Thursday 28 July 2016

Square Eyes Film Club, Blythswood Square Hotel


I recently went to a thing called 'Square Eyes Film Club' at Blythswood Square Hotel. So what is this club I hear you ask? Well you get to have afternoon tea in the luxurious surrounds of the Blythswood Square Hotel and then you go to their private cinema to watch a film. They are running events for children and for adults over the next few months. As I type this there are just two more childrens events scheduled (for August) and a number of adult ones (which run into September). For the kids movie if you pay one adult full price, a child goes free (children are classed as under 16s and will receive the 'little darlings' afternoon tea). Tickets are priced at £32 per person. We were a party of 4, 2 adults and 2 children so for four of us to have afternoon tea and to see a movie it was £64, which I thought was great value. I'm not doing an actual review on afternoon tea here as I just wanted to sit back and enjoy it rather than having to take loads of photos and critique everything (and I'm not sure if the kids would have the patience for me to take photos of their food before they could eat it). 

Afternoon tea kicks off at 1pm which you have in the Salon. Once seated we were given our menu's which just itemises what will come out on your platter. For the 'little darlings' afternoon tea you are provided with a list of fillings for the sandwiches and the kids can pick which ones they prefer and they can pick whether they wast brown or white bread. We had the nicest waiter whose name I didn't get but he was great. He brought us down the the tea selection for us to choose which tea we wanted. The tea was beautifully presented in box - you were able to open each variety to have a smell to see if you liked it. 

Next up the food was brought out and as you can see from the photos the food looked great. I had asked for a gluten free afternoon tea which looked just as good as the regular one. Everything tasted great. This is the adult afternoon tea:-
And this is the 'little darlings' afternoon tea:-

Once we were finished stuffing our faces we were brought down to the cinema to see the screening of Inside Out. We had all seen this movie before but had loved it so we were looking forward to seeing it again. We were actually the only ones in the cinema so it was like our own personal screening. The seats are great, so comfy. And just in case you didn't eat and drink enough at afternoon tea you are offered popcorn and a drink at the cinema. I refrained from both as the afternoon tea was my treat but the others all went for the popcorn.

As I said, I'm not doing a full review but below I list the high and low points. 

High Points

  • The atmosphere and service from our waiter. Whilst I might have thought that a luxury hotel wouldn't be very child friendly, this was completely inaccurate. Our waiter was great with Sam who is 6 - in fairness the waiter was great with everyone.
  • The cost - for four of us to have afternoon tea and cinema 'tickets' I thought the price of the tickets were extremely reasonable.
  • The food was lovely.
  • It was great to be able to involve the kids in something that is generally classed as an 'adult' event.

Low Points
  • To be honest the low points started when I was trying to book - I felt like it took a couple of days to get it all sorted. Now that might have been my fault as I used email rather than just picking up a phone - but they provide an email address as well as a phone number so it should be easy to do it no matter what way you choose to book.
  • When we arrived there seemed to be some confusion with reception staff and then that confusion continued when we were greeted upstairs. Staff didn't seem to be aware of the package that the hotel was offering. 
  • I asked for no fish in my sandwiches - there was a sandwich on my platter with salmon in it (once I pointed this out it was rectified).
  • As I as having the gluten free version my ice cream came in a small bowl rather than in a cone - no spoon was provided for me to eat my ice cream - not a big issue as I used my spoon from my tea - but if you are selling luxury I would expect to get a fresh spoon.

Last Words
I know it might appear that my low points outweigh my high points, however I really did enjoy my square eyes film club experience. It is a great concept. I know I mentioned it above but our waiter was great and really made the experience for us. I really do think that this is something you should head along to. You can check out more about the club by clicking here

Thanks a mil for reading.

Emma mai xx





   

Tuesday 26 July 2016

Topical Post:- Do online restaurant reviews have an impact on consumer decision making?


A while ago I saw a post on Twitter by @mattyosull who was researching restauranteurs opinions of online reviews. Given that I review restaurants and post the reviews to my blog I naturally was very interested in this. I contacted Matthew and asked him could I see the results of the survey once completed and he said I could. He also informed me that he had done a survey targeting consumers in an attempt to ascertain how online reviews impact consumer decision making and he forwarded me the results. Matthew is Dublin based and I'm presuming most people who took the survey were Irish, but I believe that the results are probably indicative of any big city.

After reviewing the results of Matthew's survey I contacted him with a few questions and in particular I wanted to know what was the background or reason to the survey. Matthew stated that he loves to eat out and he uses online review sites to research restaurants before he goes to them. He said he found some reviews questionable and coupled with the increasing media coverage about online review sites getting into trouble for not doing enough to combat fake reviews he started to think wouldn't it be great if there was an online review site that only showed verified reviews?

So what did Matthew's research show?



  • 67.3% of those surveyed use online review sites to research restaurants before attending;
  • of that figure 92.9% say that an online reviews has a lot of influence or some influence on the restaurant that they choose to go to; 
  • 75.7% said the authenticity of the online review was something they considered;
  • 80% said negative reviews are more likely to make them avoid going to a restaurant with 92.9% saying that positive reviews are more likely going to make them go to a restaurant;
  • 20% said they avoided going to a restaurant because they thought the online reviews were fake;
  • 58.6% of people felt that online review sites could do more to verify the authenticity of the people who write online reviews and 38.6% responded by saying they weren't sure;
  • 85.7% of people said they would prefer to read restaurant reviews on a site that only showed verified reviews from real customers, and
  • 87.1% said that reading verified restaurant reviews would give them more confidence in choosing what restaurants to go to.
Matthew asked other questions that I didn't cover here so if you would like to see the actual results please contact me on emma@emmaeats.co.uk or if you would like to get in touch with Matthew drop me a mail and I was forward on his contact details.

So what do I make of this research?

When I was living in Dublin I would never have relied on the big international online resources - I would have initially used menupages.ie. However, in latter years I relied mainly on social media and word of mouth. As I lived and worked in the city centre it was always easy to spot the new restaurants. When I first started coming over to Glasgow I automatically went to food bloggers or an online review site with regular contributors to see what was hot and what was not in Glasgow. I feel that having looked through a bloggers page you can see how passionate they are about food and how authentic they are. But I'm a big foodie and I would give hours and hours a day just checking out what places I should eat in, which means I don't mind spending time on bloggers pages. However, it would appear that more and more people are relying on recommendations from the bigger online resources - I suppose it may be easier to find the top ten restaurants in a given location and read a shorter synopsis of a review.


However, it is very interesting to see the increased reliance on online review sites on where to eat! I am particularly looking forward to seeing the outcome of Matthews research into restauranteurs views on online reviewers - so far I have had a mixed bag of reactions (even to good reviews not just the bad ones).

Watch this space ...





Monday 25 July 2016

No 22 Bar and Grill, Ayr, Ayrshire


I've been doing a lot of travelling recently so when we decided to go out for brunch on a lazy Sunday morning I wanted to stay local. A reader of my blog had contacted me and told me that I should try out No 22 Bar and Grill in Ayr so I decided that today was the day. I had looked at the menu and thought it sounded nice but other than that I knew nothing else about the restaurant. 

When we arrived the restaurant wasn't overly busy so thankfully they were able to give us a table. We were shown to our table and given our menus. 

Food
We were given two menus; the Sunday out for less menu and the a la carte menu. There are so many things on menu - nearly too much choice, it was so hard to actually pick something. The Sunday out for less menu has a brunch section, small plates section (which had dishes such as soup, pate croquettes), and a large plates section (which had a Sunday roast, chicken salad, pizza), and of course they also had a dessert section. The a la carte menu has your usual starters and mains, such as steak, burgers, skewers, pizza etc. 

Both Mr EmmaEats and I decided to order off the brunch section on the Sunday out for less menu. I went for the brunch burrito (without the burrito & cheese, I know there is always one fussy eater at a table) & surprisingly enough Mr EE went for the No22 full breakfast - he tries to tell me that he only gets a full breakfast for a treat but I'm guessing if I were to go back through all my posts he would mainly order the full breakfast for brunch. 

My brunch burrito is described as scrambled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, fresh salsa served with homestyle potatoes (but remember I ordered mine with the burrito and cheese). My dish was nice, although I wasn't blown away with it. There was bacon in the scrambled eggs and bacon in the homestyle potatoes and I just thought this was over kill on the bacon. The salsa wasn't to my liking either there was some sort of vinegar dressing on it that just made it taste bitter. 

Mr EE's breakfast was described as sausage, bacon, potato scone, tomato, mushroom, black pudding, toast, served with eggs your way. Mr EE went for poached eggs. Mr EE was of a similar opinion as me, he thought his breakfast was just nice, nothing special. Food rating: 3/5.

Service
Staff were friendly and attentive, there was no problem with me making changes to my dish. I overheard the table next to me when they were placing their order and one of the party had specific dietary requirements and once again this did not appear to be an issue. Service rating: 4/5.

Atmosphere
The restaurant is tastefully decorated with lovely pieces hanging on the walls. As I said there wasn't a huge amount of people in the restaurant but there was still a nice atmosphere. There are two sides to this restaurant, the side with the entrance and the other side. We were seated at the other side and were the only customers there for a while. A group of 4 women then came in and they were seated right beside us - this is a complete pet hate of mine, if the restaurant is next to empty I don't understand why people are all seated on top of each other. However, I'm not totally irrational about this and am aware they may have requested to sit there or had it previously booked. Atmosphere rating:- 4/5.

Price
We had 2 breakfasts, 2 americano's and 1 cappuccino and the total cost of our bill was £23.45. To be honest, I kinda think that this was a little pricey for the quality of the food. Price rating: 3/5.

Last Words
This place has a lot going for it, the staff are lovely, the interior is lovely, the place is nice and clean. However, the food (& price) just didn't really do it for me.  In saying that I will go back and try out the dinner menu sometime soon. Total Rating: 14 out of 20. 

Date Visited:- Sunday, 10 July 2016.

Restaurant Details:-
22 Beresford Terrace,
Ayr,
KA7 2EG

Website: click here
Telephone number: 01292 280820

If you have any recommendations of where I should try out next to love to hear them.

Thanks a mil for reading.

Emma Mai xx


Saturday 23 July 2016

Dinner at Alston Bar & Beef, Glasgow

We were heading to see Derren Brown in the Kings Theatre on a Saturday night and decided that we would go somewhere for an early dinner. As I'm on a little bit of a clean eating buzz at the minute I have to choose carefully where to eat. After looking at a few menu's I decided on Alston, not only could I have a main course, there was also something that I could have for starter. Alston is somewhere that I have wanted to visit since before I moved over to Scotland. I spent a year commuting between Dublin and Scotland before officially moving over. It was during this time that I became aware of Alston - to this day I still don't know why it has taken me so long to visit - the following saying comes to mind 'good things come to those who wait' and this was certainly the case with Alston. 

As we walked to the entrance of Alston, I kinda imagined that I was walking to Platform 9 3/4 as I really didn't know what to expect from a restaurant that was underground which you gained entry to by a train station. We walked down the stairway and the first thing we saw was the kitchen - I love to see a kitchen as its the most integral part of a restaurant! We were greeted by a very friendly member of staff who showed us to our table. I think it was about 15 minutes after taking my seat before I could look at the menu, I was just so busy looking around and taking the whole atmosphere in. 

Food
We were given 2 menu's - the set menu and the a la carte. There was plenty of choice on the set menu but both Mr EmmaEats and I wanted to order off the a la carte. The menu caters for everyones needs but both Mr EE & I were there for one thing and one thing only - the steak. I ordered the stuffed picuillo pepper and the fillet steak with salad and Mr EE ordered the red onion and goats cheese tart and the t-bone with parmesan and truffle chips. 

So our starters arrived out and both dishes looked very pretty. I loved the flavours of my dish, everything really worked well together and it was very satisfying. The only thing I would say was that I would have liked my dish to have been a little warmer, even though there was steam rising off it, it just wasn't as warm as I would have liked. Mr EE loved his starter and said everything really worked well together.


So next up was the steak - it was Mr EE's first time having a t-bone and he loved it and thankfully, as a result of the waiters advice, it was done to his satisfaction. He wasn't a huge fan of the truffle chips but I think that just a taste thing rather than anything wrong with the chips. My steak was done to perfection and it was a really good piece of meat. I like it well done, and I know most chef's think that this is ruining the steak, however this is how I like it done! You would be surprised with the amount of times I have to send steaks back, however it was cooked to my liking here. Food rating: 4.5/5.


Service
Service was great here from the moment we arrived until we left. There was one point when I thought to myself 'oh god don't do this to me' but thankfully the waiter pulled it back. When I was ordering my steak I asked the waiter if the chips were cooked in a fryer and he said yes, so I said I can't have them. He then said I could have mashed potato instead and I said I'm guessing that butter will be put in them and he said yes. So I just said the salad would be fine. There was no offer of 'let me talk to the chef to see what we can do' so I was a little disappointed. However, (thankfully) when the waiter was finished taking Mr EE's order he turned to me and asked what can I eat and that he would go and talk to the chef. I nearly got up from my seat to hug him. But I decided that I was fine with the salad as I'd have enough food between the starter and the steak. Service rating: 4.5/5.

Atmosphere
The atmosphere is great here, there is a great lively vibe in the bar area and then you go back to the restaurant area where there is a lovely relaxed atmosphere. I think it is very romantic with its dim lighting and white walls. Atmosphere rating: 4/5.

Price
We had 2 starters, 2 main courses, 2 glasses of champagne, 2 glasses of red wine and 2 coffees - the total cost of our meal was £119.20. I think this was a very reasonable price for the quality of the food and service. Price rating: 4/5.

Last Words
I love this place, everything about it is great. It might not be the cheapest restaurant but you certainly get value for money here. I will definitely bring my mum here the next time she is over as I think she will love it but I also think that it is a lovely spot for a romantic meal. This is a great find and it is certainly worth a visit. I won't be waiting as long to visit again. Total rating 17 out of 20. 

Date Visited: Saturday, 9 July 2016

Restaurant Details:-
Alston Bar & Beef,
Central Station,
79 Gordon Street,
Glasgow,
G1 3SQ.

Website:- click here
Telephone:- 0141 221 7627

If you have any recommendations of where I should try out I would love to hear from you. 

Thanks a mil for reading.

Emma Mai xx


Thursday 21 July 2016

New Opening - Horn Please, Glasgow


You may have heard that Cubatas restaurant has a new sister restaurant just below it on Berkeley Street. I was invited to a pre opening tasting night to sample what they have to offer. For a number of reasons I'm not going to do a full review. Firstly, it was a tasting evening so there were dishes that I would normally never order so I don't think it would be fair to review that. Secondly, (kinda related to the first point) but there was no menu so I can't really state the full options on the menu. Finally, as there was no menu there was no price so I couldn't rate it as normal. However, in saying all that I still think it certainly deserves a mention on my blog (that is until I can go there to review it properly). 

When you walk in your are greeted by an airy basement full of light - its not dark like I had expected it to be. The restaurant is decorated in a minimalist but very tasteful way. The light fixtures are amazing (if you read my blog you will know that I have a little fixation on light fixtures). Look at this amazing photo - how cool is this and it ties into the name of the restaurant also. 
Which leads me nicely onto the name of the restaurant - Horn Please, this had intrigued me as it is very unusual and thankfully it was answered on the night. After a trip over to India the team came up with the idea. I was told that rules of the road might be a little lax over there and that on the back of each truck was a sign saying 'horn please'. So this meant if you came up behind a truck you beeped your horn and they would pull in so you could pass! So the team saw this sign a lot and that is where the name came from, how cool is that? The next surprise was that all the beautiful fixtures and fittings in the restaurant came from India - you cannot get more authentic than that. I was sold on the whole concept of the restaurant at this stage. 
So after taking our seats the tasting began. What I should say is that Horn Please is not your normal indian cuisine, it is classed as modern indian cuisine and modern it is. Some of the dishes were a modern twist on old favourites while others were what I would consider new for indian cuisine. The one thing I did notice was that there was a lot of fish on the menu - I'm not the biggest fish fan :-( I may be a little ignorant with this statement but I would never have associated fish with indian meals - don't get me wrong I know there would have been fish dishes on the menu but I wasn't of the opinion that it featured heavily. I was a vegetarian when I was younger and it was the one type of cuisine that I actually liked eating for their variety of vegetarian dishes. So I'm left wondering am I ignorant or is the fish a modern twist?

I'm not going to go into great detail of each dish, instead I'm just going to post photos as there were so many dishes. 

How pretty do those dishes look?? So the highlight for me - dips with mini poppadoms and nuts (the dips were DEVINE), the ham toasted pakora, the chicken curry burger and the chocolate dessert. 



The low point - I think it was the fish medley, whilst I didn't actually taste it myself my companion and the table next to us didn't particularly like it. It was served cold and the few I spoke to felt that it would have been nicer with a bit of warmth in it. 
It is also worth a mention that on the night, Horn Please did wine pairings with each dish - as I was driving I couldn't try out the many different wines, which was a bit of a shame. 

Last Words:-
All in all, it appears that this is going to be a great spot. It is certainly a modern twist on indian cuisine. The staff that I met on the night were so friendly and helpful. You can see how passionate they are about the food and restaurant - it is really very refreshing to see. I think you should definitely try this place out. 

Wishing you all the very best Horn Please.

At the time of writing Horn Please didn't seem to have a website - they have a twitter page and be found @Hornplz_GLA and a Facebook page @HornPleaseGlasgow, their telephone number is 0141 573 3021. 

PS the post is a little late as I've been away on holidays! 


Sunday 17 July 2016

Brunch at Cafe Gandolfi, Merchant City, Glasgow


Where are the weeks going?? So it's Saturday again, mind you this particular Saturday I woke with a headache and my stomach was kinda at me too. I know, poor me - was I coming down with something ... no I just had a horrible hangover. We had been to see Counselled Out at the Ferry the night before and stayed over in the city. I had already decided that we were going to have brunch in Cafe Gandolfi but when I woke I wasn't sure if I'd be up for much. Anyway after a shower and some water, I was beginning to feel a little normal and felt that food was probably the best thing to sort me out. I hadn't made a reservation due to the fact that we were out the night before so I was hoping that we wouldn't have any difficultly getting a table. Thankfully we just had a 5 minute wait before a table was ready. 

Food 
As soon as we were seated and given our menu's we gratefully gave our coffee order and asked for water. We got the knowing smile from the waitress and our drinks were brought around pretty quickly. Once we had a few sips of coffee and were beginning to feel normal we started to look at the menu which is very extensive - you can get a variety of dishes with your normal choices, such as full breakfast; french toast; pancakes and eggs done loads of different ways. There are also a few unique things on the menu (well unique for me) - Aberdeen Smoked Haddie and a few Stornoway pudding dishes. I ordered the Avocado and Poached Eggs on Sourdough which came with roasted tomatoes, toasted and sprouting seeds and a sesame dressing. I also ordered a side of fried halloumi. I bet you can guess what Mr EmmaEats went for?? Yes yes you know him too well - he went for the full Scottish breakfast which came with Stornoway black pudding, bacon, beef sausage, tomatoes, potato scone, field mushrooms and your choice of eggs, served with sourdough toast. 


I loved my breakfast so much, it all worked so well together and I really loved the combination with the side of halloumi. It was exactly what I needed. The eggs were cooked to perfection, the avocado was lovely and fresh and the tomatoes were so tasty. Mr EE loved his breakfast - I never got to taste the beef sausage, it was gone before I got to ask. Food rating: 4/5.


Service
Service was great here from the moment we got in. We received a very warm welcome and the staff were really attentive. Our coffee came out quickly, as did our food. The staff all seemed to work really well together and there was a nice friendly atmosphere amongst them. Service rating: 5/5.


Atmosphere
Even though I wasn't on top form I still loved this place. The atmosphere is great, a lovely relaxed vibe about the place. The decor in the restaurant is mainly wood - different shades of wood with a bit of a country kitchen feel. I really liked it. As the windows are higher than normal there are wooden panels where you would expect the windows to be. My hangover was very grateful of these and at first I thought I mightn't be too keen on them if I wasn't hungover but by the time I was leaving and feeling a bit better I really thought it all worked. My only complaint is that the table was pretty small but other than that it was great. Atmosphere rating: 4/5.


Price
I forgot to take a copy of the bill and I can't even remember how much it was but when I first looked at the menu, even before I had visited I did think the full breakfast was a bit pricey at £10. The quality of the food is of a very high standard here though and I certainly wouldn't let the cost of the breakfast put me of going here again. Price rating: 4/5. 

Last Words
I really like this place and I will definitely be back. Everything works very well. The only thing I would say is that on the menu you are advised that the freshly baked breakfasts could take up to 30 minutes - this is not a problem for me - I don't mind waiting for good food but I understand that some people aren't as patient. Total rating:- 17 out of 20.

Date Visited: Saturday, 18 June 2016

Restaurant Details:
64 Albion Street,
Glasgow,
G1 1NY.

Website: click here
Telephone: 0141 552 6813

Thanks a mil for reading.

Emma Mai xx


Thursday 14 July 2016

Dinner at Ab Lib, Glasgow City


So it's finally here - my first middle of the road review. I am struggling to write this, and it doesn't sit well with me to be so negative about somewhere but the aim of my blog is to give an honest account. But don't let this put you off visiting yourself, AdLib is just not for me. 

So we found ourselves in the city looking for a quick bite to eat, we were close to central station so I thought we would head across to AdLib. It was a Friday evening after 6 so I was a little concerned about getting a seat. When we went in there was a good crowd in the bar area and once we made our way through them we were seated at the tables running down the middle of the restaurant. 

Food
There are plenty of options on the menu for everyone as well as daily specials. You can have things like mac'n'cheese; fish and chips; jerk chicken; crab cakes; salad; sandwiches and of course burgers. I went for the Indian curried potato & chickpea with mango raita with cheese fries, I also got a side of slaw. Mr EmmaEats went for one of the specials - the Texan burger, angus beef, pulled pork, coleslaw and smoked cheddar. Mr EE asked for the loaded fries with pulled pork, smoked cheddar and bbq sauce instead of the normal fries. My burger was fine, nothing to write home about. There wasn't much cheese on my cheese fries and I didn't particularly like the slaw (but I don't like some brands of mayo so I'm just putting it down to the fact that they used a brand that I don't like). Mr EE thought that his burger was just average, nothing special, he had also expected more from the loaded fries. Food rating: 3/5.


 Service
Service was fine, I wasn't blown away by it but to be honest it wasn't bad either. When we arrived, before I had even sat on my seat I was asked for my drinks order - I asked could I have a few minutes. As soon as the waiter left and while I was still trying to get into my seat a waitress came over to take my drinks order - I still hadn't looked at the drinks menu. I had to ask again for a few minutes to look at the menu. There were plenty of staff so if something was needed it was easy to get someones attention. Service rating: 3/5.

Atmosphere
There was a nice lively buzz about the place, exactly what I had expected. The bar area is dark with not much light, however the eating area is totally the opposite and is really bright and airy due to the windows running down the middle of the ceiling. We were seated at a table for four - I found the seats really unusual. I had to move the seat beside me to try to get into my own seat. Atmosphere rating: 3/5.

Price
We had two main course, one side dish, a cider, a beer and a coffee which cost £36.45. I think the food is reasonably priced and they portions were decent sized but I'm just not sure about the quality. Price rating: 3/5.

Last Words
So I was looking for something quick and easy to eat, I wasn't expecting fine dining however, I don't think the place lived up to my expectation of quick and easy good quality food. It really just didn't rock my boat but maybe you should go to try it out for yourself. Ad Lib also has a second location in Merchant City. Total rating:- 12 out of 20. 

Date Visited: 17 June 2016

Restaurant Details:-
Ad Lib,
111 Hope Street,
Glasgow,
G2 6LL.

Websiteclick here
Telephone: 0141 248 6645

Thanks a mil for reading.

Emma Mai xx

Thursday 7 July 2016

Brunch at Cafe Strange Brew, Shawlands, Glasgow

So it was my favourite time of the week again - Saturday brunch. I have to say though time is flying by - I can't believe it's nearly July, where is the time going?? My friend Noreen was over for a few days but this was going to be her last meal with me (for this visit) so I wanted to make sure she had a nice meal but I also wanted to try out somewhere new. I had heard some rumblings about Cafe Strange Brew and had passed it a number of times - I thought it looked cute and the menu looked like it was right up my street. I knew it was small so I had myself prepared for a wait or worse case scenario to be turned away. However to my delight, we only had to wait five minutes for a table. 

Food
There are plenty of options on the menu from granola; breakfast rolls; cooked breakfasts, french toast; eggs loads of different ways and even a vegan breakfast. So I ordered the 'that guy' breakfast with bacon and both Noreen and Mr EmmaEats went for the 'meaty cooked breakfast'. My breakfast had poached egg/sourdough/ avocado/chilli hollandaise with added bacon. The cooked breakfasts had free range egg/lorne sausage/smoked bacon/grilled mushroom/toast tattie scone/Stornoway black pudding. I loved every bite of my breakfast - the poached egg was cooked to perfection, I loved the taste of the chilli hollandaise which wasn't over powering at all. I loved the presentation of my food and particularly loved the plate. Both my companions loved their cooked breakfasts. It was Noreen's first time having a tattie scone and was pleasantly surprised with it. Food rating:- 4.5/5.


Service
Service was really good here and there was a lovely friendly welcome. Service rating:- 4.5/5.

Atmosphere
There was a nice relaxed vibe at Cafe Strange Brew, it is very small, not many tables which I suppose lends itself to a nice quiet chilled atmosphere. On the downside most tables will only comfortably fit three people. It has a lovely neighbourhood feel to it. Atmosphere rating: 4/5.

Price
We had three dishes with four coffee's (Mr EE had to have his second coffee) and the cost of the meal was just under £30. I thought this was a pretty good price, the food was lovely and tasty, good quality and quantity. Price rating: 4/5.

Last Words
I really like this place and if I lived close to it I could imagine that I would hang out here a good bit. I suppose the only negatives (they are not negatives as such, I just can't figure out what other word to use) are that it would not be suitable for a big group and you may have to wait for a seat (or not get a seat). But I think this is a great spot and definitely worth a visit. Total rating: 17 out of 20.

Date Visited: Saturday, 11 June 2016.

Restaurant Details
Cafe Strange Brew,
1109 Pollackshaws Road,
Glasgow,
G41 3YG.

Telephone: 0141 237 4321

Thanks a mil for reading.

Emma Mai xx