Dinner at Chaakoo Bombay Cafe, Glasgow

I was in town one day for afternoon tea at 29 Glasgow, which was a lovely experience and you can see my review by clicking HERE. Afterwards I decided to walk around the shops and soak up some of the early Christmas spirit. So a few hours later and a few (or a lot) of shopping bags later I decided it was time to head home. As I was heading to the train station I remembered that I had zero food in the house which meant I would have to grab a bite to eat in Glasgow ... (any old excuse). I wanted to go somewhere in the general direction of Central Station and I didn't want a huge plate of food. Chaakoo Bombay Cafe popped into my mind ... Chaakoo describes itself as "Glasgow's newest Iranian inspired cafe/restaurant and aims to take guests back in time to experience the incredible flavours smells and atmosphere of a classic Iranian cafe. The original Bombay Cafes, otherwise known as Irani cafes, were opened by Iranian immigrants who came to India in the 19th Century. Irani Cafes were popular for Irani Chai tea and a melting pot menu of Classic Iranian grill dishes and classic Bombay dishes". I had been dying to try the place out since it opened so off I headed. I walked in the door and immediately liked the look of the place, it is bright and airy with really cool and unusual light fixtures, pictures and signs. I was shown to my table by the very friendly host and given the menus.

Food 

Firstly, be warned - the menu is huge - there is so much to choose from. Chaakoo is very on trend with it's small plates and the waitress advised that in general two dishes with rice or naan is enough for one person. The menu reads really well and to be honest there were so many dishes that I wanted to try. In the end I went for Daal Makhani, Gobi Manchurian and Lemon Rice and oh my god it was delicious. The Daal is described as overnight cooked black lentils & red kidney beans on tandoor, tomato purée, fresh ginger and cream and it was so tasty. I love lentils and generally if I'm in an Indian I'm ordering lentils but there was just something a little bit extra special about this dish - there were deep undertones to it that I'm just not used to and I really enjoyed it. My Gobi Manchurian is described as Calcutta fried cauliflower, garlic, chilli & ginger and seriously even though I was stuffed I had to eat all of this dish - it was delicious. I like cauliflower in general but this is just amazing. Finally the Lemon Rice, described as basmati rice, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, fresh lemon juice was lovely and the seeds really added an extra layer of taste to the whole dish. All in all I really loved my food. My only regret was that I really wasn't overly hungry but never mind I will definitely be back. Food rating:- 4/5.

Service

Service here was very friendly and attentive. The waitress went through the menu with me and advised how it worked. Once I had my food she also checked that everything was ok. Service rating:- 5/5.

Atmosphere 

There is a really nice relaxed vibe about this place. It is somewhere I could imagine going and spending a few hours just relaxing there. It is very pretty and tastefully done and you do feel like you are stepping back in time (in a good way of course). The place wasn't packed but there was a really good crowd which create the lovely vibe. Atmosphere rating:- 4/5.

Price

My total bill was £14.55 and this included, a bottle of sparkling water, 3 dishes and an americano. I think this was very reasonable priced for the quality and quantity of the food. Price rating:- 4/5.

Last words

I really like this place, from the moment I walked in the front door I felt a relaxed and chilled atmosphere. Whilst there was a good crowd in the restaurant it wasn't loud or intrusive. The noise just mixed in with the background music. The food is really nice and really worth a visit. Total rating: 17 out of 20.

Date Visited: Thursday, 24 November 2016.

Restaurant Details 

Chaakoo Bombay Cafe 

79 St Vincent Street 

G2 5TF 

Glasgow

Website: Chaakoo Bombay Cafe

Telephone: 0141 229 0000

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Thanks a mil for reading.

Emma mai

PS - see photo below - don't forget to ask to play Paasa to try to win a meal for two.