former Central Hotel has had a £20 million pound refurb to restore it to its former glory. The public rooms echo the grandeur of Victorian times but with a 21st century design.
Hotel facilities are limited at the moment but will include a gym and high level terrace once the work on the upper floors is complete. There is a lovely champagne bar which overlooks the station concourse as well as many rooms for corporate conferences and functions.
The ballroom is a tour de force and very elegant and now used for social occasions and conferences/presentations.
The Grand Staircase is equally stunning with a huge chandelier which cascades down from the fifth floor.
We had a room on the fourth floor, of a largish size and a good sized bathroom. The room was well soundproofed from the station below.
However the amenities were somewhat below  for a 4 star hotel. No mini bar, no heating or towel rails in the bathroom and a poor tv service which was difficult to control with the remote.
Breakfast was of the buffet style in an elegant room with Venetian style chandeliers but coffee/ tea service was intermittent at best.
The hotel is well located for the various attractions of Glasgow and I am sure that once the refurbishment is completed and small issues ironed out, The Grand Central Hotel Glasgow will be a superb place to stay in the centre of Glasgow.

Where we eat .


The Ubiquitous Chip

Set in vibrant Ashton Lane this is one of Glasgow’s best restaurants. The building, a converted stable block is charming and well decorated with a fish pond just inside the entrance.
Opposite is a well-stocked bar with vintage wine bottles stacked horizontally below.
To eat my we had the traditional Scottish haggis as a starter which was beautifully cooked and very tasty and a salmon salad which was well presented and very satisfying.

To follow we had Venison medium rare with roast potatoes and a selection of vegetables.
Again beautifully cooked and tender meat and a Scottish sirloin steak served medium rare. This was possibly the best steak I have ever had..full of flavour and very tender almost melting in the mouth.

We had a bottle of a rather good California Red, Vintage 2005 to go with the food.
We shared a dessert of Scottish Oat and Vanilla Ice Cream which finished off a truly spectacular meal.
Our waiter David was welcoming on arrival and gave us a wonderful table on the ground floor.
Highly recommended for traditional Scottish dining! Price a hefty £125 for two but well worth it.

Roganos
An Art Deco institution since 1935 in Exchange Place this restaurant specialises in fish dishes and does not disappoint.
We had the Fruits de Mer platter which was an orgy of mussels, oysters, shrimp and crab and a salmon roulade to start followed by Lemon Sole with new potatoes and spinach.
We had a bottle of Alsace wine with the meal which went down very easily!
Attentive service in elegant surroundings this is must for lovers of all things fishy.
Price £107.00 for two

The Grill on the corner

Situated near our hotel the Grand Central this is a trendy eclectic cavernous place popular with young and old alike. The food is not of the same standard as the above but is well cooked and presented. Service is friendly and efficient. This time our dishes were a ginormous rack of ribs which hid a mountain of chips plus a bottle of Brahma beer to wash it down and a Dublin bay scampi and chips with a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
We left both full and satisfied from the large meals we had eaten. Price around £56 for two

And finally...

Ketchup

A return visit to Ashton Lane for the best burgers and fries in Glasgow.

A Ketchup Burger & Ketchup interior room.




Popular with the student crowd and their teachers alike. Sitting at high tables on bar stools this place has a certain 1950s retro chic going on many different varieties to choose from best served with their own brand of tomatoes ketchup which was delicious. We washed the meal down with Scotlands favourite non-alcoholic beverage Irn Bru !


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