Glasgow Living Part 18 – Brunch at Cau

Readers, I’m mixing things up for you!  I know I’m usually all about the dinners out in Glasgow, but today I’m doing brunch.  Oddly enough it’s the first time I’ve EVER been for brunch in town, considering I spend 5 days a week working there.

We went for a 10.30 brunch at Cau – the Argentinian steakhouse on the corner of Ingram Street and Queen Street near to GOMA.    I’ve walked past so many times but never realised they had a brunch menu as well as lunch and dinner.

We kicked off our brunch with homemade smoothies – I went for the Very Berry whilst Mr WhatClaireBaked went tropical.  Smoothies are £3.75 each, are made fresh and it’s a biiiiig glass you get.

Usually I’d go for something “cooked” on a Saturday morning and although it was a dreich day, I wasn’t really feeling it.  I decided to try the coal roasted peaches, which arrived warm and a little charred with granola, yoghurt, honey and fresh lime leaves on top.  Unable to resist the sight of pancakes on the menu *disclaimer these were on the KIDS menu - I ordered two with dulce de leche.

Back in 2011, Mr WhatClaireDid and I went on our first holiday together to South America and I tried dulce de leche for the first time.  Ever since, I’ve gone out of my way to try and find places to order it from!  They arrived hot and covered in sweet, sweet sauce.

Not forgetting my dining partner – he went for the flatbread with chorizo, caramelised onion and mozzarella flatbread at £6.95.

The menu is good value – the most expensive thing is the full breakfast at £9.95.   We were also recommended the steak and eggs, which hopefully I’ll try next time we go. Coffees are priced around £2.50 and there’s a kids menu, making Cau suitable for families out and about in the city on the weekend, looking for somewhere to go.

It was fairly quiet when we went in, but I can imagine a great lively atmosphere when the restaurant is full.  We did find the background music quite loud – but this is likely due to the quiet time we visited more than anything else.  The staff were really helpful and didn’t rush us and we really liked the contemporary interior and cool, modern furniture.  The glass walls to the front of the restaurant are also great for people watching.

Cau brunch is served from 9am on weekends and to find out more about their Glasgow branch, visit their social pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Disclaimer:  I was provided brunch for two in exchange for a review.  Any opinions expressed are my own. 

Glasgow Living Part 17 – Mezze at The Rotunda, Glasgow

Readers, I’ve been back on the reviewing again this week.  To another new venue… that’s what I love about Glasgow.  We’ve been here nearly 2 years and I’m still discovering places almost weekly.  Granted, there are constantly new openings across the city, but even places that have been here for years, I’ve still not fallen over!

This week I visited Mezze at The Rotunda for the first time.  Around my point on falling over places, it’s probably not somewhere you would fall over.  The Rotunda (you’ve probably walked past it PURE LOADS of times) is right next to the SEC, The Armadillo and The SSE Hydro.  Making it perfect for somewhere to eat out before a gig.  Also, turns out if you go there for a pre-theatre, there’s free parking throughout the gig (limited spaces, so get there early) but it could solve a problem for you.  It’s a great place to go before something at either or the venues, or after it’s a matinee show you’re at… think panto.

The Rontunda has three levels, with different restaurants on each floor.  Mezze is tucked away at the top, with an amazing star gazer dome on the roof.  There’s windows around half of the circle, with views out over the Clyde and beyond on a clear day.  Which it was for our visit.

Our waitress advised us that the top floor had been a tapas bar a few years ago, which closed.  A full refurb followed and Mezze opened a few months ago.  It’s a fusion menu of greek and Turkish dishes, from the sea and from the land, with sides and desserts available. It’s a small plate style menu, designed for sharing between two, or a group.  We also had a window booth which was lovely.  We enjoyed looking out over the river whilst waiting on food.

Our night started with warmed pitta and tzatziki.  There is an option to order pitta and 3 dips to share, however, with the size of the dip pots (and the 6 dishes we ordered) our waitress was kind enough to do a small side of these for us.  I love pitta and I never manage to warm it at home without it going solid. 

Mezze’s dishes arrive as they are cooked, so don’t expect a starter and a main style sharing experience, it’s a free for all!

How amazing is the roof?!

 We enjoyed a few meat dishes including the chicken souvlaki (2 skewers) and the Turkish style kofta which came served on flatbread with a tomato sauce and sourced cream.  We moved on to the large fresh grilled prawns and sea bass fillets wrapped in foil.  Eating out doesn’t have to be unhealthy. Last night, the majority of dishes we had were light, grilled meats and fish served with salsas.   It’s great for people who are being healthy, but still want to go out and enjoy themselves.  We did get a bit cheesy… with courgette and feta fritters AND halloumi fries.

Halloumi is my ultimate guilty pleasure.  Previous posts, I‘ve mentioned how much I love cheese and halloumi, especially in battered fried form is my biggest indulgence.

We played it cool by having dessert between us, opting for chocolate salami.  Yes, you heard me.  Chocolate Salami.  Turns out I’m not the first person to ask what on earth this is.  In short, it’s chocolate and biscuits, in the style of a fridge cake, it’s rolled up into a log and sliced off like you would slices of salami.  The biscuit pieces resemble the fats of a salami sausage, and that my friends is a chocolate salami.  It came with ice cream and was a great end to our meal.

For more information on Mezze, visit their website or check them out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  

Disclaimer:  I was invited along to review Mezze in exchange for a meal.  Any opinions expressed are my own.