Ron’s reviews

OTTOMAN COFFEE HOUSE, 73 BERKELEY STREET GLASGOW, 0141 588 5982

‘I know this much: I’m coming back. Probably tomorrow morning. For Turkish coffee and pastries ostensibly. For that walk from the weary old world out there into the warm secret one here. Kick back, cool down, check in, check out, man.’

Menu: Shawarma with rice, handmade pitta, lamb ribs, Turkish salad, Turkish delight, bakes, cakes. Loads made in-house. 4/5

Atmosphere: Fabulous, secret chamber feel. People playing chess, couches, throws, a vaulted ceiling. Hipster heaven without the hipsters. 5/5

Service: App for ordering but staff are always about, relaxed and helpful in case you have a poor phone signal or wanna go old school. 5/5

Price: That Turkish salad was £4.90, Turkish delight £2.10, ribs £7.90 and shawarma with all the sauces £6.70. Bargain 5/5 Service: Super-summery, juicy, and herby salad was a joy to eat, ribs were as they should be and that Egyptian mint tea was worth a pause. 7/10

26/30

CHATEAU X, 10 CLAREMONT STREET, GLASGOW

0141 486 7666

‘Thirty five bangers per couple, kissme-quick, pile ’em high quality steaks, in an only-one-main course gig like the once smash-hit French chain Relais de L’Entrecote. So a chateaubriand is ordered. And it’s here fast...’

Menu: Only one main, technically, a chateaubriand for two for at £35. Interesting proposition. We had the £70 Côte De Boeuf. 4/5 Atmosphere: Not quite the size of a shoe, but it’s no chateau, tiny tables, black and gold decor. Bustling. 3/5

Service: Saved by pleasant attitude from good waitress; kitchen got sides, snacks and steak out of sync and welcome not the best. 4/5 Price: That astonishingly proportioned £70 for two Côte de Boeuf turned out to be good value, the chateaubriand at £35 likewise. Sides sting you. 5/5

Food: Both steaks were well handled, the Côte was excellent, sides less impressive overall, but it’s a concept and not a bad one. 7/10 23/30

SUGO PASTA, 70 MITCHELL STREET, GLASGOW

0141 258 1650

‘I just do not like their pasta. To me it tastes undercooked, way the wrong side of al dente, waxy and as a result the dishes, the sauces and the pasta itself, just do not hang together properly. But, as that queue testifies, what the hell do I know?’

Menu: Pasta but not as you know it. A regionalised selection of Italy’s best with the promise of proper sourcing and freshly made. 4/5 Service: It’s a vast restaurant with big windows, high ceilings, yet filled with the excited buzz of scores of diners queuing to get in. 4/5 Atmosphere: They need to flip tables fast in here so the staff are never far away. Straightforward, pleasant and efficient. 4/5

Price: Have the prices gone up? Not obviously. You can still have a full plate of pasta for just £6. 5/5

The clue is in the name: Their sugos, or sauces, are pretty good, that Italian sausage licoricey, just don’t like the texture of the pasta. 6/10 22/30

SWADISH BY AJAY KUMAR, 33 INGRAM STREET, GLASGOW, 0141 553 0581

‘I would have liked to have Instagrammed the reaction as we picked up menus to choose starters. And saw the prices. Uh, £12, £15, £14, £18, £14, £14 jump out. Just two at £8. For starters? To say Swadish seems to have a big hit for itself is to put it mildly but they have won a restaurant of the year award .... ’ Menu: Lamb nihari biryani, tandoori salmon, poached salmon, Goan monkfish. Ambitious menu with rejig of Indian classics. 4/5

Atmosphere: Slightly awkward up and down seating area in former firestation but pleasant enough. 3/5 Service: Plenty of efficient staff. 4/5 Price: Expect to be hovering around the £20 mark for mains sans sides, and it’s very easy to hit mid teens for starters. Desserts start at £9.50 2/5 Food: Lamb biryani at £22 is worth a trip on its own, the pepper fry satisfying, starters freshly spiced. Some overreaching though so not yet universally good. 8/10

21/30