Great Places to Eat in Scotland
- Stravaigin 2, Ruthven Lane, Glasgow West End
The Location
Stravaigin 2 is in Ruthven Lane, off Byres Road in the West End of Glasgow. This is a busy, cosmopolitan area, with many student flats (Glasgow University is close by), professional people (the large Western Infirmary is here too) as well as many larger, expensive houses which have survived being converted into multi-occupancy apartments. The picture on the right is typical of the sort of housing to be found in the area.The Byres Road area is a bustling shopping area and bristles with all sorts of eating establishments, including many that are up-market and have established a name for themselves for fine dining. Stravaigin 2 is one of these. Stravaigin 1 (the first, of course) is on Gibson Street, on the other side of Gilmorehill, occupied by the many buildings of Glasgow University.
The Restaurant
At one time, the building at Ruthven Lane was a stable and the restaurant is on two floors - the first floor has a large window from floor to ceiling and was probably the entrance to the hay loft. Stravaigin has been there since about 1999 and thriving in a competitive market such as Glasgow's West End speaks for itself.The ground floor zigzags from the windows at the front all the way to a bar area at the back. Décor is subdued, with white painted brick and a terracotta coloured section with a large chalk board listing the specials of the day. The choice of art-work on the walls is unusual - it included a painting of a flock of sheep staring out of the picture (glad I didn't have the lamb!), a collection of meat cleavers (don't worry - they're coved by glass) and a piece of abstract art made from German sausages (presumably imitation). Tables are polished teak style and the deep cushioned seats were very comfortable.
Upstairs (in that former hay loft) is entirely different, with mainly light coloured walls, wooden ceiling beams and plenty of windows, making it look bright and cheerful (even on a dull day). There is also a chalk board with the specials of the day - the restaurant makes frequent changes to the menu, so such up-to-date information can be useful. The style of seating is more modern - but equally comfortable.
The Food
"Stravaigin" is the old Scots for "wander" and Stravaigin 2 and has built up a good reputation in the area for a menu that combines dishes from various parts of the world as well as local dishes - their haggis has been "voted Scotland's best" according to the menu. And what a menu... There's the main à la carte menu, a set lunch menu - and the specials. The total number of starters came to ten...Although there is "soup of the day" (described in the menu with more panache as "soup of the moment"), many of the starters (and main courses) come with lots of flavoursome sauces, purée, oils and marinated extras. The Dukkah platter (Middle Eastern nut and spice blend) for example is accompanied by an olive oil and balsamic puddle, marinated olives and bread, while the goats' cheese, honey and lavender filo rolls are complemented by red onion chutney and lemon dressed rocket salad.
My lunch companion (Scottish singer/songwriter Moira Kerr) had no hesitation in going for one of the specials that day - pan seared scallops which came with a chilli and ginger roast pumpkin purée and coriander and cress salad. The scallops proved to be a hit as they were extremely tender and the purée, while spicy enough, didn't overwhelm the scallops. My choice was parmesan cheese crusted chicken fillets, with a sun-blushed tomato pesto and Arran organic leaves - see the illustration. The cheesy, tangy crust to the chicken was light and crispy and that contrasted well with the moist tomato pesto.
And so on to the main course. Once again there was that wide choice of elegant dishes and accompaniments with exciting names from far away places. For example, there was Tuscan seafood stew with baby potatoes and garlic bread - or spiced lamb kofta, herby cous cous, tzatziki and toasted flat bread. And those two came from "just" the set lunch menu. I went a bit closer to home, however, with the pan seared Orkney organic salmon, wild mushroom and parmesan risotto with lemon dressed rocket salad. The salmon was of course succulent and flaky and the moist risotto didn't have too much parmesan cheese to spoil the salmon.
Moira's choice was lemon & thyme corn-fed chicken breast with rosemary polenta (made from boiled cornmeal), vine-ripened cherry tomatoes and gravy with Merlot wine - see the illustration. Those cherry tomatoes on top certainly made for an eye-catching presentation and the tender chicken and the crispy polenta was soon soaking up that Merlot gravy. Plenty of subtle flavours to keep the taste buds happy too. And just in case there were any spare spaces, we shared a side plate of roast vegetables which included beetroot (an unusual item which Moira enjoyed immensely) and courgettes and carrots.
After two such substantial courses it was only dedication to the cause of the review (you understand) that forced us to look at the dessert menu... Of course, in addition to the items on the set lunch menu, there was also a separate dessert menu, providing a choice of eight items (and don't forget the Ian Mellis Artisan Cheddar cheese with bannocks and spiced raisin and walnut chutney). There was a long pause while we made our choice... Moira surprised me (and herself, I think) by opting for Amy's Belgian chocolate and walnut brownie with butterscotch sauce and vanilla cream. By way of excuse for such a calorific encounter, Moira muttered some words about going to the gym more often! Fortunately, the brownie wasn't all that large - but made up for it with plenty of crunchy chocolate and walnuts inside.My choice (I thought) was a more prosaic "ice-cream of the day" on an ANZAC cookie (having first enquired what an ANZAC cookie was). Well...the ice-cream (see the picture) was chocolate ice-cream packed with small pieces of chocolate. Or was it chocolate packed with ice-cream? I wasn't sure - never having had so much chocolate in an ice-cream! Great! The ANZAC cookie was a biscuit made using rolled oats, flour, coconut, sugar, butter and golden syrup. They are said to be a variation on Scottish oat cakes. Moira had some worried looks as I tried breaking up the biscuit with a spoon and a fork as they looked as though it would fly in all directions! In the end, they succumbed without any disasters - and proved to be remarkably sweet and nicely crunchy to eat. The raspberry coulis on the plate provide an extra zip too.
Think Global, Eat Local
Stravaigin 2 focuses very much on sourcing its food locally and from named suppliers. So the lamb, steaks and eggs are from Davie Smitton's hill farm in Dumfries and bacon is sourced from Ramsay's of Carluke who have been curers since 1857. Fish is obtained from MacCallums of Troon and the venison comes from Fergie MacDonald in Acharacle, Lochaber. Stravaigin markets itself with the phrase "Think Global, Eat Local" and the menu certainly has an international flavour. That global element is reinforced by a monthly "Rijsttafel Night". Rijsttafel is an Indonesian rice table (from the Dutch rijsttafel) consisting of rice accompanied by between twelve and thirty, often spicy, side dishes served in small portions, which cover the table, allowing each person to select what they want. It is a Dutch colonial adaptation of the Indonesian dinner, and is popular in the Netherlands. The last time I had a Rijsttafel was in Amsterdam. I recall it fondly, not just for the quantity of jenever consumed (it's a strongly alcoholic juniper-flavoured liquor of the Netherlands) but also for my impression of Gene Kelly's "Singin' in the Rain" which followed. But that's another story...
The Bill
Set Lunch: Items are individually priced (mains largely around £9) with 2 courses and coffee at £11.95 and 3 courses and coffee £14.95. À la carte starters are mainly in the range £5/6 (with soup of the moment at £3.65) with main courses ranging from £11.45 to around £15, with rump steak and all the trimmings at just under £19. Stravaigin 2's famous beef burgers (with Maris Piper chips etc) range from £8.95 (6 oz) through a 12 ounce double burger at £12.95 and a whopping 18 ounce triple burger at £14.95. You can add "indulgences" to the burger (cheese, bacon, mushrooms, fried egg etc) at 95 pence per item.Further Information
For more information and further sample menus, see Stravaigin 2's Web site, which has an on-line booking system. For telephone reservations, the number is 0141 334 7165. Ruthven Lane is across Byres Road from the Hillhead Underground station.Conclusion
The "Lonely Planet" travel guide says about Stravaigin 2: "The restaurant challenges patrons to 'get off the eaten track' and it boasts the best Scotch beef burgers (they also do ostrich burgers) on a chargrilled menu that also features cumin scented swordfish souvalaki." Stravaigin 2 has been successfully attracting discerning customers for many years, attracted by its ever-changing world-wide menu, created using locally sourced fresh produce and served by attentive staff. It attracts "foodies" who want to try something new, but less adventurous diners should find plenty to keep them happy too. I'll certainly have no hesitation about stravaigin again into Stravaigin 2...Scottie
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