The Dhabba - Glasgow

I spent 15 months going up to Glasgow on a a weekly basis and was lucky the firm I was consulting for had founders of Pakistani origin who generously fed the entire company of more than 250 people every Friday with amazing Punjabi food only surpassed in peoples homes or in Pakistan itself.

Glasgow was voted the Curry Capital of Britain in 2007 and so it is no suprise to find such a great restaurant here.

I was up in Glasgow at least 5 times a month for 15 months and always ensured I had a meal there when I could.

The Dhabba has tremendous well spiced food with many dishes not often found in the UK.
This is not the standard neo Bangladeshi cliché food that is so common in these Islands but an upmarket quality establishement with pan Indian dishes .

The breads are excellent and there are beatifully prepared Tikkas , Curries be thay meat , chicken , fish or vegetale/pulses.

If you are in town I strongly recommend The Dhabba as well as it's location - Merchant City.

The Wolseley

I’m a great admirer of Chris Corbin and Jeremy King and what they did particularly with Le Caprice and J Sheeky were textbook case studies in the London Restaurant market.

Their comeback to the capital probably post the end of a non compete period is another story.

The Wolseley on the other hand is probably closer in execution and positioning to another of their great success stories , The Ivy. The common theme here is that the food at both is no great shakes in fact for me the food at The Wolseley just does not cut it.

Hand on heart I cannot recommend anything on the menu and say it is good or even average be it the Salade Nicoise, Steak Tartare, Salt Beef, Hamburger, Weiner Schnitzel, Steak Frites or any of the deserts with the possible exception of the Banana Split.

If the food is not the basis of your decision-making when selecting a restaurant in this price bracket then you may find that you can have a pleasant evening in another David Collins Architects restoration.

Aubergine

I have been going to Aubergine since Gordon Ramsey was the launch chef and have carried on since he famously "walked out" with the majority of his "loyal" staff and set up at Royal Hospital Road on his own in pretty quick time.

The restaurant continues to produce great French Cuisine backed up by a super wine list.

William Drabble has a talent for procuring excellent seasonal, mostly local ingredients and turning out exceptional French influenced food. May less talented chef's have received more than one Michelin Star !

Aubergine is great for a special occassion in the evening and still has one of the best (Michelin starred) bargain set lunches in London £ 29 for 3 courses or £34 for 3 courses and a half bottle of very well chosen house wine.

http://www.auberginerestaurant.co.uk/