Dinner at Ab Lib, Glasgow City

So it's finally here - my first middle of the road review. I am struggling to write this, and it doesn't sit well with me to be so negative about somewhere but the aim of my blog is to give an honest account. But don't let this put you off visiting yourself, AdLib is just not for me. 

So we found ourselves in the city looking for a quick bite to eat, we were close to central station so I thought we would head across to AdLib. It was a Friday evening after 6 so I was a little concerned about getting a seat. When we went in there was a good crowd in the bar area and once we made our way through them we were seated at the tables running down the middle of the restaurant. 

Food

There are plenty of options on the menu for everyone as well as daily specials. You can have things like mac'n'cheese; fish and chips; jerk chicken; crab cakes; salad; sandwiches and of course burgers. I went for the Indian curried potato & chickpea with mango raita with cheese fries, I also got a side of slaw. Mr EmmaEats went for one of the specials - the Texan burger, angus beef, pulled pork, coleslaw and smoked cheddar. Mr EE asked for the loaded fries with pulled pork, smoked cheddar and bbq sauce instead of the normal fries. My burger was fine, nothing to write home about. There wasn't much cheese on my cheese fries and I didn't particularly like the slaw (but I don't like some brands of mayo so I'm just putting it down to the fact that they used a brand that I don't like). Mr EE thought that his burger was just average, nothing special, he had also expected more from the loaded fries. Food rating: 3/5.

 Service

Service was fine, I wasn't blown away by it but to be honest it wasn't bad either. When we arrived, before I had even sat on my seat I was asked for my drinks order - I asked could I have a few minutes. As soon as the waiter left and while I was still trying to get into my seat a waitress came over to take my drinks order - I still hadn't looked at the drinks menu. I had to ask again for a few minutes to look at the menu. There were plenty of staff so if something was needed it was easy to get someones attention. Service rating: 3/5.

Atmosphere

There was a nice lively buzz about the place, exactly what I had expected. The bar area is dark with not much light, however the eating area is totally the opposite and is really bright and airy due to the windows running down the middle of the ceiling. We were seated at a table for four - I found the seats really unusual. I had to move the seat beside me to try to get into my own seat. Atmosphere rating: 3/5.

Price

We had two main course, one side dish, a cider, a beer and a coffee which cost £36.45. I think the food is reasonably priced and they portions were decent sized but I'm just not sure about the quality. Price rating: 3/5.

Last Words

So I was looking for something quick and easy to eat, I wasn't expecting fine dining however, I don't think the place lived up to my expectation of quick and easy good quality food. It really just didn't rock my boat but maybe you should go to try it out for yourself. Ad Lib also has a second location in Merchant City. Total rating:- 12 out of 20. 

Date Visited: 17 June 2016

Restaurant Details:-

Ad Lib,

111 Hope Street,

Glasgow,

G2 6LL.

Website: click here

Telephone: 0141 248 6645

Thanks a mil for reading.

Emma Mai xx