Smoak @ Tribeca Southside, Giffnock

Smoak has quite a cult following as being a legend in burgers and smoked meat goods. Trying to locate them more recently has been a challenge until we stumbled on them being resident at Tribeca, game on!

Tribeca Southside

I have reviewed Tribeca before so wont say much other than its a nice little restaurant though service was stretched a bit thin.

Smoak at Tribeca Menu

The menu is a meat lovers delight!

After wrestling with the menu for a while I ordered the porkies revenge burger as I wanted to try some of the slow cooked meat Smoak is famous for and a side of chilli poutine having never sampled a poutine before.

Smoak Burgers

The burger was tasty enough, nice pulled pork and a decent size. Nothing was wrong with it at all it just wasnt the best burger I have ever had. Though still heads and shoulders above a regular restaurant burger.

Smoak Poutine

The Chilli Poutine was out and out win though. A gooey tasty mess of pure heart attack on a plate. The chilli was nice and a little spicy and the cheese curds were a treat!

Overall a good visit and I would return to try some of the other treats Smoak has.

Smoak @ Tribeca South

Smoak @ Tribeca South

The McMillan, Shawlands

The McMillan is a very pleasant restaurant specialising in steaks and seafood. Its quite a sizeable place with a kind of split with the front being more of an open casual bar and the rear being a high sided, booth lined restaurant. Its a nice place to sit in and service on my visits has been good, though sometimes it can be noted the staff like to clean the same table so that they can have a natter amoung themselves. So far it hasnt been detrimental to the service I have received so its more a note than a complaint.

The bar is quite extensive and it should be noted they have some great tap selection beers and lagers including the excellent Heverlee which I extensively tested on our visit and can confirm it was very good. I think.

 

The McMillan Starter

To start I had Scallops with black pudding which was terrific, the scallops had an excellent sear on the outside while still be wonderfully light and “creamy” on the inside. My wife had the jumbo tempura prawns which were indeed jumbo and tempura and of a decent serving size.

The McMillan Burger

For mains we both went for the smoky burger which was served in a nice bun and with decent BBQ sauce but the burger itself was a bit over cooked and dry. I do prefer my burgers pink and to be fair I didnt ask for it medium (though no choice was given) but I dont expect a burger to be so well done that it becomes a bit grey and tough. Maybe a wrong choice as my previous meals have been excellent in particular the steak offerings.

A very, very decent just out of town restaurant.

The McMillan

The McMillan

 

Peking Village, Eaglesham

The Peking Village is located in the village of Eaglesham and is a pleasant restaurant in what looks like a converted house. The Peking Village thrives as a restaurant and a take away and personally i think the sit in food is almost as good as some of the larger restaurants in town though not quite as pricey.

Peking Village

The staff are ever present and helpful and are whipped into shape by the owner Helen.

On this particular visit we had the mixed starters consiting of beef and chicken satay, prawn toast, wantons, spring rolls and seaweed.

Peking Village Mixed Starters

Its a considerable portion even for two and each element is tasty and particularly the surpisingly good seaweed.

For mains I had the absolutely brilliant salt and chilli prawns and my wife the excellent sizzling chicken satay.

Peking Village Mains

The prawns are served dry and considering they have no sauce pack an absolute punch in terms of flavour and a hint of heat from the chilli’s. Likewise the chicken satay is a firm favourite here.

The Peking Village is not cheap but nor does it go to the extremes of say the Ho Wong in town. The food is well worth the money and the staff are always, always pleasant and courteous. An out of town gem.

The Peking Village

The Peking Village

Mews Of Mayfair – Brasserie, Mayfair, London

We stumbled on Mews Of Mayfair by accident by cutting down a lane and Im delighted we did. From the very welcoming looking outdoor tables and friendly greeter at the door this was always going to be good. We elected to go for the Brasserie upstairs though I beleive there are even more floors with other offerings.

Mews Of Mayfair Brasserie

Mews of Mayfair Brasserie Menu

The Brasserie was a welcome escape from the bitter December air and was altogether a cosy place to sit with quality furnishings and immediately attentive staff.

As we didnt have much time we both opted for the Mews Burger and naturally my wife had this topped with Lobster.

Mews Of Mayfair Burger

The burger was superb. Clearly a hand formed patty and cooked perfectly medium and dripping in juices. The brioche bun held it altogether and it was a superb item. My wife loved the addition of the lobster to which I never got so much as a taste of as usual.

We spied desserts on the table next to us and decided to share a sticky toffee pudding.

Mews of Mayfair Sticky Toffee Pudding

Again absolutely tremendous and just the right amount to share. Even the date ice cream was lovely and I had serious reservations about that!

We also shared a delicious Chilean Sauvignon Blanc and I am furious with myself for not noting the name of it down! It was light and as sharp as a tack and didnt break the bank.

Our bill came to £82 and considering we were in the middle of Mayfair and the quality of the food and wine I couldnt fault it.

Mews Of Mayfair

Mews of Mayfair

Carters Restaurant at The Busby Hotel, Busby, Glasgow

I have been waiting patiently to try Carters Restaurant at the extensively refurbished Busby Hotel for a while now. Given the lack of restaurants in the area its been pretty much jam packed since it reopened but I eventually made it in between Christmas and New Year.

Carters Restaurant

Carters Bar Area

The whole Busby Hotel is now a really nice place to visit and the owners must have spent a fortune in the redevelopment of the hotel and its restaurant and bar area. Hats off to them that it looks fantastic. When we first arrived we waited at the front of house area as the sign instructed us. Despite waiting for 10 minutes and numerous looks from various staff members I eventually had to wave someone over to seat us. Poor start service wise however this was recovered during the course of our visit with very attentive friendly service. A strange contrast, maybe the front of house were on break?

We decided to share the Deep Fried Fantasy deciding firmly that the diets dont start until after New Year.

Carters Deep Fried Mixed Starter

It was well presented but overall a little bit “meh”.  The deep fried ravioli was rock solid and any filling that was in it had long since disappered. The rice balls by contrast were good but over all not much going on flavour wise. Another positive at least was that it wasnt dripping in oil.

Carters Main Courses

For mains I had the hand made Busby burger. Again well presented and with a nice brioche bun. The burger did indeed look handmade and looked very positive. Sadly it was very over cooked and could have done with some seasoning to add flavour to the patty itself. My wife had Macaroni Cheese which on appearance looked very bland but was actually very good.

Price wise its not the cheapest and I cant help but think we have another Whitecart type restaurant in the area which should jsut market itself as pub grub and reduce the prices accordingly. Nothing was “bad” but the expectation with the menu and price sets the bar at a reasonable level that the food so far has failed to achieve. I wont write it off yet and will return to see if I had made a poor choice with my meal.

Carters at The Busby Hotel

Carters at The Busby Hotel