As business office of my recent trip upward to Glasgow amongst the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau nosotros went on a eating theatre crawl of the Finnieston area, which has earned itself a reputation for beingness the best expanse inwards the urban nub to striking upward for a proficient restaurant. While everywhere nosotros striking upward was pretty wonderful, I desire to plow over a special cry out to The Finnieston, a cracking eating theatre that I volition definitely hold out going dorsum to the side past times side fourth dimension I'm inwards Glasgow that specialises inwards 2 things I adore: gin together with seafood. It volition also forever convey a special identify inwards my midpoint equally the identify I (re)tried (as an adult) together with discovered that I loved oysters, but to a greater extent than on that inwards a moment.
We kicked off proceedings amongst a few (gin based of course) cocktails. Most of the tabular array had the 'Scottish': Caorunn Gin together with Fentimans Tonic, garnished amongst reddish apple. However, equally I don't genuinely similar tonic H2O (shocking I know, but I experience it lets me to a greater extent than creative amongst my gin mixers) I had an 'Amazon' that was recommended to me past times our server, a delicious, spicy together with refreshing blend of Portobello Road Gin together with Fevertree Ginger Beer, garnished amongst cucumber. Everyones highballs came inwards those great, heavy spectacles that e'er tell you lot that you're gulp is going to hold out to a greater extent than than simply great. Anyone know where I tin purchase them?
An assortment of dissimilar amuse bouche were brought to our tabular array that nosotros all cruel upon. The nearly memorable of these had to hold out the niggling cups of smooth, velvety mushroom together with truffle velouté. The niggling nibbles you lot larn earlier your repast genuinely kicks off, equally good equally wetting your appetite are also a cracking chance for the chefs to present off a little, together with it is telling when your favourite turns out to hold out the nearly simple.
So, the oysters. Let me preface that I idea I did non similar oysters. I'd tried i one time equally a small-scale inwards Whitstable together with I did non intend that it was that special, thence I've never genuinely bothered ordering them equally an adult. However, I was inwards the mood for trying things, thence after having the someone sitting contrary me (the possessor of the eating theatre no less) explicate to me precisely how to swallow them together with charge them upward amongst dissimilar flavours, off I went trying my (second) showtime one. And together with thence another. And together with thence another. Can someone delight explicate to me why equally an officially shellfish lover together with someone who lives both close Whitstable inwards Kent together with Cancale inwards Brittany had never bothered to properly endeavour oysters before? They're right away my novel nutrient obsession.
Shall nosotros motion onto the principal courses? While nosotros were at The Finnieston equally business office of a eating theatre crawl thence nosotros shared all of the dishes to a greater extent than or less the table, what nosotros had genuinely amounted to a genuinely cracking alternative of little plates off of the a la carte menu. First, nosotros convey the David Oaks double dived scallops which were sweet, obese together with juicy, served amongst roasted babe aubergine together with courgette, together with a herb together with low-cal creamy cheese stuffed courgette flower, all presented on a bed of nutty romesco sauce.
Next up, nosotros convey a chip of surf together with turf inwards the bird of the braised pork belly, served amongst griddled babe leeks (I honey giving them that handling on the barbecue), a garlic together with white edible bean puree together with a generous serving of clams. While all of the flavours of this dish were quite rich, I felt it was all varied plenty to non hold out likewise much, together with to contrast the obese (but inwards a proficient way) pork belly, which was done genuinely good - quite a feat.
For whatever veggies accompanying their fish loving friends, in that place is this dish. I was assured it was delicious, though I did non larn much of a hold off inwards thank you lot to the veggie sitting farther downwards the table: spinach, feta together with pino nut boreck amongst smoked aubergine together with a mixed vegetable pickle.
I'm e'er downwards for mackerel, but I was specially impressed amongst the cured mackerel served amongst fresh pomegranate, lime, tequila, a dark edible bean together with sweetcorn salad together with pomegranate molasses. You'd intend that a Scandi fashion fish dish, amongst a Mexican fashion salsa together with i of my favourite Middle Eastern ingredients inwards the bird of the molasses would non go all together, but they genuinely did. The flavor of the mackerel was genuinely showcases, together with all of the dissimilar flavours genuinely came together beautifully, spell yet asset onto their ain cultural identities. I know I tell this all the time, but i to simulate at home.
The dish I was the nearly excited for when I saw the bill of fare was the braised Scottish squid amongst chilli jam, kokosnoot lychee, lambs foliage lettuce, crispy vermicelli noodles together with coriander. The dish was deliciously Asian inwards spirit without beingness likewise oriental (I intend it was the lambs lettuce that grounded it), together with the squid perfectly cooked together with wonderfully spicy, simply on the edge earlier it became likewise overpowering. The crispy noodles together with toasted kokosnoot provided wonderful contrasts together with interesting textures, too.
While I had the filo plate whipped away from me, I was perfectly happy that the heritage carrot, orangish together with kipper salad seemed to convey settled downwards correct inwards forepart of me. The carrots were thence sugariness together with varied inwards flavour, roasted together with slightly caramelised inwards flavour, together with I liked how they were both served whole, together with equally a puree inwards the dish. The kipper was flaked into shards thence that it melded inwards amongst the carrot stack. This is genuinely a dish were really, genuinely cracking ingredients convey been aloud to sing on their ain merits.
I intend dinner at The Finnieston had to hold out my favourite business office of the whole foodie trip upward North of the border, together with is somewhere I tin wholeheartedly recommend to anyone visiting Glasgow together with who is after somewhere either for a special occasion, or simply to grab upward amongst friends. When nosotros walked dorsum past times on the agency to dessert much afterwards inwards the eventide together with all of the nutrient had been cleared away, you lot could encounter groups milling to a greater extent than or less the bar together with sitting at the dining tables nursing their gin cocktails, together with having an overall bright Sabbatum night.
I traveled to Glasgow together with at at The Finnieston equally a invitee of the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau.