Breakfast
I can not fault this place. Wonderful fresh food, great service and spotlessly clean. The cafe is small, so sometimes I’ve had to wait for a table… but absolutely worth it. Delicious cakes for after, and fantastic coffee.
Brunch
ALWAYS busy, but for good reason. I could shout about these pancakes all day – they’re incredible. Great food, quirky and fun atmosphere. Always buzzing with groups and families – super fresh food with an ever-changing specials board. Strange and fabulous!
Wine bar
Why has nobody ever told me about Vino Valentino? My dad took me here for some wine tasting mid-week, and what a delight! The bar/shop is small and cosy and ran by an Italian family – who are all very knowledgable. The set up is very charming, with a large sit around wooden table that seats about 12 people – so could easily pop in for a glass alone or as a group for wine tasting and nibbles.
Fast Food
If you’re looking for something a little different and bursting with flavour Kimchi Cult is the one. Korean style fast food available to sit in or take away – burgers, loaded fries, rice bowls, fried chicken… all delicious and topped with Kimchi (fermented cabbage). Fast and friendly service, great for a quick meal.
Date night
It takes a lot for me to say this, but I’ve found a new favourite. Gather by Zique is outstanding, a restaurant that combines fine dining in a relaxed environment is something that Glasgow has needed for sometime. Our service was delightful, very helpful and non-intrusive and the food was exceptionally fresh and delicious. The wine was great, the cocktails were even better and with such a lovely ambience I could begin and end a night here with no complaints. I can not wait to revisit.
Steak night
(at home)
Is anyone else growing tired of overpriced steak in restaurants, especially when you know you can create something just as tasty (if not tastier) at home for less than half the price? Steak night is now date night at home for us… and this week we ditched the usual red wine suspect for something different. Wester Spirit Co. have just launched the first in a series of collaborative projects with ampersand01 and microbrewery DRYGATE in creating this Spiced Scotch Ale. The Ale is developed from Wester’s spiced rum (which is also fantastic, and makes a great dark and stormy) and has lovely rich flavours of ginger and vanilla.
We cook our steaks really simply on a hot griddle pan, salt, pepper, rosemary and some whole garlic cloves (2mins each side for rare) – then serve with some steamed greens.
Dinner party (for 6)
So keen to make paella we even bought a new pan – and spent too much money on saffron, but again… worth it! Traditionally paella is made with chicken and chorizo along with all your fresh seafood – but we skipped the chicken and made up our own recipe… which is (as far as I can remember)…
- 350g paella rice (a bit more if your feeding a hungry bunch)
- 1 teaspoon saffron
- 12 raw tiger prawns/large bag (more the merrier)
- 12-16 mussels (with or without shells)
- 6-8 langoustines
- 70g frozen peas
- 1 or 2 lemons
- salt & pepper
- olive oil
- 1 large onion (roughly chopped)
- 1 red pepper (roughly chopped)
- 150g spanish chorizo (skin removed and chopped)
- 3 cloves of garlic (peeled and crushed)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Fry onion, pepper and chorizo (6-8 mins medium heat)
- Add garlic, paprika, cayenne and saffron (1min)
- Add tomatoes, season and add 2pints boiling water and simmer uncovered for 10mins
- Add rice and simmer uncovered for another 15-20mins
- Add seafood and cook until ready (5-10 mins depending on how much is added)
- If the rice has become too dry and isn’t ready yet add some more water now (with some extra seasoning)
- Serve with lemon!
Thanks for reading – if anyone gives my paella recipe a shot let me know how it turns out… sorry in advance if its rubbish.
Rona x
Keep up to date with recent adventures at @ronamcmillan
Rona McMillan 