When we rounded up the dishes we believe every real Glaswegian should try once in their life the thing that struck us is how many of them were a classic dish subverted by a truly Glasgow twist. Buckfast infused burger? Haggis pakora? Glasgow tapas? You’ll find them all on the list below. How many have you ticked off?
Glasgow tapas from Guy’s
Guy’s Glasgow tapas is a bit like Guy himself; a bit cheeky but secure in the knowledge that just because it doesn’t take itself too seriously doesn’t mean it isn’t of a very high standard. Glasgow tapas is such a genius idea we don’t understand why no one else thought of it before; mini portions of steak pie, mince and tatties and MacSween’s haggis and chips. Having cooked for years on films sets for a listers such as Sean Connery and Jennifer Aniston, chef Guy knows his stuff and we think his Glasgow tapas is a particularly cute treat for visitors to the city.
£13.95 for 2 courses on pre-theatre menu + glass of wine at Guy’s on 5pm Dining.
Puff candy meringue from The Sisters
Chef Jacqueline D’Donnell may have appeared with other celebrity chefs on BBC show the Great British Menu, as well as host her own cookery show on STV Glasgow, but The Sisters restaurants in Jordanhill and Kelvingrove are her bread and butter and where Glaswegians get to try her delicious Scottish creations. The menus in the The Sisters change with the seasons to reflect the finest local produce but a staple on the dessert menu is the puff candy meringue with honeycomb ice cream & hot butterscotch sauce . “Years ago the dish was briefly taken off the menu only to be met with outrage so there it has remained to this day,” Jacqueline said. “It’s rather amusing to watch guests scan down the menu to the pudding section to see if it’s there and then determine what they will eat first to ensure they leave room!”
£12 for 3 courses on set lunch menu at The Sisters Kelvingrove and The Sisters Jordanhill on 5pm Dining.
Haggis pakora from the Ashoka
If Glasgow was to be represented by one type of cuisine it would surely be Indian. Four time winner and four time runner up of the Curry Capital of Britain Award, more than any other city in the UK, the wealth of curry houses in the city are proof of Glasgow’s curry credentials. Which perhaps makes the Ashoka’s haggis pakora the most fitting Scottish/Indian fusion and unsurprisingly a relentlessly popular dish on their menu. Learn how to make haggis pakora from an Ashoka chef on our YouTube channel.
£9.95 for 2 courses on a la carte menu at Ashoka Ashton Lane, £10.95 for 2 courses on pre-theatre menu + glass of wine at Ashoka West End, £9.95 for 2 courses on a la carte menu at Ashoka Bearsden, 20% a la carte discount at Ashoka Cook School.
Dumplings from Chop Chop
Chop Chop, a popular Edinburgh Chinese restaurant which recently expanded west has already made a big impact on Glasgow’s restaurant scene. You may be overwhelmed at the all you can eat rolling buffet but make sure to site aside enough space in your tummy for the dumplings. The story behind Chop Chop’s dumplings reads like Chinese folklore; Jian an accomplished dumpling maker within her family’s food company arrives in Edinburgh, begins selling dumplings to Chinese supermarkets, expands to mainstream supermarkets, wins awards for her dumplings and opens two restaurants in Edinburgh and then a third in Glasgow.
£7.50 for an unlimited banquet lunch at Chop Chop on 5pm Dining.
Monster burger from Ad Lib
Monster is something of an understatement for Ad Lib’s gut busting burger which contains three pounds of Aberdeen Angus beef, three beef tomatoes, two onions, two gherkins, a quarter of a lettuce and one pound of cheese with the whole thing the equivalent of seven regular burgers. If you can eat it in less than two hours you get it for free (it usually costs £35) as well as a t shirt proudly declaring you as a winner. Defeating the monster burger is not as easy task and not many have done it but those who do earn major bragging rights. An enticing prospect for any true burger fan/self confessed gannet.
£12.95 for 2 courses on Denver menu at Ad Lib City Centre and Ad Lib Merchant City (unsurprisingly the Monster Burger is not included in this offer but other delicious burgers are).
Bucky burger from Arches Cafe Bar
Only a Glasgow restaurant would be cheeky enough to serve a burger cooked in the least sophisticated of alcohol tipples: Buckfast Tonic Wine. Arches Cafe Bar’s Bucky Burger is a pork burger infused in Buckfast and soy reduction served with hand cut chips, root vegetable coleslaw and a pickle. The Bucky Burger is no gimmick – it is actually delicious – and we love how the Arches have taken a negative connotation of Glasgow and reinvented it in a juicy burger form.
20% a la carte discount at Arches Cafe Bar on 5pm Dining.
Do you think there’s any Glasgow bucket list dishes we’ve missed out? Share your suggestions in the comments section below.