Lunch at CAU, Glasgow

So on a recommendation from Little Miss Glasgow Girl I headed to CAU for lunch. I had two friends over from Ireland for a few days - one of them was my foodie partner in crime when I lived in Dublin so I wanted to make sure that she experienced the best that the Glasgow foodie scene had to offer. We arrived just after the lunch rush, many tables were still full but the place was beginning to quieten down. CAU is bright, modern, funky and looks so clean. The interior is a mix of blues, greens, browns and whites. It has unusual light and wall fittings. There is seating on two levels - mind you there was no one sitting upstairs. We were greeted by a very friendly member of staff who brought us to our table and provided us with our menus. While we were looking over the extensive menu the waiter brought down a jug of water for the table. My friends husband was mesmerised by the glasses - they had grips on the outside of them. He asked me to make a special mention to the glasses in my review, so Martin I made this random observation just for you! So after changing our minds a number of times in relation to what we were going to order (as there is so many amazing things on the menu) we decided to place our order. I'd say the poor waiter was wishing that he had rang in sick that day. He certainly deserves an award for being the most patient waiter. As I was on my health kick I was being a bit fussy about the way I wanted things cooked, however the waiter took it all in his stride (I would seriously love to know what he was thinking as I was placing my order). You will see from the pictures below (excuse the pictures, I'm still on a learning curve) that there is an extensive menu and they also have an express quick lunch menu. We all picked from the main food menu.

Food

So as I was still on my healthy buzz I had three sides for my lunch. I ordered the baked sweet potato (minus the butter), garden peas and tenderstem broccoli (minus the butter). Everything was cooked to perfection and tasted so good. I didn't even feel that I was missing out on anything. I probably didn't even need the three side dishes as the portions were so big. I loved the presentation of the food also, especially the slate that the sweet potatoes came on.

My foodie partner in crime went for the spicy ground beef and onion empanadas, Spanish chorizo and cream cheese empanadas and roasted mushrooms. Noreen really enjoyed her lunch, she said that the empanadas were full of flavour. I particularly loved the presentation of the mushrooms - I thought the dish they came in was so cute.

Finally my friends husband went for the Buenos Aires Burger. As you can see from the photo the burger is very substantial and the chunky chips are really chunky! Martin loved his burger, he said it was very tasty.

After the big feed and because we were going out for dinner that evening we all decided against have a dessert. There is a great selection of desserts and I will definitely have one the next time I visit. Food Rating:- 4.5/5.

Service

The service was impeccable, really friendly staff, no request seemed too difficult. Food came out very quickly and we were able to have a bit of banter with the waiter. Service Rating:- 5/5

Atmosphere

The atmosphere was great here, even when the crowds had headed back to work there were still a few tables with people at them which created a nice little buzz around the place. I can only imagine what it would be like when the place is full - the word electric springs to mind. The only disappointment was that there did seem to be a bit of a draft on our backs and we were sitting away from the window but other than that the place was great. Once we had finished eating we just sat at the table having a chat and not once were we made feel unwelcome or that we should leave. Atmosphere Rating:- 4/5.

Price
The total cost of the meal was £50.44. For lunch for three adults I think that this was very reasonable. As well as food it also included a CAU G&T and two minerals. The quality of the food was very good and there was plenty of food on our plates. Price Rating:- 4.5/5.

Last Words

This place was really great. Again a big shout out to the waiter who served us on the day who happily took my fussy order (I wish I had taken his name to give him a proper shout out). I have been to places before where requesting that something is left off your plate is like requesting the waiters kidney, but I got no such reaction here in CAU (I'm hoping the chef didn't give the waiter any grief though). I'm looking forward to bringing Mr EmmaEats here for dinner sometime in the near future. Total Rating:- 18/20.

Restaurant Details:-

CAU Glasgow,
Unit 1 222 - 224 Ingram Street,
Glasgow,
G1 3BX.

Website:- CAU Website
Telephone:- 0141 2216 272

Date visited:- Friday, 15 January 2016

Thanks a mil for reading.

Emma mai x