Top pick on Instagram hit the mark

Gorbals

RICE BOWL Where?

Type of food:

IT sometimes feels like the salt ‘n’ chilli phenomenon has taken over the cuisine on offer at Chinese takeaways in the city.

We just can’t get enough of that one-off taste. From munchy boxes to chips and even pizza, the unique spice blend has been tested on just about everything, and we Glaswegians seem to love it.

For that reason, I am sure I am not alone in saying I am always searching for the best salt ‘n’ chilli flavouring in Glasgow.

So when I heard about

Rice Bowl in the Gorbals, I couldn’t wait to sample their version.

The Chinese takeaway is situated in McNeil Street and caught my attention after it was championed by several Instagram influencers who flooded their own grids with appealing pictures of Rice Bowl’s salt ‘n’ chilli offering.

I naturally followed Rice Bowl on the social media site and before I knew it I manage to track down their menu on the takeaway ordering app Just Eat.

When I had a look at their page on the app, naturally I sampled the reviews which were mainly glowing except for a few about long delivery times. Not wanting to take a chance on a huge wait time, I decided I would order my takeaway for collection.

My Rice Bowl haul included mixed vegetable chow mein, special garlic chilli, egg fried rice, curry sauce, and prawn crackers. And of course, I ordered the salt ‘n’ chilli chips, ribs, and spring rolls.

I arrived around five minutes before my order was due for collection and ‘checked in’ with staff who advised it would be another “wee while”.

I patiently waited for that “wee while” which was at least 20 minutes and watched people turn up for their orders one after another proving that Rice Bowl is clearly popular. Eventually one of the staff advised me to sit in my car and she would bring my order which I did. Now usually I get a wee bit ragin’ when things don’t arrive on time but the girl came out and apologised, explaining it was an extremely busy night. How can I be mad at good customer service?

Now for the food. The verdict? It was very tasty especially the salt ‘n’ chilli chips which I couldn’t get enough of. The portion sizes were generous and met my expectations. My only complaint was the rice which I felt was a wee bit bland, I have had nicer elsewhere. It is usually my favourite part of a Chinese meal but I left most of it. That said, I would definitely try Rice Bowl again as the place definitely lives up to its Instagram appeal and its salt ‘n’ chilli flavouring is worth the hype.