Restaurant of the week
Rioja 1116 Argylest, Glasgow
Location
Situated in the middle of Finnieston, Glasgow’s unofficial foodie hub, Rioja sits in among some of the buzziest restaurants the city has to offer.
First impressions
Rioja was transformed last year from a dark and moody tapas joint into a colourful and welcoming up-scale eatery. It is a complete shift from its old style and vibe, but it is definitely just as cool, if not even more so.
Service
The restaurant is a real hot spot, so booking is recommended. We were lucky the friendly and accommodating staff worked some magic and managed to squeeze us in as walk ins on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
Menu
Designed by Rioja’s Michelin-starred chef, Miguel Angel Major, the menu is a blend of fine cuisine and a casual dining experience. Chef Miguel aims to create a menu that offers an unusual fusion of Scottish and Spanish ingredients to create a selection of totally unique tapas dishes. Definitely worth checking out if you like to push your palette to new levels.
Taste
We had an array of tapas dishes that showed the range of taste and flavour on offer at Rioja. The standout was the berenjenas con tartar de salmon, a Scottish salmon tartar accompanied by sugarcane honey for drizzling, a common tradition in Andalucia. It tasted fresh and delicious, and was a wonderful spin on the classic Scottish salmon.
Ambience
Rioja is pleasant and trendy, but is not able truly replicate the laid back, slow Spanish eating culture because of the high demand for tables - a good problem for the owners to have!
Price
More than reasonable due to the high quality of food on offer.