Excellent brunch at Montgomerys Cafe, West End, Glasgow

You got to try Egg Florentine for brunch at Montgomerys Cafe (9 Radnor Street, Glasgow) in West End. My husband is quite particular about coffee and even he has admitted that Montgomerys does a very good coffee. I love their Egg Florentine so much I have managed to coax my husband into going back there again two consecutive Sundays!

The cafe is very near to Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery and Radnor Street is sandwiched between Sauchiehall Street and Argyll Street. As we went there on Sunday, there is no problem to find parking spaces.

It's a lovely place. The decor itself makes you feel happy.

and when you look up, you see a colourful map of the world on the ceiling.

As soon as we were seated, the staff brought you a bottle of water, which was well cooled. 

Before we went to the cafe, I had already decided to order their Egg Florentine and a Vietnamese Coffee, however I checked the menu anyway to see what else they have to eat. Well, there are so many delicious sounding dishes on the menu it could be quite difficult to choose ...

... Yes, Portobello Burger sounds nice but so as Mushroom Salad, and Hot Smoked Salmon Salad too.

Tuna Melt also sounds good.... Haggis Melter!  That would suit Emily's husband Craig, definitely!

Well, I shall have Egg Florentine - the dish I came to the cafe for and my husband had Veg Stack when we went to the cafe for the first time.

He then ordered large cappuccino and I ordered Vietnamese Coffee. It uses a small coffee pot that looks like a hat and sits on the top of a coffee cup. Coffee and hot water slowly trickles through into the cup with condensed milk. Why condensed milk?  French colonists introduced coffee to Vietnam and in those days the French could not easily get fresh milk so they used condensed milk instead.

So I shall just wait for the black liquid trickled into the glass cup. When it's ready, I just stir up all the condensed milk to enjoy but you could leave it for the end.

And my Egg Florentine has arrived!!! Two big thick and fluffy slices of toasted brioche bread with buttered spinach atopped with two perfectly poached eggs with delicious hollandaise sauce that has some kick to it. It's just perfect!

This is my husband's Veg Stack - There is a big portobello mushroom hidden behind the stack ...

I enjoyed my Egg Florentine so much during our last visit, we both ordered this again this morning... and for me, with a cup of Vietnamese Coffee again too ...

I love it ... there are lots of spinach in between the toasted brioche and the brioche is just perfect - big chunky slices yet so fluffy and sweet and delicious.

My husband quickly checked internet to see what's in the brioche or how to bake it. He found Paul Hollywood's recipe on line and I noticed a photo of his book cover. I said, "I think I got this book at home." He said, "I am sure you do.", hinting that I shall start thinking of kneading the dough and bake a lovely brioche loaf. Nice try, but I do have a bread maker and I am sure I have seen the setting for brioche in its recipe book. I may try it....

Anyway, after our first visit to this cafe, we went to Tantrum Doughnuts shop nearby and bought a box of 10 doughnuts, which I will promise that I talk about in my blog another time but soon.

View from downstairs ....

Today, I said to my husband that I want to 'cake away' desserts instead of going for doughnuts as I can see delectable looking cakes are beckoning me ...

So, we then walked over to the counter and see what we can try ....

We got to try those big strawberry tarts ....

and Salted caramel tart with pistachios ....

There are just too many to choose from ....

My husband want to try Mango and Raspberry Delice ...

So these are our desserts at home ....

I have just had the strawberry tart and it was yummy. There are lots of cream in the tart, glazed all over with sweet and sticky strawberry sauce, AND, I found a huge whole strawberry right in the centre hidden amongst the cream. What a lovely surprise. 

I can't get enough of their Egg Florentine. I want to eat it again... 

It's definitely a trip worthwhile for brunch. Staff are very attentive and service is very quick. All the dishes they are carrying to tables look all fantastic. We need to go back again .... yummy ....

That's all forks.

Breakfast at Tibo, Glasgow

It's Sunday today. Instead of having a breakfast at home, we decided to go out for late breakfast so we have just been to Cafe Tibo (http://cafetibo.com) in Dennistoun, Glasgow. This is the place we had always wanted to try every time we parked our car near by to go to Coia's Cafe for their seafood linguine.

We stepped inside - it's a very relaxing atomosphere with displays of paintings and photographs on walls. I later learned from their website that they help promote artworks by local artists through regular displays within the restaurant.

We consulted their menu .... they have good selections for all day breakfast serving until 5pm. I was contemplating having Eggs Florentine but both my husband and I decided to have their Full Veggie Breakfast.

I also notice they have today's specials on the blackboard. Mediterranean vegetable and rice soup ... that sounds nice. Fillet of Seabass with seared scallops, Thai stir-fry and pea puree. That sounds nice too. I take a mental note that I shall come back and try their specials ....

We ordered breakfast tea to go with our fry-ups.

It was a good brew .... We were having a nice cuppa, looking at some paintings on the walls....

And before we know, our veggie breakfast arrived!

Cafe Tibo's veggie breakfast consists of veggie sausages, veggie haggis, baked beans, mushrooms, roast tomato, fried egg, potato scone and toast on a good sized plate.  It's not bad for £7.95.

We enjoyed our breakfast and nicely brewed pot of tea.

As we were eating our breakfast, we notice others were having mac'n cheese or Egg Benedict. Yes, we could come back for lunch, cakes and coffee in the afternoon or even dinner to try other food on the menu. This place always looks nice outside in the evening - I bet it would be just as lovely inside as outside in the evening with soft and warm lighting and their decors.

We arrived just after 12. The restaurant was quiet and we were served fairly quickly. Staff who was serving us was very friendly and welcoming. I would definitely go back and when I do, I would like to try their seafood curry or macaroni cheese from their main menu.

Cafe Tibo is on Duke Street, east end of Glasgow and just next block from Coia's Cafe, Italian restaurant.

That's all forks.

Riverhill, Glasgow

Riverhill Restaurant and Bar (http://www.riverhillcafe.com/west-nile.htm) is on West Nile Street, more or less across the road from Las Iguanas. Apparently there is also their coffee bar at 24 Gordon Street which is not that far from it.

It's a great place for brunch, but they also have very good breakfast menu, lunch menu and dinner menu too. I went there with my daughters for lunch when we were in Glasgow for Christmas shopping. We did not book a table but as we got there just around noon, we managed to get ourselves seats. It's not a big place so it'd be probably better if you book in advance. Alternative you can sit at the long counter table.

Wall decor behind us ....

We consulted the lunch menu. It has lots of tasty and interesting sounding things on the menu. For starters, there are Grilled octopus, chorizo, smoked butter, burst cherry tomatoes and almonds; Navajo fry bread, cheese and chilli oil; Cauliflower skordalia, charred cauliflower, lavish and toasted pumpkin seeds or Peanut-crusted mahi mahi, sweet potato pickle and raita. Skordalia is a Greek style dip.

For main course, you could have Goat cheese and roast pumpkin pierogies, spiced pecan, sour cream and crispy sage; Today's curry; Wild boar gnocchi, tomato ragu, mushroom pesto and crispy skin; Fritto Misto, mustard sauce, bitter leaves and soused shallots; Cobb salad - grilled chicken, egg, onions, tomatoes, romaine, black beans, bacon with a red onion dressing or Lentils, radicchio, cavil nero, feta, walnuts and honey. Pierogi are Easter European style filled dumplings.

You see where I am going... It's not an ordinary cafe restaurant. Menu has some global twists, almost making you feel as if you are travelling without leaving anywhere. And I have only just read you their lunch menu and not got even on to Dinner menu yet. Just reading their menus makes me smile and gets me thrilled - I want to try every single item on them from A to Z, top to bottom, left to right, except I don't eat meat so I need to exclude them. If you eat meat, there would be more food travelling you could do at this place! And if you think their food menu sounds good, wait to see their classic cocktail menu with difference (http://www.riverhillcafe.com/menus/Riverhill%20WNS%20Bar%20Menu.pdf). It's not a big list but their cocktails sound really good. I want to try their Riverhill Bellini, which they claim they try to make as close as possible to the colour and flavour of the original Bellini created at Harry's Bar in Venice.

Anyway, despite all these, we decided to try their casual/quick lunch menu.

Emily had Katsu curry chicken - crunchy breaded chicken strips, pickled cabbage, katsu curry aioli, toasted baguette.  It was a good sized baguette filled with lots of chunky breaded chickens!

I had Crayfish, hot smoked salmon, caper mayo, lemon, rocket and toasted wholemeal bap. The bap was huge, and when you lifted the top half, you see it was packed and piled up with crayfish and hot smoked salmon!

Maria had Green gammon croque monsieur - boiled green gammon, mustard sauce on toasted sourdough. You should see the size of it - like someone's foot.

Well, well, well .... the generous volume of food and quality of ingredients are fantastic. You may pay extra but they are not your ordinary coffee shop sandwich or baguette.

Whilst we were tacking into these, we notice that a couple next to us were having huge plateful of full Scottish breakfast. You can also get vegetarian one if you like that comes with helium, spinach, falafal, masala beans, tomato, mushroom, toast and tattie scone.

You can also get skillet eggs, such as Shashouka (Tunisian style eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chilli peppers, and onion spiced with cumin), Huevos Rancheros (Mexican style spicy eggs) or Jamon Manchego (Spanish ham and cheese). They had a vegetarian skillet eggs on their special menu that day and I am regretting not to try it to this day.

We then had coffee to finish our meal before we ventured out for further Christmas shopping.

You would probably easily pass by this place without noticing. Step inside and you find a small but cosy cafe restaurant that offers amazing selections and qualify of food. 

Looking at these photos and their menu make me feel hungry as well as wanting to go back there to try something different, whether for breakfast, brunch or dinner and you can travel around the world with them without leaving Glasgow. 

That's all forks!

Afternoon Tea at MacDonald Inchyra Hotel, Falkirk, Scotland

We have just come back from a lovely Afternoon Tea at MacDonald Inchyra Hotel (http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk) in Falkirk, Scotland.

It was not a nice day, a little bit wet and grey at around 3 degree outside however considering that it is approaching mid January we should not complain about the weather.

I have been to this place a long long time ago but they must have done refurbishment, I thought the reception was quite welcoming and cosy with the decor being almost like someone's living room rather than cold, impersonal and business like.

We are a party of four - my mother-in-law Mary, my younger daughter Maria, my husband and me. Our table, that could seat 6 people, was already set for four of us so there is some extra room on the table, which was good.

As soon as we were seated, Mary spotted brown sugar cubes and popped one into her mouth like a candy.  There is also a big jug of cold water with ice cubes and a slice of lemon on our table, which I thought was a very nice gesture. It was also nice to get proper cloth serviettes instead of paper napkins.

Once someone came to take our orders for tea, our Afternoon Tea stand arrived in good time.

I phoned in advance that half of us would like vegetarian option. When the stand came to our table, we thought half of sandwiches on the bottom layer was vegetarian; it turned out that we got a separate plate for vegetarian options, along with another plate of cakes!!

Wow, what a spread!

Selections of sandwiches for standard one are smoked salmon, egg mayonnaise, ham, and cheese with pickles, along with mini canapés with brie cheese and caramelised onion chutney and sausage rolls. 

For vegetarian option, we got selections of egg mayo, cheese with pickles in white, brown and poppy seeds (?) breads as well as canapés of brie cheese with caramelised onion chutney and also smoked haddock (don't know why smoked haddock for vegetarian option but we are happy with this as we do eat fish; we just order vegetarian as it would be easier than explaining that we don't eat meat but we eat fish and seafood).

There were 8 scones - 4 plain ones and 4 with currants (or sultina?) which came with raspberry jam and cream.

Cakes were also delicious - lovely soft sponges including chocolate orange, fruit cake and ginger ones as well as mini tartlet with custard cream filling with strawberries. There were also boozy cherries too. 

This was actually itson voucher deal and we did not expect this much selections of sandwiches and cakes as well as generous portions. We got two teapots which they happily replenished for us right away when we asked and it was really a good brew. 

I saw other people having afternoon tea and they all seemed enjoying themselves too. The Bar/Restaurant area is very nice and relaxing with soft lighting. The place was busy enough but not too busy, staff let us take our time to enjoy our afternoon tea in a relaxing atomosphre and we never felt being rushed. 

I then notice there were few people coming into the bar in their fluffy white robes and slippers ordering drinks. The Hotel has spa facility and their Luxury Afternoon Tea Spa Day package includes fluffy robes, slippers and towels, 1 x 60 minute treatment such as stress-away muscle massage or hot stone full massage, use of spa facilities, afternoon tea and glass of fizz. Wow, that sounds really relaxing already. Just think -  having a lovely hot stone full body massage and then sauntering into the bar in a fluffy comfy robe and slippers for a glass of bubbly and later on, have a relaxing and lovely afternoon tea. It sounds like a lovely way to spend your weekend!

There were so much food and we could not finish all. We asked if we could take away cakes, which was no problem for them to arrange. 

We really enjoyed our Afternoon Tea experience at Macdonald Inchyra Hotel.  The hotel is located in Grangemouth area, which is primarily known for the large petrochemical industry including oil refinery. It's not a sort of place you think of coming unless you got business here, that being said, it is central to Stirling, Glasgow and Edinburgh to visit as tourists; it is also easy access to the Kelpies, the largest equine sculptures of 30 meters high. And from our house, it is probably around 30 minutes drive. You never know. We may come back to this hotel again for spa break with afternoon tea....

We have had a lovely afternoon tea today and it was a great way to start our weekend ....

That's all forks!