Photo of
May 13, 2019

After ten years, the restaurant in Blythswood Square hotel has been completely revamped. Following on from a big bucks refurbishment, it officially re-opens this Wednesday as Bo & Birdy.

The old black and red colour scheme of the former Restaurant at the Blythswood was very dramatic.

The new lighter and brighter colour scheme of Bo & Birdy is more airy and spacious but it still has a dash of theatricality to it. (Main pic above by Gerardo Jaconelli) 

As well as an open pass, the space is dominated by a gorgeous island bar which is decked out with an eye-catching fish scale motif. An array of different decanters run around the top of the bar glinting in the light.

The Bar by night.

The Bar by night.

The staff are all neat but casual in Paisley pattern shirts.

It feels less formal than before. Still smart but a bit more relaxed.

The same could be said of the cooking. At various times over the last ten years, the menus at the old Restaurant at the Blythswood often featured quite complex dishes.

The current menu, devised by Executive Chef Gillian Matthews, is a bit more straight-down-the-line. More easily recognisable.

Farm to fabulous

The new restaurant's motto is 'farm to fabulous' and the idea seems to be to take great Scottish ingredients and let their flavours speak for themselves. Nothing here feels overworked or tweezered to death.

Instead, it is honest, simple and satisfying.

Typical starters might be the garden pea risotto with barbecued asparagus and a crispy egg or the Orkney scallop ceviche with pink grapefruit and fennel.

The large plates include chicken from St Brides with gnocchi, wild garlic and spinach or a bone-in sirloin with a peppercorn sauce.

Scottish produce

As well as St Brides poultry farm, other Scottish producers such as Ardunan Farm are highlighted in the menu.

The 5pm Dining blog was invited along for the preview night. We ate from a simplified version of the a la carte. This is what we had:

Green pea soup with smoked bacon.

Green pea soup with smoked bacon.

Ardunan Farm pork pie with pickles and mustard.

Ardunan Farm pork pie with pickles and mustard.

Designed for sharing, the filling in the Bo & Birdy shortcrust pie changes regularly. This one was filled with melting brisket and served with truffle and Parmesan skin-on fries. It was epic. And yes, it is a proper pie with a gorgeously soggy base that had soaked up the meaty goodness of the brisket.

Designed for sharing, the filling in the Bo & Birdy shortcrust pie changes regularly. This one was filled with melting brisket and served with truffle and Parmesan skin-on fries. It was epic. And yes, it is a proper pie with a gorgeously soggy base that had soaked up the meaty goodness of the brisket.

Salted caramel and glazed banana.

Salted caramel and glazed banana.

Lemon curd tart.

Lemon curd tart.

We wish Bo & Birdy every success!