Readers, it’s been an exciting week for my wee Glasgow living
feature. On Tuesday night, Nikki from
Couthie Cantie and I were invited along to an exclusive blogger event being
held at Atlantic Bar and Brasserie at St Vincent Place in the City Centre. Owned by the Di Maggio Group and located
under sister venue Anchor Line, this classic French bar and bistro was the high
of a sophistication for some Tuesday dining in the city.
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| Welcome to Atlantic |
We were spoiled with the weather – the sun was splitting the
pavement when we arrived and hoards of people were enjoying cocktails and
drinks on the terrace. Honestly, we
could have been in a glamorous European city when we turned up.
Our event started at 7pm with cocktails in the bar. We had a choice from some fantastic
beverages, all mixed in house in front of us by some great mixologists. Nikki
went for a Bardot to start, whilst, as a gin lover, I stuck to the Saveur D’Orange
with refreshing citrus flavours, which got us set up for the night. We could have enjoyed several cocktails but
instead decided to stick to one and move onto wine with dinner.
We were seated at an elegant table for two in the back
corner of the restaurant – surrounded by photos and memorabilia from the golden
age of sea travel. Coat pegs were
numbered – just like you’d find on the cabin of a boat… how very elegant!
We were offered a L’Escargot to begin out night. Needless to say, neither of us are regular
snail eaters so were apprehensive, but after one of the staff suggested there
was no better time to try than in a French restaurant, we gave them a go. Served in a delicious sauce with bread, the
idea was more scary than the actual eating of them. We managed 3 each, before toasting each other
with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from the house selection – delighted we’d
conquered the fear.
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| L'Escargot |
Next we moved onto starters - as two people who were completely indecisive
when it came to selecting our choice, some guidance from the incredibly helpful
staff led us to try the scallops and black pudding with apple puree, as well
the charcuterie selection (meant for two).
So there’s already enough for three on the table, but we went for it.,
leaving a little morsel of scallop behind.
The scallops were beautifully presented with a portion having 3 scallops
on the plate – just the right amount.
After warming up with starters, meat loving Nikki decided to
take a risk on a vegetarian main and was not disappointed. Choosing La Tartiflette, she wasn’t disappointed
by the layers of Ratte potatoes with garlic, onions, crème fraiche and golden
melted cheese which arrived. It smelled
and looked amazing, however, as I’m currently cutting out dairy, I could only
admire from afar. I selected a classic beef bourguignon. It was soft, tender, slow cooked and was
richly flavoured with Burgundy red, served with mash and carrots and
courgette. Rich comfort food at its
best. Portions were generous and had it been a cold winters day, I probably
would have demolished it all. Given we’d
gone overboard on the starters, I didn’t quite manage a clear plate.
There was no way we were leaving hungry and our lovely
servers were keen to make sure we enjoyed something from the selection of
delicious desserts. I’d have tried
everything given half the chance, however, due to current dairy restrictions, I’d
to ask for an off menu selection. The
staff couldn’t have been more helpful, suggesting a blackcurrant sorbet with a
selection of forest fruits. It was the
perfect end to a rich dinner.
So highlights from us – the staff for sure. We felt like each of them really cared about
their job and the customer. They were
knowledgeable, helpful and went the extra mile to ensure that we were looked
after. Nothing was too much
trouble. The owner even popped in to
see us, took the time to come over to each table and asked what we’d enjoyed
about the night.
A relative newbie to the Glasgow dining scene, we were impressed
by the experience, loved the décor and thought it would be a great place for a
girls dinner… starting with a cocktail in the bar and ending with a crème brulee
(or two) over a Glasgow of cool, crisp Sauvignon Blanc.
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| Cocktail Menu! |
Disclaimer: We were
invited along to dine at Atlantic as guest bloggers. Any opinions expressed are
my own.
What a post.
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