Cafezique, A Christmas Eve Lunch

  I had to go up to Byres Road today to deliver a Stollen I had made to friend, and my husband suggested we walk back to see if Cafezique was busy.  They weren't, so we decided to go in to have a quick lunch before going home to begin Christmas preparations. 
  We weren't immediately seen to, and stood by the door a little awkwardly for a few minutes.  Once we were noticed we asked if we could sit on the mezzanine.  We were led upstairs and sat by the window.  We were the only ones upstairs for a little while and it was nice. 

View from the mezzanine

   Shortly after being seated a different member of staff came over with menus and asked if we would like a beverage.  We both ordered cappuccinos.  These arrived quite promptly, and I must say, it was one of the best coffees I have had in quite some time.

Delightful Cappuccino

  Shortly after our cappuccinos arrived we ordered.  I chose the Smoked Mackerel and Beetroot Pate and my husband chose the The Big Breakfast.  We also got the Bread Bowl with Olive Oil and Balsamic to share.
   It took ages for our order to arrive.  I actually watched my pate and the bread bowl on the hot plate for about15 minutes before my husbands food was prepared.  I was beginning to worry about the state of the bead on the plates.  Eventually our food arrived, and I must say, the pate serving was huge.  For 5.95, and as a starter, I was expecting something on a smaller scale.  Thank goodness I chose not to order anything else.  I had enough trouble getting through my pate.  It was delicious though.  I adore smoked mackerel, and beetroot.  Two of my favourite things in fact.  The pate was magenta in colour, which I must say,  I wholeheartedly  approved of.  It was just interesting to look at.  The menu said that it came with toast, but it was just Delizique bread plain and untoasted.  This was alright by me at this time, as I just had some dental work done.  Much easier to eat.  I managed to eat most of it, and I would order it again.

Smoked Mackerel and Beetroot Pate.

  The bread bowl was tasty.  It came with four slices of bread and a dish of olive oil and a dish of balsamic.  The balsamic was delicious, and the olive oil very fruity.  I can never pass on a bread bowl with oil and balsamic.

Bread Bowl.

  My husbands big breakfast was delicious.  It came with a piece of toast, scrambled eggs, black pudding, two sausages, bacon, beans, potato scone, mushroom and tomato.  He ate the entire plate.  I tried some of the eggs and the black pudding.  They were delicious.

Big Breakfast

 It was a very nice Christmas lunch,  just what we needed actually.  I need to go back in the new year for their dinner menu as I've only ever been in for their breakfast/lunch menu.

M.

The Festive Dinner

  As Christmas is fast approaching, I thought it would be nice to go dine on one of the many festive menus available in Glasgow this month.   I chose La Vallee Blanche.  Their menu appealed to me the most.  There  was Christmas crackers on every table, and a Christmas tree seen the moment you walk in.  Originally we were going to be sat at a table by the wall, but as we were about to sit the manger on duty decided to sit us at one of the round corner booths.  These booths are my favourite place to sit.  They're a bit more private, and usually for larger tables.  I was very pleased.  As we were looking at the menus and about to order champagne we were brought over two glasses of Perrier Jouet.  On the house because it was the festive season, or so we were told.  I thought it was a nice gesture.

This was the back of the Festive Menu.

 When it came time to order I had trouble choosing between the starters.  I liked the sound of all of them.  In the end I went for the Warm Salad of Wood Pigeon, roast young turnip and Candied Beetroot, Sherry Dressing.  My husband went with the Cream of Parsnip Soup, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Pumpkin Seed Oil.  For our mains, there was only one choice for me.  I went with the Guinea Fowl Breast, Pommes Puree, Roast Parsnips, Baby Onions and Chestnuts with a Puy Lentil Sauce.  My husband went with the special, a 10oz Chateaubriand.
As we waited for our starters to come, our amuse-bouche arrived.  It was a Hot Smoked Salmon Rillet on Crisp toast.  The amuse-bouche was delicious.

Hot Smoked Salmon Rillet.

  Shortly after our table was cleared, the starters arrived.  They both looked amazing.  My pigeon salad was beautiful.  The pigeon was perfectly cooked, just a little on the rare side.  The candied beet root was perfect.  The turnip was delicious, and the radish was crisp and delightful.  The walnuts were toasted to perfection.  I also found that the pigeon dipped in my husbands soup was amazing!

Warm Pigeon Salad.

  The parsnip soup was amazing.  It was my second choice for a starter.  I almost wished i had chosen it for myself.  It was perfectly seasoned.  It was creamy and sweet.  The pumpkin seeds went perfectly.  I could easily have had this soup as a main course.

Cream of Parsnip Soup.

  The mains arrived in good time.  My guinea fowl looked amazing.  The pommes puree was perfectly smooth, the parsnips were sweet and delicious, the chestnuts were just amazing.  The fowl itself was perfectly cooked.  It was juicy and the skin perfectly seasoned.  The puy lentil sauce was the perfect companion.

Guinea Fowl Breast.

  The Chateaubriand I did not try.  It was a generous portion. It was ordered medium rare.  It came with a small fondant potato, green beans, mushrooms and roasted shallot.  It also came with a small jug of a jus of some sort.  The entire Chateaubriand was consumed, and very much enjoyed.

10oz Chateaubriand.

  As we were both very full after our meal, we decided to share a dessert.  We went with the Winter Fruit Salad, Pedro Ximinez jellies, Almonds and Granny Smith Sorbet.  The salad looked amazing.  It contained cinnamon poached apples and pears, blackberries, blueberries orange segments and a micro-herb of some sort.  There was a sesame seed tuile in the sorbet.  The jellies, which intrigued me the most, was the only part of the dish I did not enjoy.  The jellies just tasted a bit too licorice like for me.  The rest of the dish was amazing.  The sorbet was airy and the apple flavour shone through.  The apples and pears were delicious.  The blackberries and the blueberries were sweet and delicious, and the oranges were just tart enough.  The tuile was crisp and delicious.  I do love sesame seeds.  Unfortunately we could not finish it.  We were just too full.

Winter Fruit Salad.

  I must say I was very impressed with my festive meal.  I was also so very happy to get to eat on one of the many available at this moment.  Five stars once again La Vallee Blanche!

M.

One to Consider....Cottier's

   I had never really thought of Cottier's as a place to go for a nice meal.  I knew of its existence only as a pub.  It is located not that far from where I live, and it is nice to know that a place like it lives within walking distance.  

   The first thing you have to know about Cottier's, is that it is in an old church.  It is as beautiful on the inside as it is on the out.  The main doors lead you into the pub area.  There is plenty of tables and booths for dining on the pub menu.  The pub menu is quite varied.  It would suit those that wanted a quick sandwich, or a full three course meal.  I, however had my table booked in the main dining room upstairs.

  The first thing you will notice about the dining room upon entering is the ceiling.  The ceiling is vaulted and completely covered in gold leaf.  The lights in the iron cages hanging from the ceilings cause the gold to shimmer slightly.  It's quite beautiful.  There are two fireplaces in the room, but neither work.  They are beautiful focal points though. 

  We were give our menus and with them the wine list.  The list is a bit disappointing.  There is not a lot of choice, but it is a small place after all.  My husband chose the wine, red of course.  Sadly I cannot remember its name, as it left no lasting impression on me.  The menu itself is of Scottish cuisine.

  When it came time to order I was  bit torn in my choices.  Luckily, when it came to the starters my husband ordered the option I opted out on.  I had the Guinea Fowl and Pistachio Terrine as my starter, and my husband ordered the Cullen Skink Veloute.   For our mains I was torn between the Butternut Squash Gratin and the Pan-Fried Salmon Fillet.  I went for the Salmon in the end.  My husband ordered the Braised Shoulder of Lamb, though he was also tempted by the gratin.  

   As we waited for our starters we were brought bread with an olive oil and balsamic dip.  The bread was delicious, but there was too much oil in the dish to actually reach the balsamic.  This disappointed me, as I love balsamic and could just have it on my bread, no oil.  Shortly after we finished out bread our starters appeared.   My terrine came with confit red peppers and I think an avocado mousse.  The terrine was nice.  The peppers sweet and the mousse delightful.  The flavours complemented each other nicely.  The terrine contained bits of guinea fowl breast which was perfectly cooked.  It was well enjoyed.

Guinea Fowl Terrine

 
  
    My Husbands Cullen Skink veloute came with a pan fried haddie fishcake with herb oil.  It smelled amazing.  It was one of the best cullen skinks I have ever tasted.  The fishcake was amazing.  The entire bowl, which was of a very generous size, was finished.  It actually made me regret my choice.  So I know what I will be having the next time I am in.

Cullen Skink Veloute

 
   As we waited for our mains I noticed that you could hear the kitchen quite well.  Personally this does not bother me, but I know it can bother some diners.  One must keep in mind that it is a small area.  The kitchen itself is tiny, so it's not surprising that the sounds can be heard in the dining room.  The noise itself was rally only noticeable as the staff were coming in and out, and the fact that the dining room itself was mostly empty and very quiet didn't really help either.  I'm sure once the restaurant begins to make a name for itself, and the dining room fills up, the kitchen sounds would hardly register.

   Our mains appeared piping hot.  My salmon looked delicious, and my husbands lamb...well I dislike lamb, but the veggies that came with it looked amazing.

   My salmon was described on the menu as, Pan-fried Salmon fillet, marinated tomato salad with lemon and dill creme fraiche.  It was very pretty to look at.  Though at first I thought it looked quite small.  Silly little me.  The salmon itself was perfectly cooked.  The skin was so crispy and perfectly seasoned.  I usually only eat salmon skin when it's in my maki rolls, but this skin was too good to pass up.  The creme fraiche was very tasty, and went so well with the salmon.  The tomato salad tasted almost like it had been just slightly roasted.  It was lovely.  There was also a salad of rocket and watercress sitting on the fillet.  Though shortly after my thoughts of the dish being small, I began to feel quite full.  I tend to forget that, though I love salmon, it does not love me.  Salmon is just too rich for me, and I always forget this.  I just love it so.  So, unfortunately I was unable to finish my meal. 

Pan-fried Salmon fillet

My husbands lamb was described as a, Braised shoulder of Lamb with roast pumpkin puree and roast parsnips.  I ate one of the parsnips, and it was delicious.  Parsnips are one of my favourite vegetables.  I love them cooked in almost every way.  I wished to try the pumpkin puree, but it had been touched by the lamb jus.  The lamb was perfectly cooked.  It was very tender, and flavourful. The pumpkin complemented the meat nicely, and the jus was perfect.

Braised shoulder of Lamb

 

Now we were both terribly full after our mains, but there was one dessert that caught my eye.  I wanted very much to try it, and so did my husband.  So we decided to get one to share.  I also ordered a white coffee to warm me before going out into the cold.  We ordered the Chocolate, Orange and Glayva Creme Brulee.  When the brulee appeared it was huge.  It also came with a ball of a berry(?) ice cream in a brandy basket.  The ice cream was quite nice, and the creme brulee was perfect.  We were unable to finish it though.  It was just too rich after the meal.

Chocolate, Orange and Glayva Creme Brulee

   I am very pleased to have finally eaten at Cottier's.  It was a very enjoyable evening, and I do hope that the word gets out and business picks up.  The staff are wonderful, the food fantastic, and the atmosphere cozy.

M.

Yo Sushi, A Quick Lunch

  Now there's nothing too exciting about this post.  Nothing very special happened, and the food was pretty basic.  However, it's Yo! Sushi and I love it there.  I always enjoy my meal, and I always eat too much.

   On this particular day all of my plans fell through.  I was in the city centre and freezing.  My husband and I just happened to pass and see that it was quite quiet inside.  We were sat right away in a booth, which I prefer to the bar.  We both asked for cups of green tea to help us warm up.  The tea we received immediately to the delight of my cold cold hands.
    The first item to be removed from the belt was, as always, the edamame beans.  I love them.  They are just lightly salted and perfectly sweet.  The husband is not a fan so I get them to myself.

Edamame Beans

 



    Next I grabbed a Tamago which is a sweet Japanese omelette.  I adore the tamago.  It's one of my favourite things in Japanese cuisine. Once again, my husband does not enjoy this particular dish.

Delightful Tamago

 

   Shortly after I finished my tamago,the husband pulled the beef nigiri off the belt.  The beef is quite rare and has a dollop of mayo in the centre. This is one of his favourites off the belt, but is one I am not a fan of.  

Beef Nigiri

   We then decided to order a few hot items that we did not see coming around the belt.  We each ordered a dish of the Pumpkin Korroke, my husband order the Chili Beef Udon from their winter menu and I ordered the Crab Onigiri. As we waited for our items an item came along on the belt.  A favoured item.  The one item we both could eat until we died.  The Grilled Eel Nigiri.  This is my all time favourite sushi item from Yo Sushi.  The sweet glaze with the perfectly cooked eel is delightful. We adore it, and were thrilled to see it come along.

Grilled Eel Nigiri

   Shortly after the eel was devoured our pumpkin appeared, as did my husbands hot soup.  I adore the pumpkin korroke.  It's another one of those items that I just cannot get enough of.  It's a purred pumpkin mixture with onions and I honestly don't know what else.  This mixture is breaded in panko crumbs, and fried until crisp.  It is then drizzled with a fruity katsu sauce.  I could drink the katsu sauce.  I really could.  It is delightful!

Pumpkin Korroke

  Now for the Chili Beef Udon.  Now as I am not a fan of red meat, I did not try it personally.  It was gobbled though.  He normally gets the duck version, but he now prefers the beef.  The broth had more flavour, and the meat was a better quality.

Chili Beef Udon

   Now, you may be wondering about my Crab Onigiri.  Well, it never arrived.  When we asked a different member of staff about it we were told that they didn't have any.  I was so disappointed.  It sounded so tasty, and I was so looking forward to it.  I ended up ordering another dish of the pumpkin korroke.  So there was a bit of miscommunication amongst the staff on that day. 
   After I finished my second helping of pumpkin and my husband his second helping of beef nigiri, it was time for dessert.  We always get the Dorayaki.  This is a Japanese pancake with a custard filling and is served with a raspberry coulis.  It is so delightful.  Very simple, but my favourite Yo! dessert.

Dorayaki

   This was one of our better dining experiences at Yo! Sushi.  Not to say that they are ever bad.  We always enjoy our food, it was just the best experience we have had in awhile.  Even though I missed out on my crab!

M.