I WAS always a fan of Etain, the stylish Terence Conran-owned fine diner in Glasgow's Princes Square, and Zinc, its easy-eating cousin that spilled out on to the balcony. It was the best of all worlds, the perfect one-stop shop: posh grub if you were
cocooned in the well-appointed bowels of the building; a bar with more casual food on a miserable day; and if there was even a hint of sunshine, you'd head for the balcony to soak up the rays under the glass roof. The food wasn't half bad either.
Unfortunately, it seems I was in a minority of people who appreciated this style-centric combo, given that the place was often horribly empty. The business was sold by Conran two and a half years ago, with the two restaurants subsequently morphing into one and emerging blinking into the sunlight as the bright and shiny Restaurant Bar and Grill.
There are, however, few signs of any changes other than a new nameplate: the layout is the same, the décor likewise and even the tables and chairs look suspiciously like those that once graced Etain and Zinc. Whether the numbers have increased is another question altogether, but fellow diners were fairly thin on the ground on my most recent visit. Of far more interest to me, though, was what had happened behind the scenes, in the kitchen.
I'm generally suspicious of the food on offer in chains, so studied the options with even more interest than normal. The menu, in fact, turned out to offer a good combination of dishes from around the world, mixing the odd traditional favourite that you rarely see any more – such as calves' liver with bacon, mash and onion gravy – with a wide range of contemporary fusion food. A lot of thought had gone into this menu, and with the coda that there was no sign of an attempt to use local ingredients, I found myself more than happy to try virtually any dish on offer, which is always a good starting point.
I started off with smoked haddock, hash brown and poached egg with chive butter sauce, a variation on an old classic, and wasn't disappointed: the haddock was moist and smoky, the hash brown perfectly done and the dark yellow egg yolk nice and runny.
Although he briefly mumbled and grumbled that I had got the better of the deal, Tom's similarly substantial starter, a risotto stuffed with king prawns and fresh peas and suffused with saffron and lemon, was an extremely competently produced dish that boded well.
The main courses weren't too shabby either, especially my tandoori-baked seabass with mint yoghurt. A sizeable fillet, the tandoori effect was subtle rather than overpowering, with the mint yoghurt nicely accentuating the flavour of the fish.
Tom was less impressed with his roast lamb cutlets. Any chef who argues about the definition of well done or medium-rare is on dodgy ground, but when the meat has been ordered 'pink' there's absolutely no room for manoeuvre. The cutlets were many things – including tender and accompanied by an array of commendably al dente vegetables among them – but when sliced apart, there was no trace of pinkness.
Still, we were cheered up by the prompt arrival of a monster selection of puddings ten minutes after we had finally brought a lengthy period of prevarication to a halt by selecting the taster plate. Small helpings of (in order of taste and quality) chocolate brownies, crème brûlée, pavlova and sticky toffee pudding disappeared one after the other, rounding off a meal that started and finished well but dipped ever so slightly in the middle.
I enjoyed the Restaurant Bar and Grill, much in the same way I had always enjoyed Etain and Zinc. A city-centre venue that allows you to eat in comfort either inside or out, and with a wine list selected by someone who knows their grapes, there's much to recommend this restaurant. And while the service was a little sluggish, the menu and portion sizes more than made up for any deficiencies in that direction.
My bottom line is that I'd go back. The question is whether I am in a minority, as I proved to be with Etain and Zinc.
VITAL STATISTICSThe Restaurant Bar & Grill
Princes Square, Buchanan Street, Glasgow (
www.therestaurantbarandgrill.co.uk/glasgow, 0141 225 5622)
Out of pocket Starters £4.75–£7.95; mains £9.50–£21.50; Puddings £4.50 (sharing taster plate £12.50; Cheese £6.25–£9.95
Rating 7.5/10
The full article contains 785 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
