Ron’s reviews

THE COORIE INN, 6 WILLOUGHBY ST, MUTHILL, CRIEFF, 01764 681773

“Sable Breton, and a meringue so light you could sail the toffs’ yacht in it, creme fraiche, basil and - taa-raa - rhubarb. Light, punchy, that basil an afterburner, the puckeringly tart rhubarb, and the bakey-bakey bit of it? Well, my spoon skims the very last remnants.”

Menu: Perthshire pork loin. North Sea crab. Strathearn Cheese Rarebits. Punchy fresh desserts, Scottish cooking, Frenchish flair. 4/5

Atmosphere: It looks like an old-time travellers’ inn from the outside, but inside, it’s comfortable, refined and atmospheric.

5/5

Service: One of the dudes who served me was an owner so along with the other staff I have zero complaints: warm, knowledgeable, friendly. 5/5

Price: There isn’t a starter under £13, nor a dessert under £12, mains in the twenties. I had no complaints given the quality.

4/5

Food: They were top-notch pastry chefs in a previous life and it shows in the dessert, and even in turning pork loin into something special. 8/10

Total 26/30

NAMAK MANDI, 100 NORFOLK STREET, GLASGOW.

TEL: 0141-213-2023

“There’s a dessert table, a huge wibblywobbly tureen of rice pudding, cold kebabs of freshly sliced fruit, a platter of watermelon slices, kids picking them up as groups stream towards the door.”

Menu: Huge serving dishes of curries, Afghan-based often. Plus pilaus, salads and desserts all pretty much desi style. 4/5

Atmosphere: The place was bursting with life, family groups everywhere, great vibe. And I was on my own. 5/5

Service: It’s a buffet during Ramadan so serve yourself but the staff are dotting about and very helpful 5/5

Price: It’s not quite all you can eat, that would be distasteful, but there’s mountains of food at £20. 5/5

Food: The pilaus and karahis were simple yet packed with flavour. Rooh Afza was a rose-flavoured refreshment. Good stuff. 7/10

Total 26/30

HENRY’S CAFE BAR & RESTAURANT, 5 ABBOT STREET, GLASGOW

“This hummus is un-put-down-able and I scarf it in big, tangy, greedy dollops. The pitta bread that’s come with it though is dry, nowhere near fresh enough and, apart from an exploratory nibble, left untouched.”

Menu: Hipster-style or a never-ending search for new sensations? Potato schiacciata, curried carrot hummus, cured sea trout. 4/5

Atmosphere: If you like long, low, secret bar-cum-diners then this is the place for you.

4/5

Service: Pleasant, relaxed and helpful staff all round. 5/5

That focaccia was £6, most of the mediumsized plates hover around £12. Okay. 3/5 Service: Nothing had the just-cooked feel, so a bit of assembly but done well and prettily. Some of the flavours were a big hit.

6/10

Total: 22/30

TURTLE BAY, 120 HOPE STREET GLASGOW, 0141-345-2761

“Impossible to tell, but the spice rub surrounding the lamb is actually flavoursome, pleasant.”

Menu: Another monster chain hits town, this time promising Caribbean flavours: jerk dishes, west Indian curries, soul food. You’ve seen this movie. 3/5

Atmosphere: It’s huge. Imagine a barn decorated like a Caribbean beach bar and you’ll get the vibe. Just opened and quiet (sound system aside) when in. 3/5 Service: Our waitress was great: friendly, helpful. Although she was ordered back to the table repeatedly to seek drink orders, she did a good job. 5/5

Price: Starters are from £6.30, that jerk lamb was £17.30; it’s pricey for what it is. By that I mean ordinary chain restaurant food. The Diet Coke was £2.80. 3/5

Food: It’s pretty easy to add big flavours from sauce bottles and that’s what they do. Underlying food was pretty poor and the jerk lamb awful. 5/10

Total 19/30

DAMASQUINO, SALTMARKET, GLASGOW. TEL: 0141-552-2900

“We’ve got a platter of this Lebanese street food for £4.90. And I can’t stop eating them even after I detour to crunch my way through a filo cigar that is a cheese sambousek (£4.90) and pause for a few moments more to have a go at the mohamarah.”

Menu: That mixed grill, arayes, mohamarahs, shashliks, tikkas, labnehs plus other Lebanese dishes we didn’t try including broasted chicken. 4/5 Atmosphere: Listen. it’s homespun, feels part cafe, part restaurant. There’s a take-away kebab bit. It’s cosmopolitan too; bustling all night. I liked it. 4/5 Service: Impossible to fault, friendly relaxed and very helpful. 5/5

Price: That mixed grill was £32.50 and would feed a few; the arayes was £5.40 for a platter, the other starters all less than a fiver. 5/5

Food: Not just your ordinary mixed grill but one where every item is full of marinated surprises, even the arayes was outstanding. 9/10

Total: 27/30

DOUGH MAN’S LAND, DERBY STREET, GLASGOW

Tel: 07517 374299

“That dough for my pizzas is rising and bubbling up so hard and fast against that wood that when I sit out there to eat them in a few moments I’ll be picking charred flakes off the very edge of one.”

Menu: It’s a pizza van, well horsebox, with a glorious wood-fired oven blazing away in the background, simple stuff: pizzas and pizza balls. 4/5

Atmosphere: It’s on a street in the west end, outside one of the gates to Kelvingrove Park. With that oven burning it’s quite atmospheric. 3/5

Service: Served through the hatch by a pleasant guy who shaped the dough, flipped the pizzas and packaged it up while being quite chatty. 5/5

Price: Full fat (that’s not student) prices go up to £8 for the more exotic toppings. Given the quality: fair enough. 3/5

Food: They don’t have the monopoly on the pleasure of a hand-made, just-fired pizza served in the fresh air, but the dough was good. 8/10

Total: 23/30