Wimbledon theme Afternoon Tea at Blythswood Square Hotel, Glasgow

I am still on holiday mood, so why not celebrate it by having a lovely afternoon tea. This time we went to Blythswood Square Hotel (http://www.townhousecompany.com/blythswoodsquare/) in Glasgow.

I remember when this building was used to be RAC club, which is now a 5-star spa hotel. Wow, such a long long long time ago ...

We stepped inside the building and went upstairs to the lounge where afternoon tea is served.

My husband and I have been to this hotel few times for having some cocktails in the evening on weekends. It has a very relaxing atmosphere and also has good selections of cocktails.

We were seated by the window side table where we had a very lovely view over the Blythswood Square.

When we were seated, they brought us glasses of cucumber water [water infused with slices of cucumbers] and the afternoon menu.

It's Wimbledon time so it's only apt to have their Wimbledon Afternoon Tea.

We don't eat meat so we asked for roast beef sandwich to be replaced by something else, which is not a problem to them at all.

They then brought a box containing selections of tea leaves we can choose. We can have unlimited tea to go with the afternoon tea.

There are Lapsing Souchong, Assam, Darjeeling, Ceylon, Earl Grey,  Jasmine Green, Gun Powder Green and normal breakfast tea. You can also ask for a coffee instead if you wish.

I ordered Darjeeling as I like its floral aroma whilst my husband ordered Ceylon tea.

Since we are on holiday and I like cocktails at this place, my husband offered to drive so that Maria and I could have a glass of cocktail each to go with the afternoon tea. So we also perused the cocktail menu and decided to try their Local at Heart special selection by the hotel ... Blythswood Belter which has Scotland's national drink (?) Irn Bru, and Moet & Chandon Rose Champagne in it.

Despite the combination of ingredients, the cocktail is very enjoyable and actually goes very well with the Afternoon tea. We also loved the gradients of colours created by Peach bitters, Irn Bru and Rose Champagne - how pretty it is!

Anyway, whilst we were enjoying our lovely cocktail, our tea arrived...

After some wait, our Wimbledon theme afternoon tea arrived - we got a 3-tier stand each, delightful!

On the top tier there are selection of Wimbledon theme cakes of strawberry and cream corn, lemon and mint macaron decorated as a tennis ball, pistachio and polenta sponge decorated as a tennis court net with tennis racket and a ball made of marzipan, Champagne soaked berry pavlova and orange blossom cake....

Delightful orange blossom sponge cake 

Strawberry cream corn decorated with white chocolate
 - inside the corn there was custard cream 

We enjoyed our afternoon tea in a very leisurely pace in a relaxing atmosphere and without feeling being rushed.

After we finished, we walked down the stairs to the entrance, admiring their chandelier ....

As you go out, you also notice a lovely alcove where you can sit ...

Blythswood Square Hotel does themed afternoon tea depending on occasions. I may wish to come back and next time try their Halloween Afternoon Tea in Autumn ....

That's all forks!

Afternoon Tea at Rogano, Glasgow

My husband and I have recently been to Rogano (http://www.roganoglasgow.com) for their afternoon tea. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon and the streets were busy with Sunday shoppers and with outside tables where people were enjoying drinks and brunches under the sun.

We stepped inside the Rogano, suddenly the hustle and bustles outside seemed so unreal as it was so quiet and relaxing. The restaurant was established in 1935 with Art Deco ambience and inside of the restaurant is a replica of that of the Queen Mary which was built on River Clyde around the time the restaurant opened. It is the oldest surviving restaurant in Glasgow and the building itself is A-listed.

We were seated right away. Nice to have an afternoon tea in a very relaxed atmosphere where you get proper cutlery and crisply ironed serviettes.

Rogano's Afternoon Tea menu is quite traditional but you get freshly prepared sandwiches with tasty fillings. Even simple thinly sliced cucumber sandwiches taste really good. You get:

Selections of Sandwiches

Smoked Salmon

Roast Beef (We got Goats Cheese as we don't eat meat)

Cucumber

****

Scones with fresh cream & strawberry jam

Rogano Shortbread

****

Strawberry Tart

Chocolate Eclair

Meringue 

with pot of tea

Sorry, you can't see sandwich with smoked salmon filling which is hidden behind ....

You all know the story of afternoon tea ...?

In 1840, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, Anna, became hungry around 4 o'clock in the afternoon. In those days upper class people only ate 2 meals a day, breakfast and dinner and dinner was served fashionably late at 8 o'clock. The Duchess asked that a tray of tea, bread and butter (later on, the Earl of Sandwich came upon an idea of putting a filling between two slices of bread) and cake be brought to her room during the late afternoon. She then started inviting friends over to join her.

But why cucumber sandwich? So I have done the quick internet research. According to Wikipedia, cucumber sandwiches contain little protein, not sustaining for a proper meal. Upper classes could afford to eat foods with little nutritive value and cucumber sandwiches, which are also dainty prepared became part of the stereotypical finger food for afternoon tea. (By contract, lower working class were eating protein-filled sandwiches for supper.)

Apparently there are also some rules in how to prepare cucumber sandwich. 'The slices of bread are carefully buttered all the way to the edges in the thinnest coating, which is only to protect the bread from becoming damp with cucumber juice, and the slices of cucumber that have been dashed with salt and lemon juice are placed in the sandwich just before serving in order to prevent the sandwich from becoming damp enough to moisten the eater's fingers (Wikipedia).'  There are also some rules about what type of [white] bread to use and how it should be cut ....  however I shall not bore you with that.

Sandwiches are really delicious - even simple ingredients such as cucumber (hear, hear) or egg mayonnaise. I am not keen on goat cheese but that was nice, and the bread was so soft ...

We then move on to cakes, scones and shortbreads. They are delicious. We thought scones were really good.

We were not rushed and the atmosphere was very relaxing with courteous waiting service. Portion size was perfect. Excellent atmosphere, beautiful Art Deco surroundings, linen serviettes and table cloths, courteous service and delicious quality food. All is for £15 per person and does not break your bank, ha ha ha.  This traditional experience is what I like about Rogano's Afternoon Tea. I know it may be a bit old fashioned but I like it. They serve this between 3pm to 5pm.

Apparently, Rogano was originally founded as something of a 'men only' establishment in 1874 and few years later a guy called James Henry Roger assumed ownership with another guy a Mr Anderson. They then combined the first three letters of Roger and the first three letters of "another" to name the restaurant Rogano. An old story goes that James Henry Roger's son hanged himself in one of the cloakrooms and his ghost still haunts the restaurant .... (all from http://oldglasgow.tumblr.com/post/67578195529/oysters-ghost-stories-anonymous-of-probably).
Is this true ... or just an old story ...? Who knows, however this does not deter me going back to Rogano, and I am so glad that the restaurant is no longer men-only establishment.

That's all forks!

Fabulous lunch at 111 by Nico, West End in Glasgow

My husband, myself and my daughter Emily have just been to 111 by Nico (http://111bynico.co.uk) in West End in Glasgow for lunch today.  It was a fabulous dining experience!

Ever since I read the restaurant review by Marina O'laughlin in The Guardian's Weekend magazine, I have always wanted to go to this place and finally the time has come!

We booked our table for 12.30 in case we could not get in. It turned out that we were the first customers and we could choose any table we wanted. There was a booth next to the kitchen. It looked nice and cosy but we opted for a table by the wall as it was a lovely day and we would be sitting in a natural day light from a warm sunshine.

Cosy corner .....

We sat down and perused our menus.

Nico and his Head Chef Modou

We were then faced with a big dilemma - everything on the menu sounded so good we did not know what to choose!

Eventually we decided. Emily and I ordered Smoked Mackerel for starter and Stone Bass for main course. My husband ordered Langoustine and Squid for starter and Artichoke for main course.
We also ordered Warm Bread Loaf, Paprika Butter.

Emily and I were really excited to try their food.... and then the Warm Bread Loaf and Paprika Butter arrived.

The bread was delicious AND paprika butter was really creamy texture and flavoursome.

Whilst we were enjoying this, the staff brought us demitasse cups of mushroom veloute with rapeseed oil as amuse-bouche.

According to Wikipedia (What do we do with internet!), the word, amuse-bouche, is 'mouth amuser' in French, offering a glimpse into the chef's approach to the art of cuisine. We did not expect this at all and this was met by our absolute delight; mouth amuser indeed. I almost wanted to clap my hands with huge grin on my face. This was really delicious and we could not wait what comes next.

Our starters then arrived.

This is Emily and my Smoked Mackerel with Asparagus, Quail Egg and Radicchio.  Beautifully presented on a beautiful plate. Look at the contrast of vivid colours of purple radicchio and fresh green of asparagus. It's like spring has come!

This was a very refreshing starter. Radicchio was not bitter at all and asparagus tastes lovely green with bite. You cut into the quail egg and it was yokey inside.

My husband had Langoustine and Squid with Farfalle Pasta, Olives and Shellfish Bisque.  This was gorgeous to look at and gorgeous to taste. Shellfish Bisque came separately and the staff poured it onto the plate at the table in front of us. I love the blue plate too. It just make me want to go to The Mediterranean Sea.

When all the stuff on the plate finished, you still just can't help not finishing up the bisque too. Yes, that's why the staff brought him a spoon with the dish. It was really flavoursome.

My husband didn't want to lick the plate clean [Yes, we were in the restaurant] but it was so tasty he managed to polish the last trace of the bisque with his spoon.

Wow, everything was really delicious so far and we still have main course and dessert to go. We can't wait.....

Whilst we were waiting for our main course, other customers started to come in. Some of them ordered Smoked Ham Hough that came in a glass dome piped full of applewood smoke over the ham hough. When the staff lifted the dome, the white smoke escaped and wafted throughout the restaurant, enveloping around the diners. I bet Emily would order this next time.

Our main course arrived.

Emily and my Stone Bass with Miso, Cucumber and Horseradish Cream.  Beautifully presented again.

The staff then poured light miso flavoured broth over the dish ....

... and is ready to eat! Love the plate again.  Fish was cooked to perfection.

Of course, you finish off the broth to the last drop .... yum.

This is my husband's Artichoke with slow cooked egg, sprouting broccoli and leak. Artichoke was really tasty so was sprouting broccoli and this is a fusion of different flavours and texture. Love the plate again too.

Underneath, there was a slow cooked egg hidden....

My husband loves artichoke. He really enjoyed this dish and finished all. He said he would order this again. Look how clean the plate is!!! Even the empty plate looks really good...

We love the plates. They compliment the dishes they serve really well. Emily looked at the back of the plate and learned that they are Steelite plates (http://www.steelite.com).

We thoroughly enjoyed our courses so far. What we liked about this place is that the portion size of each course is just right. Not too little, not too much, and timing and pace between the courses are also just right. This means that we still have some room left for desserts....

My husband tried Chocolate with salted caramel, hazelnuts and rhubarb.

I tried Pear with cheesecake, lime and amaretti. This is a deconstructed cheesecake with lovely pear and tart but lovely lemony jelly.

Emily had the flaming Coffee creme brûlée. This was really tasty.

We then finished off our meals with great coffees.

Macchiato and cappuccino

We finished our coffees and asked for the bill. What's the damage? 3 course meal is £20 - for the quality, this is not bad at all.

When you visit their website, the first thing you notice on the Home page is Nico's philosophy:

"A JOURNEY OF PASSION"

"My vision is simple:

Firstly to create a unique dining experience for my guests.

The second is to give young people who've faced 

enormous challenges the opportunity to share my

passion and drive for cooking, to teach them 

my gift and philosophy and hopefully

change their life for the better.

This is my vision

This is my passion

This is our journey"

Apparently Nico has a training academy for young people to give them the opportunities to gain skills to be a top chef one day.  On the wall it says ....

However, such altruism aside, the restaurant serves fantastic food. You eat their food with eyes - colours and contrasts, and then aromas of different ingredients and then taste - flavours and textures, etc.  And some fun too .... a glass dome filled with applewood smoke and a flaming creme brûlée.
All staff were very courteous and friendly too.

111 because the restaurant is at 111 Cleveden Road ....

We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch today. We realised that we were in the restaurant for 3 hours!!!
We did not even realise that we were there that long. Such a leisurely lunch, what a fantastic dining experience.  We would definitely go back.

We went outside and walked back to our car. Emily noticed a cherry blossoms. Beautiful. What a fantastic day we had today. 

Have a nice day and that's all forks!