Dinner at Bread Meats Bread, Glasgow

So you rarely go an hour without seeing some comment on social media about the amazing burgers in Glasgow. I'm not the biggest fan of burgers myself so it's not something that I generally get excited about. I like the actual meat bit and dressing but I just don't get the bun - if I was getting a burger I would generally ask for it without the bun! However, Mr EmmaEats is a big burger fan so I decided we would try out one of the hottest burger spots around. As we were heading to dinner I was thinking to myself that I would get an extra side because I don't eat the bun .... well I ate my words, a bun and the extra sides ;-)

From reading things about this place on social media I was prepared to wait for a seat. As we arrived I could see a packed restaurant with easily 10 people queuing for seats - I was pretty hungry and thought it would take ages to get a seat. A very friendly waitress advised that there would be a wait of about 15 minute (music to my ears). She gave us menu's to look at while we were waiting. I would guess that we weren't even waiting for 15 minutes. The wait gave us plenty of time to decide what we were going to have. The wait also gave us time to take in the atmosphere and to get a sneak peak of the food.

They also do takeaways and while we were in the queue there were loads of people coming in and getting a takeaway. I think this is a great idea.

Food
Ok so remember I said above that I wasn't going to have a bun with my burger, well I did and it just wasn't any ordinary bun, it was a burger in a DOUGHNUT. I mean seriously how amazing does that sound! So I ordered the Luther Burger and Mr EE had the Wolf of St Vincent Street, we also ordered sweet potatoes fries, the Glaspoutine and coleslaw. For drinks Mr EE went for the chocolate milkshake and I just had a large coke (& a glass of water). The food came out and my first thought was 'how are we going to eat all of this' and I must admit we struggled but probably ate more than we should have because it was all delicious. My Luther burger was so tasty - it tasted so sweet and I felt that the sweet tasting doughnut shouldn't work with the burger but oh my god it was delicious. It is a thin burger with american cheese, candied bacon, spicy beefy mayo and crispy fried onions. You have the choice of a single or double bullet, I just went for the one burger and it was the perfect size, I was able to pick it up and eat it without making too much of a mess. Mr EE loved his Wolf of St Vincent Street burger. This burger had american cheese, crispy bacon, pulled pork in BBQ sauce, crispy onions and 'ndjua sauce. He struggled with figuring out how to eat it without making a mess though. The burger was so big there was no way he was going to be able to just pick it up and eat it. What can I say about the glaspoutine (house cheese, fresh cheese curds & grated cheddar, topped with beefy gravy) - again it is something that sounds like it wouldn't work but again to my surprise they were amazing. It all just worked so well together. The sweet potato fries were also lovely and tasty and so was the coleslaw.

So we were stuffed after our meal and decided that we wouldn't be able to fit in a dessert. Mr EE suggested that we get a doughnut to share later on with a cup of tea. A few hours later Mr EE was still stuffed so when I suggested the doughnut he said he wasn't able for anymore food. For research reasons I still had to have my half of the doughnut, right?? (FYI I didn't eat as much as Mr EE during the meal). There are no words to describe the taste of the doughnut, it was sensational the texture of the doughnut was great, it was so fresh and the vanilla filling was awesome, it was so awesome I had to eat the whole doughnut. To be honest I nearly regret eating the doughnut as I know I'm going to be craving it again (and again and again ...). Food Rating:- 5/5.

Service
The staff at Bread Meats Bread are nothing short of amazing - they work under a serious amount of pressure however they are so friendly and efficient. I cannot believe how quickly they turn over the tables. They are constantly negotiating their way around people queuing and it doesn't seem to bother them. Our service was quick and efficient. Service Rating:- 5/5.

Atmosphere
The atmosphere is great. Its busy and vibrant and has a great buzz. It's somewhere that you'd go for a quick bite to eat (well leaving the queue for a seat aside). You wouldn't spend ages nursing a drink and having a good chat here. When queuing I must admit I sometimes felt that I was in the way of the staff - it didn't seem to bother them but I felt I was hopping out of the way constantly. Service Rating:- 4/5.

Price
The price of food here is so reasonable especially when you consider the size of the portions and the quality of the food. Our total bill came to £33.20 and that included a doughnut, a milkshake and a large diet coke. Price Rating:- 5/5.

Last Words
What can I say that hasn't already been said about this place before - I don't think I can add to all the amazing reviews out there but I'll try... This place really is a must visit and that is coming from someone who is not the greatest burger lover. The burger was amazing, however I must admit the star of the night for me was the doughnut. I will definitely go back here and I have to say it again, the staff are amazing and they really make this place what it is. Total Rating 19/20.

Date of Visit: Friday, 26 February 2016

Restaurant Details:-
Bread Meats Bread,
104 St Vincent Street,
Glasgow,
G2 5UB.

Website:- Bread Meats Bread Website
Telephone:- 0142 249 9898

Thanks a mil for reading.

Emma Mai xx

Brunch at Gusto and Relish, Shawlands, Glasgow

It was that time of the week again - my favourite time, Saturday brunch. Mind you our day started a little later than normal as we were both feeling a little worse for wear after a night on the town! However, once we got our act together we decided that we would try out Gusto and Relish, Shawlands. We rang ahead to see if we could book a table but unfortunately they don't take bookings. I had myself prepared for a long queue (and wondered how my weary body could cope with that) but thankfully there was no queue and we were seated straight away. We were seated down the back of the restaurant in a corner - a perfect spot to hide away and not see the horrendous rain outside. Our drinks order was taken and we were left to look at the menu. The menu is fairly substantial and took a while to get through (well maybe my brain wasn't firing on all cylinders). Once we had placed our food order the coffee arrived out - a cappuccino and an americano with hot milk - they use Ovenbird Coffee and seriously, it is the best coffee I have tasted. Mr EmmaEats is addicted to coffee and needs at least two cappuccino's every morning before his body functions and he agrees that this coffee is spectacular. Ovenbird Coffee Roasters source, roast and supply speciality coffee. You should definitely check them out (see link above).

Food

So today I decided to live life on the wild side and replace my usual poached eggs with scrambled eggs (rock and roll I hear you say). So I had scrambled eggs on brown toast with a side of tomatoes and spinach! My breakfast was fine, nice fluffy toast and lovely tomatoes and spinach but the scrambled eggs weren't great to be honest! They were very very dry. But they were fine. Mr EE had the all day breakfast and he really enjoyed it. He said the black pudding was divine - he doesn't really share so I didn't get to taste it. He stated that there was very little grease on the fry and thought that was great. Whilst we didn't have any dessert there were some amazing looking cakes - I would have loved a slice of cake (my hangover would have loved a whole cake), but I managed to stay strong and walk past them. Food Rating:- 4/5.

Service

Service was great, no complaints there at all. Staff were very friendly and efficient. When we were leaving we took two ameranicano's to go and while the waiter was preparing our coffee he was telling us all about Overbird Coffee. He seemed very knowledgeable about the product. Service Rating:- 4.5/5.

Atmosphere

This is great little spot - I really like the vibe here! It's like your little neighbour cafe (well it is your little neighbour cafe). It is cool and quirky - you even kinda walk through the kitchen to get to the toilet downstairs (you are not exactly walking through the where they cook the food but you are walking past it). It's just a little eccentric - and I like eccentric. Atmosphere Rating:- 4.5/5.

Price

What can I say about price - it is more than reasonable, we had two breakfasts and 4 coffees (two of them were to takeaway) and it only came to £22.10 - I mean REALLY you could spend that much alone on 5 coffees in some places. The scrambled eggs on toast was only £3.95 (in fairness I wouldn't mind spending another few pounds to have nicer eggs but it was still such a good price) - I did pay for the sides also. The all day breakfast was £7.95 - which was a great price. Price Rating:- 5/5.

Last Words

This is a great little spot with loads on the menu. Whilst the scrambled eggs may not have been cooked to my liking I think this place has something very special. There is no pomp and ceremony just good food at great value. This place is somewhere that you really must try. Total Rating 18 out of 20.

Date visited:- Saturday, 20 February 2016

Restaurant Details:-

Gusto and Relish,
729 - 731 Pollackshaws Road,
Glasgow,
G41 2AA.

Website: Gusto and Relish Website

Telephone: 0141 424 1233

Thanks a mil for reading.

Emma Mai xx

Dinner at the Trading House, Glasgow

I've been dying to try out this place for ages! Whilst I was really looking forward to it, I was also a little apprehensive. You know that way when you are really looking forward to something it sometimes doesn't live up to your expectations. Well thankfully it was great - from the minute you walk in the atmosphere is lively, ecliptic and quirky. However, there was one little thing that didn't sit right with me but I will address that later and no it's not about a glass of water (for a change). We were brought down to our table and advised that our waiter would be over to us shortly. Our waiter was very friendly - he took our drink order and advised if we had any questions on the menu we should just ask. We ordered a bottle of Malbec and some water. Two glasses of water and a jug of water were placed on the table (ooohh we are off to a good start).

Food
So after some time looking over the extensive menu - you can get anything from curries, tagine's, burgers, kebabs, chicken etc, we placed our order. I ordered the baked camembert and lamb tagine. Mr EmmaEats ordered the wings and the steak sandwich. Shortly after we placed our order the waiter came back to advise that there was no lamb tagine left and gave me the menu and a few moments to pick something else. I was a little disappointed but as there was loads on the menu to pick from I wasn't stuck for choice. I decided to go for the avocado, bacon and stilton salad - however I asked could the stilton be replaced with halloumi as stilton doesn't agree with me.

I've been dreaming about having baked camembert for some months now so when I saw it on the menu I had to go for it and it was just delicious and just the right amount. The camembert came with some focaccia, lettuce, apple and grapes. There was also some garlic and rosemary baked on the camembert. It really was just so delicious and everything worked very well together. Mr EE wings were beautifully presented in casket and the sauce came in a small glass bottle. It took Mr EE a good bit of exertion to get the sauce out of the bottle though - so whilst it might look pretty I'm not sure if its entirely practical. Once he got the sauce out and onto the wings he really enjoyed them.

My salad for my main course arrived out and I was also given a side portion of halloumi cheese covered in sweet chilli sauce. As you can see from the photo the salad was huge. I know it may look like there was more salad than filling but I can guarantee you that there was loads of filling and it was very tasty. The side portion of halloumi in chilli sauce was amazing - words cannot describe how tasty it was. Mr EE had the steak sandwich and was really satisfied with it - he had asked for the cheesy chips instead of normal chips and also had a side portion of coleslaw. Mr EE said that his sandwich was exactly what he needed.

Throughout my meal I had a look at all the food that the waiters were bringing out to other tables. Some of them were presented in unusual and quirky ways such as wicker closed baskets and small barrels. The kebabs also seemed to be some sort of performance (I mean that in a good way) - they were placed on the table then the waiter would pour the sauce that accompanied the kebabs into the small bowl like container at the top of the kebab stand - this bowl obviously had a hole in it and the sauce would slowly drip down. It looked pretty cool. I think I might have to try this the next time I visit.

For dessert I just went for an americano, while Mr EE went for the apple crumble and custard. I must admit that I was very tempted by the strawberry and marshmallow kebab but I had promised myself that I was not having a dessert (and I was also stuffed). Mr EE said his dessert was delicious but he did struggle to finish it. Food Rating:- 4.5/5.

Service
Our service was great - our waiter was very chatty and friendly and ensured that we enjoyed the experience. There was no rush on the courses which meant that we could relax between them. Service Rating:- 5/5.

Atmosphere
As I said the atmosphere in this place is great. I loved the look of the place and their light fittings are so cool (I'm beginning to see a pattern with me - I think I'm obsessed with light fittings)! On the negative side of things - we did find the music a little loud, we felt that we were shouting across the table at one another and that the lighting was a lot on the low side (I'm sounding more and more like my mother). I wouldn't let this put me off though as I loved the place but it is certainly not someone where you would go for a romantic meal or to have a good chat with someone. Atmosphere Rating:- 4/5.

Price
The price of the meal was very reasonable - the total price was £71.50 which was really good for the quality and quantity of the food. However, the thing that didn't sit right with me was that I was charged £3.95 for the extra halloumi on the side that was given to me. I have no problem paying money for food but I was never advised that the extra helping was coming at a cost (and I hadn't even asked for a side portion, I had just looked for a swap). I am however presuming that this was an unfortunate error and was not meant to be on my bill. Unfortunately, I didn't notice this until after I left restaurant so I wasn't in a position to bring it up. Price Rating:- 4.5/5.

Last Words
I really like this place and the food was really good. I think the Trading House is certainly worth a visit, it has it all, good food, good atmosphere and cocktails (which I didn't get to sample this time). With regard to the price issue, I'm sure if I had noticed it when I was in the restaurant they would have dealt with appropriately as I believe the customer experience is very important to the Trading House. On a side note, I like the fact that you can get up from your dinner and take a few steps into a pub without having to brave the elements!! There was live music in the bar and a good crowd too. Total Rating:- 18 of out 20.

Date visited: Friday, 19 February 2016.

Restaurant Details:-

The Trading House,
24 St Vincent Place,
Glasgow,
G1 2EU.

Website: The Trading House Website
Telephone: 0141 223 7010

Thanks a mil for reading.

Emma Mai xx

Brunch at Eat Deli, Shawlands, Southside, Glasgow

We were heading out for Saturday brunch and as we hadn't made any bookings, we decided to live life on the wild side and take a stroll around Shawlands to see what little gem we could find. The first place we came across was Eat Deli, we went in and were lucky enough as they had one free table. The restaurant looks lovely and has a cosy look about it - the tables are pretty close together so I had to take a deep breath in as I squeezed between two tables to get into my seat, thankfully I managed not to knock everything off the table. Unfortunately this is a bit of a mixed review - whilst the food was great and the restaurant looks nice I'm not so sure about the rest of it, it just left me with a bit of a flat feeling.

Food

I ordered what has now become my 'usual' - poached eggs, a slice of brown toast, tomatoes, beans and spinach. Mr EmmaEats ordered the full breakfast. My eggs were cooked to perfection - the white was lovely and solid and the yolk was lovely and runny. The spinach was so tasty and really well cooked. It was certainly once of the nicest breakfasts I've had since the new year.

Mr EmmaEats loved his breakfast and said everything was cooked to perfection. There is no toast in the picture but the breakfast did come with toast.

Food Rating:- 5/5.

Service

I will start off by saying that the staff were not rude but I would certainly not have classed them as friendly either. There were no smiles or any other sort of niceties. Whilst the restaurant was busy the staff didn't appear to be rush of their feet so I could find no explanation for the lack of warm welcome. I found it a little off putting to be honest. My next issue was to do with a glass of water or lack of a glass of water (I can see you roll your eyes whilst thinking here she goes again) but seriously how hard is it to give me a glass of water when I order one - I had to ask a second time which really annoys me. If you have read my about me section you will know that this is my pet hate. Our coffee order was also only taken when we were placing our food order, I think I have become accustomed to having my drinks order taken and then being left to look at the food menu - so maybe I'm just being a bit pedantic here. The food arrived out shortly after ordering. Service Rating:- 2/5.

Atmosphere

Again, I'm just not so sure about the atmosphere, whilst I think that the restaurant has a cosy look about it - I don't necessarily think it is cosy. I had a hot air vent blowing onto the backs of my legs - now I'm the coldest creature in the world and I was so delighted with this extra bit of heat - but the novelty soon wore off (after about a minute), the heat was just way too intense and I had to sit with my legs to the side of me. Mr EE was at the far side of the table and in fairness it took him a while longer to feel the intense heat. The table next to us had become available so we asked the waiter could we move because of the heat and he informed us that there was a switch beside the vent which we could use to turn off the heater. We very eagerly turned off the hot air, however nearly as soon as I did we could feel a huge cold breeze so we spent our time there turning on and off the heater trying to regulate our temperature. There was a nice buzz around the place, lots of chatter although we could clearly hear what the people at the other tables were talking about (which sometimes can be very entertaining). Atmosphere Rating:- 3/5.

Price

The price of the brunch was your average price (I have misplaced the receipt and I can't actually recall how much it cost but I remember thinking that it was a good price). Price Rating:- 5/5.

Last Words

I'm just not so sure about this place. The food is lovely but the rest of it appears to be lacking and I can't seem to get excited about it at all. I won't rule out going back here as the food was lovely but I'm looking for the whole dining experience and unfortunately that was lacking on this visit. Total Rating:- 15 out of 20.

Date Visited: Saturday, 30 January 2016

Restaurant Details:

Eat Deli,
69 Kilmarnock Road,
Shawlands,
Glasgow.

Website:- Eat Deli Website
Telephone: 0141 649 6705

Thanks for reading.

Emma mai xx

Lunch at Martha's, Glasgow

I was in the city and need to have a quick lunch, as I'm still on my healthy buzz I decided to give Martha's a go.

I timed my visit well and arrived just after the lunch rush. I didn't look at any menu just went straight to the fridges. There was a really good choice of salads with the nutritional information of each salad clearly on display. I picked a lovely salad called a rainbow freeky and decided to go for a nice healthy drink to round it off. So I was looking in the fridge and could see juices with full sticks of celery, chunks of other fruit and veg. I decided against the juice and was beginning to think that I was completely out of the health food scene or that I was just not cool enough to understand this concept. So in the end I just picked up a bottle of water and went to the counter to pay.

Food
My salad was delicious, I must admit I am not a fan of pre packaged food, however you would have thought that it had just been made. My rainbow freeky salad had spinach, butternut squash, freekeh, chickpeas, radish, pumpkin & pomegranate seeds. It was so fresh and really full of flavour. Whilst I was sitting at the table eating my lunch I had a chance to look over the menu. You can get everything from breakfast, to hot rolls, to salads, to main boxes and flat bread wraps. The menu also provided some information on the smoothie dilemma - you pick up your smoothy and bring it to the counter and they blend it for you there...it all makes sense now.

Service
It is difficult to rate service as there isn't much service required in Martha's - it's more of a grab and go kinda place with a seating area. However, the waitress who served me was very friendly and the tables were very clean.

Atmosphere
As with service it is difficult to rate the atmosphere - it is more of a grab and go place rather than a sit down and take a few hours to relax over your food place. I must admit I thought that the music was a little loud (maybe I'm just getting old) but other than that the atmosphere was fine. I did notice that a number of people were actually sitting down reading a magazine or on a iPad so maybe people do like to relax over their food here.

Price
My salad cost me £5.30 - if you were to take the salad out it would have cost £4.40. I honestly believe that the salad was worth £5.30, whilst the portion wasn't huge it was a decent sized portion, the freshness and quality of the food was worth it.

Last words
Martha's claim to do hearty, healthy and fast food, I can confirm that they do this. It is great to know that you can get healthy 'fast' food. I would recommend that you give yourself a little time to have a look at the menu before ordering though. I haven't rated this place as I think it would be difficult to do so but I would highly recommend a visit to Martha's.

Date Visited:- Wednesday, 27 January 2015

Restaurant Details:

Martha's,
142a St Vincent Street,
Glasgow,
G2 5LQ.

Website: Martha's Website
Telephone: 0141 248 9771

Thanks a mil for reading.

Emma Mai xx