“Hidden gem” is an overused phrase and one we are guilty of exploiting when describing our restaurants on 5pm.
But it is difficult to think of a place that more perfectly fits that description than 10 Restaurant & Bar in Glasgow’s South Side.
The restaurant is situated within Number 10 Hotel, a gorgeous Victorian Building at the edge of Queen’s Park on leafy Queen’s Drive.
If you came across the hotel you may admire its beautiful exterior but assume the restaurant inside to be a standard hotel fare, of which you would be mistaken.
Six months ago the kitchen was taken over by brothers John and Gordon Wright, the former who has worked at a Michelin star restaurant in Brussels as well as Glasgow’s Brian Maule at Chardon d’Or.
The two have ambitious plans for 10 Restaurant & Bar.
Ambitious plans
“At the moment it’s just getting the place up to the standard we want,” John said. ‘We feel now we are at a good place then we can run with it.”
“We’re going to ask the AA Rosette people to come out and judge us. If we could get a rosette from them, that would be amazing. If not, we just keep going and keep trying to get it.”
“It took a while for us to get to where we wanted to be. To begin with, the restaurant was just in-house guests, people who were at a function, but the last four months it has really picked up and we are finding people are coming solely for the food.”
“We are starting to get a name within the industry. When we speak to people within the industry, we hear:” “Number 10, Number 10.” Its good.”
Adventurous dishes and local suppliers
The brothers have recently updated the restaurant’s a la carte menu which features adventurous dishes such as the “deconstructed Cullen skink”. “When you see Cullen skink, you think “soup” so we stripped it back to the bare bone and what ingredients are in Cullen skink: leek, potatoes, onion, smoked haddock,” John said. “So, we have smoked haddock courgettes with a leek puree, some baby fondant potatoes, some braised baby leek and potato foam. We are bringing these modern techniques to the south side.”
“Another popular fish dish is the plaice paupiette with smoked salmon. The Paupette is rolled in pastry and baked for 16 minutes. It’s really nice.”
“We also have a bar, so we have a bar classic menu doing things like burgers, steak pie, fish and chips, everything you want in a bar, but its all produced in the kitchen made fresh from scratch. Nothing is bought in.”
The menu also focuses on fresh seasonal produce bought from local suppliers. Meat is bought from William Christie and Son butcher, fruit and vegetables from McClouds at Glasgow Fruitmarket and all the restaurant’s fish come from fishmonger Alan Beveridge in the nearby Southside.
“Using local producers is something Gordon and I really believe in,” John said. “We go out to farmers markets, we go to Edenmill at Loch Lomond. We are looking at getting into the Scottish Beef Club. All our food can be traced back locally.”
Valentine’s in Glasgow
][3]And, of course, 10 Restaurant & Bar is an ideal location for a romantic Valentine’s meal in Glasgow’s south side. ““Everything we are offering is intimate,” John said. “It’s a great small venue, quite romantic, with great views of the park. It is a nice setting.”
“We have a created a tailored Valentine’s menu which includes fish, chicken, beef and a vegetarian option so every taste is catered to. The chocolate brownie dessert is a great Valentine’s treat too.”
Just for 5pm John showed us how to cook a chocolate fondant with butterscotch sauce so you can bring a taste of 10 Restaurant & Bar to your own kitchen.
£24.95 for 3 courses on Valentines menu + sparkling Valentines cocktail, plus more offers, at 10 Restaurant & Bar on 5pm.