Big Up To Bruadar

I think Bruadar on Partickbridge Street might be my new favourite watering hole, with its endless burger menu (FIVE veggie options!!) and impressively huge range of 'craft' ales. Cheap wine too - hurrah!

Naturally I favour the halloumi burger with roasted red pepper.  Yumminess of the highest order.












Note the red cabbage coleslaw.  I wonder if I am alone in really despising coleslaw with every fibre of my being...where did it come from?  Why is it here?  Particularly heinous when referred to on the menu as 'slaw'.  It's really not necessary people, please stop it.
My greatest fear when travelling on our Great British Railways (besides having to use the toilet, obviously) is that I am trapped within smelling distance of someone devouring a coleslaw-laden sandwich from M&S.  And I'm not even sure coleslaw smells.  Maybe it's the power of suggestion.  Shudder.

Here's another picture of my new favourite pub:

FUFF x

Well I Never

I am in my flat.  I have just had fried potatoes for lunch.  That is the homemade equivalent of chips. 
This is not getting my vow of healthy compartmentalised lunches off to a good start (more on that later).  Gads.  I'm going to have to have a cup of tea and a biscuit while I think about what just happened.

So - back to the wonder of London food-based experiences.  Sorry to go on about it but I just need to make mention of Crystal Palace Park Cafe.  I really think people ought to know about this.  You can keep your Savoy Grill.  Get it up ye The Ivy.  This is what I'm talking about.

Eight words which apply to the Crystal Palace Park Cafe:

HEALTHY     LUNCH      FIVE      POUNDS     HALLOUMI      MEZZE     TOTALLY     ACE

Kind of in that order. Here's pictorial evidence:

Himself was beside himself with excitement.  Ok, so his excited face is quite low-key, but he actually felt moved to go up to the wifey at the counter and say the words:  "That was the best lunch I have ever had."           I am not paraphrasing.  Our work colleagues will attest to the fact that even Himself's packed lunches are pretty spectacular, so this was quite a momentous moment.  Unfortunately the woman didn't seem to speak English but hey, I think she got the gist.         

All this and a statue of Guy the Gorilla to ponder on while you're eating. 

I recently discovered that 'Song For Guy' by Elton John was not written about Guy the Gorilla.  Great.  That's another long-held belief blown out the water.

FUFF x

Oh Londinium

Oh Londinium, how I love you so.  It's a shame that a week's rent in London pretty much equals a month's rent in Glasgow.  Ah well.  Six monthly visits will have to do until G&T get that loft converted.  Manny services in exchange for free accomodation.  Ha!
Anyway, I have been moved to post my first blog in OVER A YEAR (again) due to some really rather pleasant eating experiences whilst in The Big Smoke:

Congratulations to Westow House...

Turns out that G&T's new next door 'hood' Crystal Palace is teeming with cool gastropubs (I hate that word) and it was rather a chore having to choose between them for our slap-up 3-course-with-liquers-if-we-have-time-to-squeeze-them-in-before-the-babysitter-misses-her-last-train-dinner.

I know - life's a beeyatch. 

After much mulling over of online menus we plumped for Westow because, quite frankly, you can take the girl out of Motherwell but you can't take Motherwell out of the girl.  Which means I'm a bit of a skinflint when it comes to spending money, even when it's someone else's.  It also means I get excited about half-price tattie scones.

So.  Westow House is CHEAP!  In a good way.  By London standards it's fairly miraculous.  As vulgar as it is I feel I can't stop myself going into the gory details: we are talking change from £120 quid.  For a 3 course meal for four people with booze.  And we had oysters!  I think they may have undercharged us somewhere...

FUFF x

P.S.  we didn't have time for liqueurs before the babysitter had to catch her train.  Plus, I don't think they do them.

Indeed I Do

Dear Wannaburger,

Please will you open a branch in Glasgow (but with less stinky loos)?

Yours sincerely
FUFF  x

Brilliant Brunches

Just a quick 'shout out' to a couple of neighbourhood cafes for their yummy breakfasty/brunchy type loveliness:  Hyndland Cafe (the clue to its whereabouts is in the name) for perfect smoked salmon and scambled egg bagels. Also, the Brooklyn Cafe (it's not actually in Brooklyn, it's in Shawlands!) for a very nice all day breakfast which includes a rather sumptuous fruit pudding.  Yum.

FUFF  x

Heroes and Villians cont.

Ah, yes.  Cottiers. 
How could I forget?  A dining experience so incredibly bad we were given vouchers for a free meal to make up for it.  Don't really have the energy to go into it.  The second visit was an improvement but they're still asking an awful lot of cash in return for very little.  And their mulled wine at Christmas was undrinkable.  Just not on really.

The Wee Curry Shop (Ashton Lane):
Over-rated.  Food very average.  Noisy, badly decorated and atmosphere-free.  Rubbish service to boot.  Give me the Tiffin Rooms any day.

Hah!  Ok, let's move on to the good stuff.  I'll see if I can keep things even.

Roseleaf, Edinburgh:
Lovely food, interesting menu and quirky and comfy surroundings.  Spent a very enjoyable birthday afternoon there with four very nice men.

Cafe Fresh, Dublin:
Enormous portions of vegetarian loveliness.  The carnivore in the family says it was effing ace.

The Bridge House, Maida Vale, London
Extensive menu that's amazingly good value for that neck o the woods.  Experience slightly marred by the fact that the man in charge was a total dick. 

Hmm.  I'm trying to think of some goodies in my hometown.  Places I will be going back to include:
Shandon Belles at the Buttery (as long as they stop putting chorizo in the fish dish!!!!!!)
Stereo - mainly for the sweet potato chips
The Lane - good pizza and very nice hot butter rum
Velvet Elvis - am still trying to get my mits on their salt cod croquettes

There.  Not a totally depressing state of affairs.  Hooray!

FUFF  x

Heroes and Villians

In the words of dear Peaches Geldof, OMG!

It's been almost a year since my last post. I'm not sure why. I suppose life sometimes gets in the way...I feel the only way to deal with this is to do a quick round-up of the culinary heroes and villians of the last financial year, if my poor bedraggled brain can remember that far back.
Shall we do the Villians first? Yes, let's.

Tron Theatre:
Tasteless, over-priced. The only decent thing was the coffee. They charge £10 for a veggie burger which turns out to be the frozen variety from Farmfoods. Nuff said.

Balthassar:
Rave reviews for this recently-opened French eaterie had us thinking it would be the perfect place for a nice pre-Christmas lunch. Wrong! Here's why:
a) RUDE (I could go as far to say 'snooty') waiters providing zilch service; we were asked once during our 2 and a half hour meal if we needed anything (we were only there so long because everything was so painfully slow).
b) The half of the menu consisting of egg-based dishes was off because "the dairy delivery hasn't arrived today". First of all, eggs aren't dairy. Second of all, your restaurant is precisely 100 yards from a shop selling eggs - work it out!
c) The food is very very basic. I imagine they think that because it's a bit 'French' that it's ok to charge posh prices. It's not.
d) Tiny portions.

So there.

Hmm. I know there were plenty more crap restaurant experiences to report but I think I'm going to have to mull it over my (homemade) lunch.

FUFF x