Friday night and the 2nd of our Michelin and Bib Gourmand reviews in Scotland, was Stravaigin in Glasgow . Stravaigin is located in Glasgow's trendy West end near Kelvinbridge . Dont be fooled by the surroundings or nearby eateries that this is just another pub/come diner - You would be very very wrong !
Stravaigin means to roam or wander about and derives from the Ulster /Scot generation of settlers. The Chefs here utilise their namesake in creating their imaginative menus using only the best and very freshest of Scotland's Larder. They even have their own small holding farm in Lochlibo , south west Glasgow where they grow and nurture some of their most unusual ingredients .
Stravaigin is a sister Restaurant to the well known "Ubiquitous Chip" in Ashton Lane dating back to the days of Ronnie Clydesdale in the seventies. They are still a famiy run affair with Chef Colin Clydesdale at the helm.
Anyhow i digress as usual , i was here for the food and i was not disappointed . You are led downstairs into a rustic dining setting passing the Chefs pass as you enter the Restaurant . I absolutely loved the decor and informal dress code was a must , no pretentiousness here .
Every single waiter and waitress that we met was charming , informative and eager to stress the love of working at Stravaigin.
I started with quite possibly one of the best first courses i have had in a long time - Smoked Salmon Tartare . It had a very subtle horseradish mousse with hints of orange and crunchy pomegranate. I actually cant express how delicate and beautifuly balanced all the flavours were - bursting with individuality . Superb. My main course was a snobs disdain with another fish course ( But its January -think of my diet ) and it was Sea Bream in a bean cassoulet . It was also excellent but the photographs would not have done it justice . The dessert course was separated with the most amazing lemon sorbet . Dessert was a caramel tart with all components on the plate handmade ( As you would expect but dont always recieve ) The apple and cinnamon ice cream was inspired . I have to say i am not surprised that a Bib Gourmand rating has been given to this eaterie every year since 2012.
What i actually loved the most, as a confirmed foodaholic, was the absolute relaxation to be able to enjoy food at this standard in a relaxed , unpretentious way and not overcharged for the privilege either . Absolutely brilliant from start to finish!
