We’ve reached the middle of June already. Not quite sure how that happened so quickly, but here we are. This means it’s time for me to summarises all the new places I’ve been visiting. Somehow, this post is very west end heavy and covers a bit of Finnieston, Byres road and Kelvinbridge area. I’m very excited about this post because it also features one of the best restaurants I’ve been to in Glasgow in general, the highly praised Alchemilla. I’m really pleased to finally be sharing my thoughts on it with you! You’ll also notice that I’ve featured Crossing the Rubicon again as they have a new menu so I thought it’s time to update my previously unfavourable review.
Silla Korean – Finnieston – Korean Food/Dinner
I have been eyeing up Silla every time I’ve walked past, and since I quite enjoy good Korean food it’s been on my list to try. Their menu has a number of well known Korean dishes, such as a variety of Korean pancakes , Bibimbap, a smaller selection than expected of Korean Fried Chicken (but they had it on the special the day we were there so it might be available more often than I think) and various noodle, rice, meat and hot pot dishes. I opted for the Korean Fried Chicken, special on the day, spring onion Korean pancakes, while my friends had the Kimchi Jigae (spicy Korean hot pot), a kimchi pancake and a few other small dishes to share.
Overall we were quite pleased with the food at Silla. The portions were plentiful, the pancakes very tasty and my Korean Fried Chicken was crunchy and the Kimchi Jigae was spic and sour. The restaurant itself is casual, with a selection of Korean drinks (as well as your standard beer and wine).
- ££: About £20 pp, drinks included. Not too bad and similar in price to other Korean restaurants in Glasgow.
- Good for Korean food, casual dining, ok for groups (but I suspect you should book in advance as the space is small).
Crossing the Rubicon (update: new menu) – Kelvinbridge – Pizza & Craft Beer/Dinner
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you will know that I’m not Crossing the Rubicon’s biggest fan (often disagreeing with other bloggers on this). I’ve had some pretty unimpressive food there and some pretty bad experiences (mind the time they served food containing gluten to my Coeliac friend and handled the complaint quite poorly…). So if it wasn’t for their spectacular Sunday night quiz I’m not sure I would have gone back after the last visit a few months back.
However, I’m pleased that we did go back as their new menu is a MASSIVE improvement to the Indian they were serving before. I’m still not sure how I feel about their Italian-Germanic fusion and German-inspired pizza toppings, however, the pizza I did try (spicy nduja) was actually pretty good. They also have a good selection of sauces (the beer sauce and the garlic mayo are great) and side dishes. The side dishes are probably the weakest point of the menu. They are all priced at £3 (which is okay) but are somewhat random. For example, who needs a bowl of chillies which is the same amount as a salad?! They could improve their side options by offering the larger sides (pickle salad, arancini etc) for £3 and having smaller portions for things like the chillies and olives for example. Overall, pleased to see the restaurant improving!
The pizzas are fluffy, with plenty of toppings and quite tasty. We have been back for more since that visit and tried a couple different ones. Still think this is my favourite one but my curiosity about their German-Italian fusion has now increased…
- ££: Inexpensive, pizzas start from under £3 and it’s very decent;
- Good for: pizza, craft beer and casual dining. Check out their Sunday night quiz by Sir James.
- Avoid if: You are Gluten-free (Adding this there because they don’t have GF options and are not well informed/haven’t been well informed in the past).
Alchemilla – Finnieston – Dinner
This restaurant was so good it deserved a full review in its own right. You can read the full review here. To summarise – it’s simple food, cooked deliciously, using only the ingredients it needs. No need to over complicate when you have chefs that understand their ingredients so well. The restaurant serves Mediterranean inspired food, with seasonal ingredients, which can be washed down with tasty cocktails or natural wine. This has made it to the top of my favourite places to eat in Glasgow.
- ££: Moderately pricey but well worth it. Our bill came to about £30 pp with 5 dishes to share and a drink each.
- Good for: special occasions or when you simply want to celebrate fantastic food. Must try!
Kember and Jones – Byres Rd (West End) – Breakfast + Coffee & Cake
Finally, we have what I consider to be a West End Institution, having been opened for about 14 years. This is one of the first places I got to know with my mother and sister when we moved to Glasgow about 11 years ago and it holds a special place in our ‘history’. It’s still somewhat of a tradition that if the three of us are in Glasgow we will head there for waffles and coffee.
I had two visits to Kember & Jones in the past week, one with a friend for coffee and cake (yes, waffles count as cake…) and one for a very late breakfast with my mother (perhaps it was lunch…). Over the years we’ve seen K&J change and expand both in size (though unfortunately, part of their shop has gone now to make room for more tables) and in food options. I feel that the change is for the better and am pleased to see more on their menu. Their deli counter is always delightful in its own right with many options of fresh bread available for purchase. As for their cake offering, you can expect very large slices of cake to go with your tea or coffee.
- ££: Breakfast around £7 pp, reasonably priced.
- Good for: coffee, cake, brunch, lunch.
2nd half of June coming up soon. Look out for it in early July.
Food Notes 