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MOTHER HUBBARD’S, 3A SPRINGFIELD QUAY, GLASGOW. TEL: 0141-429-3355 “The fishy problem is this: it’s not that hot. It’s also been carelessly put out with some strange, hard-chew moments, variable quality and surely would be better if it hadn’t been sitting in that display. Chips: ditto.”

Menu: Making fish and chips since nineteencanteen in England, with haddock suppers, fiery fish and brick-hard jam roly-poly. 3/5 Atmosphere: You’ve seen this movie before: blow-ups of old newspapers, upholstered booths; still a cheap chain feel about it. 3/5 Service: Woefully slow counter service; didn’t even have the basic skills to shout an explanation or apology. Pretty poor. 2/5 Price:The spicy fish is £8.95, a large portion of fish and chips is £10.45, plus there are those bargain onion rings. 3/5

Food: If they get the service working properly and get the fish from the fryer to the table a lot faster, this could well be reasonable. 5/10 16/30

TIMBERYARD, 10 LADY LAWSON STREET EDINBURGH. TEL: 0131 221 1222

“A beetroot and cherry blossom parfait, Sweet cicely on the side; then fat scallops with panfried crispness, unveiling their pale, perfectly mellow interior, salty seaweed and coastal greens for mopping.”

Menu: A new one Michelin star restaurant. What do you think? Quail, turbot, clever stuff with buns, cheeses, scallops, the full shebang. 4/5

Atmosphere: Got to be Scotland’s prettiest dining room: fabulously lit, oozing comfortable hand-hewn wooden quality. Interesting music too. 5/5

Service: It’s very low-lit and while the staff are pleasant they’re low-key, with a tendency to loom. Not much chat, perhaps a bit more warmth. 4/5

Price: The full tasting menu is £105, which is par for the Michelin course, with entertainment. There’s a four-course a la carte at £85. 4/5

Food: It’s rare to have a main course that sparkles, but that quail was beautifully cooked; scallops and that superb turbot. 9/10 26/30

SEVEN21, 721 POLLOKSHAWS ROAD GLASGOW. G41 2AA. BOOK ONLINE “That agnolotti, folded with the sort of artisan clumsiness only the human hand can achieve; stuffed with ricotta; set in a tiny bowl with peas so fresh I could actually taste them.”

Menu: A multi-course, fine-dining tasting menu at a bargain price: mackerel, mutton croquettes, hand-made agnolotti, grelot onion.

4/5

Atmosphere: It’s a shoe-box of a place that’s been many different restaurants recently but still relaxed and fairly comfortable. 3/5 Service: Almost Scandi in its minimalism but pleasant – though the gapping from the kitchen between courses went awry at times.

4/5

Price: Their knock-out punch. At £30 for a multi-course meal, it’s well worth a try. 5/5 Food: Great value and though the portions are small there are some great dishes including that gazpacho and the three-piece beef ensemble. 8/10 24/30 GUIDO’S CORONATION RESTAURANT, GALLOWGATE, GLASGOW. 0141-552-3994 “The fish supper now. Two big but fine fillets, batter so crisp I could eat them like biscuits, splattered too with extra crunchy bits, and then the moist, white fish inside. Chips? Excellent.”

Menu: Come on: it’s a chip shop. A proper, historic, reassuringly old-school one. King ribs, pizza crunch is about as exotic as it gets. 4/5

Atmosphere: Bright colours, upholstered booths, non-stop chit-chat from behind the fryer and the customers: great feel. 5/5 Service: Super-friendly and not in a formulaic fashion; warm, comfortable feel about the whole place. 5/5

Price: £9.45 for the large fish tea: two large fillets, chips, pot of tea and a slice of nonsourdough bread. £6.45 for half ‘n’half and chips. 5/5

Food: Is it the best chip shop in the world? No idea. But there ain’t many that can still turn out fresh crisp golden fish and decent chips. 8/10 27/30

CAFE FISH, 122-124 NITHSDALE ROAD GLASGOW, TEL 0141424-4600

“Those are crisp batter bombs: light, white meat inside balancing juicy and marinated tomatoes on one flavour side, coriander and zig-zag trails of squirted mayo on t’other. I could actually have had another portion,”

Menu: Crab cakes, fish tacos, fish pies, mackerel salads, a grilled fillet of cod – pretty much what you would expect these days. 3/5 Atmosphere: Relaxing, kick-back, cafe-feel in part of Glasgow’s south side suburbia. Not very busy when we were in. 3/5

Service: Pleasant, friendly and the food came at the right times. No complaints. 4/5

Price: It’s seafood, it’s Scotland. It’s never going to be cheap. They’re trying to make prices less exclusive, but at what cost? 3/5 Food: Full marks for providing a full menu packed with mainstream seafood. It’s just not handled particularly well. Tacos were good. Date pud too. 6/10 19/30 HERON, HENDERSON STREET,

EDINBURGH. TEL: 0141 554 1242.

“Palate cleansed, I pause for a moment to marvel at the incredible work that went into hand-charring this single scallop, then finely razoring it, interspersing each slice with perfectly worked blood orange and dashing it all in ponzu sauce.”

Menu: One of Scotland’s two new Michelinstarred restaurants so expect fresh home country ingredients, prepared with real art. 5/5 Atmosphere: Surprisingly quiet on a Thursday night, but a languidly relaxed and comfortable space. 4/5

Service: Faultless: they even scribbled down what was in every dish for me in the middle of service. 5/5

Price: I ate pretty much everything on the menu, slowly, enjoyably and it came to £131. It’s really an evening of food theatre, not just a meal. 3/5

Food: hat barbecued prune bread toastie; the lightest most intense langoustine tart; there isn’t a dish that doesn’t deliver. 9/10 26/30

MALA PROJECT, CHURCH STREET, GLASGOW. TEL: 07858 568888

“Those on-the-side tofu skewers – stuffed with by-now wilted in the fryer, coriander, drenched in some sweet sticky, tangy moreish sauce – are here too. And there are the beef skewers. These are rolled in some dry spicing with a real tang to it, maybe ground Szechuan peppercorn, maybe some dried fruit too. They’re moist and meaty, with a slight crispness.”

Menu: It’s Chinese food, but not as we know it. Dry pots, hot pots, pick your own ingredients to be weighed and cooked in the kitchen. 4/5 Atmosphere: We could be in China, so strong is that vibe, out front though it’s a plain Jane, cleanly efficient vibe. 4/5

Service: The experience was vastly improved by the friendly young greeter guy who took me through the whole process. Staff want to help. 5/5

Price: The food is picked, weighed and priced per scoop unless like me, you opt for the set menu choice at £13.80. Worth a go. 4/5

Food: You pick what is cooked, so the emphasis is on freshness. Spicing magic turned the seafood pot into a triumph. Skewers good too. 8/10 25/30