Weekend Brunch at The Bottle of Sauce

Now that Cheltenham Festival is over for another year, we can finally talk more sensibly about brunch. The past month has all been about promoting those gut busting, overloaded 'Race Week Breakfasts', no matter where you looked. I'm betting that the majority were easily more than the recommended daily calorie intake, and that's before you've hit up the Guinness for a full day, celebrated a win with some fizz and scoffed a large portion of chips on the way home. Can normal service resume now? I think so…

Last month, everyone's new fave hangout The Bottle of Sauce invited a group of us local bloggers for a special 'Bloggers Brunch'. You might remember their previous burger heavy event that I featured at the start of the year, though if not you can familiarize yourself with it *here*. Armed with appetites, cameras and phones - standard - we congregated in the private dining area (which seats up to 12) and perused the menu.

Despite not needing a 'hair of the dog', I'm not one to turn down some early morning drinking, so went straight in with a Bloody Mary. It's £6.50 for one, but if you're feeling particularly sorry for yourself then you can get Bottomless Marys for a tenner. The Dodo Pub Co have their own secret spice mix, of which they'll ask you your heat preference, and alongside vodka they use a splash of Tio Pepe Fino Sherry. Swoon.

The Bottle of Sauce's brunch menu generally has something for everyone; go traditional, sweet, healthy, or something a little different. As you might've guessed, we basically ordered the whole shebang. Surprisingly, the one dish we missed off was the Eggs Benny (£8.50), and also the side of Cheesy Chipotle Beans (£4), but I'll save those for next time.

The Chap wasn't with me for this one, so I had my gorgeous friend K there instead; someone who's much more willing to share. Bingo. Whilst everyone else was going in on the Boss Man fry ups (£10), between us we had the Chilli Avo' Smash (£7) - what's brunch without avocado on toast (?!) - The Big Squeak breakfast burger type thing (£6.50) and Buttermilk Pancakes for 'dessert' (£7). There were also a few plates of Breakfast Fries (£4.50) lurking on the table; salty fries topped with two fried eggs, runny yolks n'all. Probably more appropriate if having brunch after midday. Probably.

The Avo' Smash comes on a decent doorstop wedge of sourdough, and topped with two perfectly poached - and very Instagram-able - eggs. A good execution, but we both felt the chilli, lime and coriander were a bit tame. A wedge of lime on the side and some hot sauce on the table wouldn't go a miss, but that's coming from a citrus and spice fiend.

The Big Squeak is a bubble and squeak patty topped with american cheese, a juicy portobello mushroom and a fried egg, all in one of The Bottle of Sauce's signature glossy sesame buns. It's veggie, but you certainly don't miss the meat. The Morning Glory (£7.50) has a sausage patty and bacon if you really are a devout carnivore though. There's ketchup on all the tables, which I slathered on, but again I think a hot sauce would make it a knockout option. I'm sure if I'd have asked, the staff would have been more than happy to get some from the kitchen, but being in a big group with orders coming at various times, it wasn't very practical… Chilli sauce for the tables, yeah?

There are two options for the buttermilk pancakes, either Kelmscott dry cured bacon and maple syrup - classic - or what we went for, rum roasted pineapple and whipped coconut cream. It was news to me that you could whip coconut cream in the same way as regular cream; the consistency was pretty much identical. Mental note taken.

Three fat fluffy pancakes piled on top of each other seemed a decent portion for the price, and the chunks of sweet and sticky rum roasted pineapple were eye-rollingly good. We just needed more of it! It's like going out for a roast; there's never enough gravy. More pineapple and another dollop of that coconut cream would've sealed the deal. As it was, leisurely chomping our way through them and catching up over a latte was just fine (the coffee is crackin' here too).

So if you've only ever ventured into The Bottle of Sauce for a booze fueled feed of burgers, pizzas and wings, you should definitely try them in the cold light of day for their brunch menu. Don't go with too much planned after though, those Bottomless Bloody Marys might catch you out…

Burgers, Beats & Secret Eats at The Tavern Cheltenham

When The Tavern had to shut shop after a fire midway through last year, Cheltenham was at a loss. There are pubs and restaurants aplenty - you don't need me to tell you that - but The Tavern was the easy go-to, all-round crowd-pleaser, which never disappointed. Sure, we all begrudgingly found new locals to spend our pennies in, but it just wasn't the same.

Fast forward a few months and we were teased with #TavernReload; an opening date of the end of November was announced along with the promise to continue to deliver delicious food at reasonable prices. Hooray! The new menu was said to contain firm favourites alongside some incredible new plates, and extended opening hours of midday to midnight each day, staying open until 2am with tunes aplenty at the weekend. More Tavern fun for all.

Having eaten at the chef's table just before the fire, The Chap and I felt The Tavern was at the top of its game. Chef James de Jong was knocking out some sublime dishes alongside all the usual Tavern staples - burgers and various deep fried goods (though still no Spam fritters). It therefore came as a shock to see how stripped back the new menu was. No more traditional starters, mains, desserts. Gone are the seasonal meat, fish and poultry offerings (hogget chops, sea trout, sweetbreads and poussin for example). Even the Sunday roasts have been sacked off.

So what are we left with?... Burgers. Eight of them to be precise - nine if you include 'Burger of The Month' - with numerous toppings and sauces that you can pile them high with. There are chicken wings too - hot, sticky or BBQ - and four different salad bowls to attempt to get some of your five a day in.

There's a choice of three different fries in the sides and snacks section, along with a few oldies that you can cling onto; chorizo scotch egg, salt 'n' pepper squid, mac 'n' cheese... And I think that's it, apart from dessert. I'm yet to tackle the sinful shakes and the brand new Sundae Service, where you can be like a kid in a candy shop and build your own bespoke sundae from all the ice cream flavours and sweet additions you could fathom.

The Tavern's burgers were always my favourite in Cheltenham, so I suppose having a smaller, succinct menu means that they can focus more on quality. Do one thing, and do it really bloody well (4oz patties served pink using dry aged beef from local Stokes Marsh Farm if you're wondering). However, being devoted to what The Tavern was before, I'm just not sure it's burgers I want all the time.*

* The Lucky Onion elves clearly heard my concern, as little did I know that a 'secret menu' would be rearing its head in January... More on that in a bit.

Whether you're team 'before the fire' or 'embracing the new', choosing wisely from the menu is key. I'm a traditionalist in this area; I like my burgers left alone. A decent smothering of sauce, crisp lettuce, a slice of tomato and some gherkins. Cheese is a preferable addition too. So if this sounds like you, then the Tavern is what you want. I had mine with added roquefort, making it a bargain £7 and exactly what I wanted. Other toppings include an extra patty, bacon and avocado.

The Bacon/Cheese burger is what it is, and I've heard good reports about The Hog (with pulled pork and BBQ sauce) and the veggie friendly falafel burger (with roasted red peppers, harissa mayo, spinach and houmous). If you're after a chicken burger, but like the spice, I'd definitely suggest going for the Crispy Chicken and adding sriracha mayo or really hot sauce. I made the rookie error on my second visit and picked the Spicy Chicken which was just sriracha coated chicken breasts in a bun, not the crunchy coated chicken patty that I anticipated. My own fault for ordering with such haste. Impossible to eat elegantly too; the chicken was so juicy that the bun was soggy in seconds - yay for no dry chicken, boo for then having to eat my burger like a douche with a knife and fork. 

The Chap had the Chilli Cheese with green chilli slaw, Tavern cheese, lettuce, pickles and sriracha. He barely said two words to me once he'd tucked in, which is definitely a thumbs up, however I think it's probably quite important to note that it looked nothing like the photos I've seen on social media. All the burgers come wrapped up in branded paper with a sticker on top, regardless of whether you're eating in, taking away, sat a few steps away from the kitchen or downstairs near the bar. While it's perfect for Instagram, everything just ends up a bit squished, and as The Chap confessed to me after, he wants to squish down and tackle his own burger. 

The sweet potato fries are my personal preference, though I'd happily share the epic chilli cheese fries (pictured earlier) over a few drinks for £6. The buffalo hot wings are delicious too, but it's the honey, soy glazed sticky ones which never fail to win me over. And if we must talk about health, then the Asian Noodles salad was my fave; with slippery worm like udon noodles, cashew nuts, carrots, mange tout, roasted broccoli and miso. The Beets & Mozzarella with fregola, chicory and mint, whilst refreshing, was lacking in some sort of dressing. I expect it was just forgotten.

Mac 'n' Cheese was strongly recommended by a number of people who were lucky enough to go to a sneak preview tasting, so obviously we ordered it. It was love at first sight when we saw the bubbly cheesy crust on the top, which we basically had to crack to get into. The macaroni was swimming in a thick, cheesy sauce, and with every forkful there were streams of stringy cheese leading back to the dish. It was a little like Lady & The Tramp; a love affair with one woman and a bowl of Mac 'n' Cheese.

With some hits and a few misses in this new direction for The Tavern, I was beginning to think that maybe it'd just become a place I go to more for drinks than for food (and FYI the potent cocktails are an excellent match to the fried foods). However, a rather exciting undercounter menu reared its head last month, with small plates and snacks that hark back to before. Thanks to the lovely Lucky Onion folks, The Chap and I were invited to sample the secret eats, and we were SO excited. 

The Tavern Lemonade was a good start; non-alcoholic (shocking), with a big citrus punch to get our taste buds going. Then went straight in on the salty-sweet devils on horseback - dates wrapped in bacon with an almond in the centre. Salt cod croquettes are always a dream, and here they're crispy on the outside, silky in the middle, with just a squeeze of lemon juice to set off all the flavours. Simply does it.

More salty snacks came in the form of smoked anchovy fillets, peppers & crumbs. I could eat anchovies all the time; on pizzas, in sauces, straight from the jar... ALL THE TIME. So this little plate just sang to me. The slippery strips of red pepper added some sweetness, with teeny capers providing acidity and crumbs some crunch. The burrata, clementine & gremolata was a welcome taste and texture change at this point. Cold and creamy, cut into the voluptuous ball and watch it ooze. Pretty decent value at £8 too; I paid near enough a fiver for some not too long ago, and it was nowhere near this size. 

The quince glazed pork ribs with pickled red cabbage probably would've looked better piled on a plate rather than a large tray, but were awesome nonetheless. The meat fell away from the bone with nothing but a gentle push, and that sweet glaze… Mmm. I could take or leave the brioche buns that accompanied them though, especially when there's something as delicious as the sprout slaw available.  Shredded sprouts and other likely slaw culprits had been tossed in a mustardy vinaigrette dressing and studded with dried cranberries and pecans. I couldn't leave it alone.

Steaks were always pretty reasonable and perfectly cooked at The Tavern before, so I was glad to see 6oz flat iron with chimicurri on the Undercounter menu. I gawped at those glistening pink strips when they came out. You could just order this and some fries off the main menu and it's like nothing has changed.

Saving the best 'til last… Hereford beef & pork meatballs in nduja sauce. Three huge balls cloaked in this devilishly thick spicy sauce, adorned with wisps of parmesan. There's something I find so seductive about parmesan; watching the ribbons curl up and gradually become translucent as they get hot. That's not just me, right?… Anyway, just make sure you get these. They were definitely the stars of the show. 

So that's it. The Tavern in all it's glory. They say secrets don't make friends, but the new undercounter menu has certainly sealed the deal for me. Pals for life. 

Oh, and for all those old schoolers, you'll be pleased to hear that The French Dip is back for February!!! Braised short rib of beef, smothered in Stinking Bishop and sprinkled with jalapeños, all in a bun destined to be dipped in a slick short rib braising stock, which has been reduced down with red wine, caramelised onions and bone marrow. Who needs flowing arteries anyway?

Click here to go to The Tavern website

Drink, Eat & Be Social: The Bottle of Sauce Cheltenham

No doubt we're all seeing in January with various saintly resolutions… New year, new me… But let's face it, it never quite works out. If you're dry the whole of Jan, only to get hammered every weekend for the rest of the year, or eat nothing but lettuce for a month, then stuff your face full of the remaining Christmas chocs on the first of February, then really, what's the point?

Cheltenham, I say ditch the diet, especially as there are some excellent new (and old) places to eat in town, all of which need your custom at this sluggish time of year.

Looking back to November, with a flurry of foodie openings, the stakes were well and truly upped in the burger game. Not only did The Tavern reopen after its fire (more on that in another post), but we welcomed in Dodo Pub Co.'s The Bottle of Sauce - hurrah! Ok, I know we already had quite a few places for your beef fix, but variety is the spice of life, right?

Housed in what was formerly The Quaich - quiche, kwaysh, quack, however you said it - found on the corner of Ambrose and Clarence Street, The Bottle of Sauce brands itself as a 'hip new watering hole and eatery'; a place to 'drink, eat and be social'... Yup, I like all of those things. I'm in.

The place has undergone a pretty hefty refurbishment, which no doubt cost quite a few pennies, and contains all those cool-kid culprits; exposed brickwork, industrial fixtures and fittings, snazzy lighting, etc. Centre stage at the bar is the beer board, of which lists many a great beer, shining so bright in its coppery hues, there's a private dining room with a looovely long wooden table (perfect for parties), and even a games room with table tennis and table football. But wait, there's more. There's a large outside space lit with zig-zagged festoon lighting, no doubt this'll be heaving come summer, and a 'canteen' dining area in what used to be the pubs old skittle alley. You'll find the kitchen in here, which is semi-open so you can peek through to see what's going on, and when everyone's full of food, there's a DJ booth to see you into the early hours, dancing shoes or not.

The general gist; Bottle of Sauce offers various booths, tables, high stools, benches and surprisingly armchairs by the fireplace to sit at, so even Goldilocks would be able to find somewhere that was 'just right' in here.

Foodwise they serve dirty burgers, filthy fries, Neapolitan pizzas, sticky wings and souped up salads (though no one really wants the salad do they?). And having been invited along to the bloggers event with a whole host of fellow food lovers, we all took it upon ourselves to try out as much of the menu as possible.

Big hits in the burger section; Mother Clucker (kimchi buttermilk chicken, pickled red onions, napalm sauce, chipotle mayo, lettuce), The Big D (beef patty, aged cheddar, caramelised onions, Kelmscott dry cured bacon, Dodo burger mayo, lettuce), and The Al Capone (beef patty, spicy 'nduja relish, American cheese, pickled red onions, chipotle mayo, lettuce)... Basically all of them then. You can choose if you want your burger pink or well done too, something that was a bit hit and miss on the bloggers night, but having been back since has been spot on. Pink every time obvs.

I ordered the Speckenwolf pizza (no longer on the menu), with paper thin slices of smoky cured speck, mozzarella, parmesan, rocket and lemon. Delicious, but I was instantly jealous when I saw someone else's Truffle Funghi come out. I fit in another visit recently and ordered myself one - white pizza, mozzarella, portobello mushrooms, Cotswold Gold truffle oil, sorrel and shaved parmesan - and it was even better than the one I'd longingly spied. I thought the bases were a little overdone on our first visit - not a terrible offence, just new chefs getting used to their new kitchen - but now they have the perfect amount of scorched spots from the pizza oven, and the toppings were much more generous.

The consensus was that the Napalm Wings were the best of the bunch being both sweet and hot, though if you've ordered lots of other spicy things then you won't be disappointed with the Sticky BBQ Wings. And I'm almost certain there's no elegant way to eat a wing; suck it up, you're going to get messy.

Bottle of Sauce gives you a choice of three types of fries; Rosemary Salted (yet to try), Buffalo (the winner - with hot sauce and blue cheese drizzle), and Cheese n' Truffle (with melted fontina and Cotswold Gold truffle oil - not as truffley as I'd hoped; I think the pizza got the best dousing of oil). The other sides take a bit of a back seat; the Dodo Slaw, with apple, white cabbage, mint and mayo, was nice but nothing spesh, and the Mac n' Cheese seemed to be missing all the melty cheese - sigh. Hey ho, no love lost. It's not like you're stuck for choice!

If you're not in the mood for food and just fancy some drinks, then that's highly recommended too. I mentioned the beers earlier on, but there's a solid wine list, interesting spirits, and cocktails which slip down all too easily. Try them all.

So then, my advice for a Happy New Year and to beat those January blues... Hit up The Bottle of Sauce and start as you mean to go on.

50% off selected burgers every Monday / 50% off selected pizzas Tuesday - Friday lunchtimes / 15% off takeaway pizza at all times / £4.50 cocktails during afterwork drinking hours / bottomless coffees and bloody marys available with weekend brunch / gluten free buns and bases available

Afternoon Tea at Malmaison Cheltenham

Us Brits do love an afternoon tea. It's an act steeped in history thanks to that early nineteenth century pro-snacker Anna the 7th Duchess of Bedford, and has always had this high society, upper class feel to it. Elegant and indulgent; sipping tea and nibbling crustless sandwiches and delicate fancies. Oh how the other half live!

It's no secret that I'm a lover of this ritual - at half past three, everything stops for tea - and have written about a few of my experiences before (see here). However, it really is one of life's little luxuries, and I only ever really go for afternoon tea on special occasions. Lets face it, if I were to scoff copious amounts of cake on a regular basis, I'd definitely start resembling the Michelin man in no time at all.

So, with that in mind, I was delighted when a little email arrived inviting me to Cheltenham's Malmaison to test out their afternoon tea (permission to gorge without cause granted). Soon enough, after a much needed half day at work on a Friday, off I went - friend in tow - to see what all the fuss was about.

In case you've been living under a rock for that past couple of months, Malmaison has found its home in what used to be Montpellier Chapter. From first glance, you can't really notice any change, other than maybe a couple of widescreen TVs in the lounge areas and a completely different menu coming from the kitchen, but that's fine; it was lovely hotel before anyway, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it - capiche?

It was gloriously sunny and were sat in the conservatory - slight risk of feeling like an ant under a magnifying glass on such a day - though surrounded by all the big leafy greens, with a gentle breeze coming through the open door, and a cold glass of Mumm Rosé Champagne in hand, we could hardly complain.

Malmaison's afternoon tea is a bit more contemporary than most - especially in comparison to the countrified Cotswolds versions. The triangular sandwiches have been ousted, instead being replaced by wraps and a burger; there's not a tart in sight, and we have a selection of gluten free goodies alongside a fruit smoothie?! Don't worry though, I very much doubt that there's an inch of health in that smoothie (healthiness doesn't come into question with afternoon tea - ever); it's basically a mini milkshake, and delicious it is too. Oh and there's a fruit scone, obviously.

Starting savoury, we headed to the burger first. A perfectly formed shiny bun, with a decent sized patty in the middle. Despite my doubts, it was super juicy and had just enough sauce, with a crisp lettuce leave adding a bit of crunch. Being a little pedantic though, we both felt it could have done with a bit more seasoning.

The wraps were a good touch - slightly less bread to fill up on - but I couldn't find much crème fraîche with my salmon. And with the chicken and avocado one, although the chipotle mayo had the right reddish hue, it wasn't smoky or spicy at all. C'est la vie.

The scones were crumbly and packed with fruit, but we were surprised that they came with mini jars of Bonne Maman - classic - but a jam made in-house or something local would've been more impressive. And we couldn't quite put our finger on what was different about the clotted cream either; it didn't have that thick gloopy texture you usually get, as if it was maybe a lower fat version…?! Clearly we're too used to Rodda's Cornish cream.

Struggling slightly, we worked our way through the sweet treats (admittedly not being able to finish everything). The lemon and polenta cake (GF) was just my cup of tea; slightly sharp, sticky and nutty. And I always approve of jazzing things up up with pistachios. The salted chocolate brownie was also gluten free, making it super moist and almost truffle like.

The pavlova was a welcome 'lighter' addition, and the meringue base held itself well; had it have been any more mallowy in the middle, I can imagine it'd have been near impossible to pick up and eat. The frozen summer berry smoothie acted as some sort of palate cleanser between each sweet, and I saved my favourite until last - the rhubarb cream. Tangy pieces of rhubarb in syrup lay at the bottom of a shot glass, topped with a set rich vanilla cream and a final layer of rhubarb jelly. A pick me up at the end of a weighty afternoon, although the tea spoons were a bit too big to reach the bottom of the glass - doh!

All in all, a hotel afternoon tea with a twist, and at £17.50pp with your pot of tea (more if you opt for champagne or cocktails), Malmaison has it at a really good price too. I'd say it's a lot more man friendly than most, and an easy crowd pleaser for the family. Perhaps not snazzy enough to take your mum for Mother's Day though - stick to Ellenborough Park for that.

Burger Night at The Grape Escape Cheltenham

If you follow me on Twitter, chances are you'll have seen me banging on about my new favourite bar, The Grape Escape. I hold my hands up - I'm not even a little bit sorry - it's the best place to have opened up in town for ages. What's more, with a weekly changing 'wine by the glass' list, and the fact that it's just five minutes from home (on Bath Road), I really can't see me getting bored of it - ever. 

I wrote an article about their first tasting event for Vinspire last month; all Californian wines, and all frickin' incredible. I'd strongly suggest you read it *nudge*. 

Anyway, Saturday saw another event at The Grape Escape; Burger Night! The bar doesn't serve hot food, they simply have a fab selection of meats, cheeses, and even cake to go with their wines - so instead they managed to team up with @Burger_lad and @_Miss_Milkshake, along with the guys and girls at Real Burger Cheltenham, in order to bring the dream combo of freshly made burgers matched with some amazing wines.

Phone your request through, order your glass of wine, sip whilst you wait and tuck in once it's delivered. Easy.

I'm not going to lie, it wasn't the best burger I've ever had, however this may be down to my poor choice; I didn't think that you could go wrong with a classic, and I wanted to avoid any crazy flavours that might detract away from the mega wines. Because I don't often choose a burger when I'm out and about, when I do, I want it to be that juicy, still pink in the middle, saucy number, which drizzles down your chin, goes all over your hands, and leaves you feeling a little dirty. Unfortunately my 6oz Classic from Real Burger didn't shame me in such a way, though looking at The Chap tackling an 8oz beast, I think his did the job. I'll know for next time.

As for the wines, we were in for an absolute treat; Ant & Zoe (the owners of The Grape Escape) are big into their Californians, so decided to open some pretty special bottles from their extensive list. At £12 a glass, or £60 a bottle, you just knew they were going to be "the shiz".

I started with a glass of English fizz, whilst The Chap took on the challenge of a whole white wine flight (£12.50), and although I gave him disapproving looks for his decision, it probably worked out for the best seeing as we had to wait quite a while for our food; I've taken note, Saturday night is prime time for burgers!

The Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, 2011, was a clear winner for wine of the night for me. Back in the famous Judgement of Paris, Montelena's 1973 wine stole the show, beating the very best wine that Burgundy had to offer. This 2011 is the 40th vintage of the Chardonnay, and it shows the excellent juxtaposition of the old and new wines of California; powerful oaked Chardonnay (yes yes yes) with a delicious fresh streak of acidity that leaves your gums tingling.

We had a duo of Ridge Vineyards Zinfandels; Lytton Springs 2009 and Geyserville 2010. You can read about Lytton Springs on my recent Vinspire post, but as for the Geyserville, at 14.3% it's a weighty percentage wine without the overly weighty mouth drying effect you might expect. Rich ruby in colour, with ripe and refreshing cherry and plum flavours, it had some lingering peppermint and earthy notes that partnered wonderfully with the salty food.

Other wines we tried whilst the vinyl player was busting out some tunes (yes - this bar is that cool) were the Hirsch 'San Andreas Fault' Pinot Noir 2012 and Copain Syrah Halcon 2009; lucky us! I don't need to tell you how great they tasted, do I?

This was the second Burger Night at The Grape Escape, so there are bound to be more in the future, and they've had pizza nights too if that's more your thing. Check out their event listings online, where you'll find all the details of their tastings, 'meet the winemaker's, and general weekly offers... 

I'll see you at the bar, yeah?

Glasgow Gorge-Fest

I've been very slack in updating my blog on a regular basis - sorry! I can't quite believe it has been a whole month since coming back from Glasgow, and that I've only just managed to find the time to write about what I've been stuffing my face with. So let's not beat about the bush..

We stayed at 15 Glasgow; a luxury boutique bed and breakfast hotel situated in the West End. With just 5 suites, this listed Victorian townhouse was the perfect location for venturing out dinner and drinks (which is literally all we had planned to do). Booking through Mr & Mrs Smith got us a bottle of wine in our room upon arrival too. That, a lovely bunch of flowers, and a foil wrapped Tunnock's Tea Cake made a great start to our break.

Luckily the owner, Laura, is a big foodie too, and she was able to make a list of all her favourite places to try out; the majority of which were in the Finnieston/Kelvingrove area. So on her recommendation, we booked a table at the new Ox & Finch restaurant, and headed to Argyle Street to work our way through some of the gin cocktails at The Finnieston. We were only going to stay for one, but ended up having two because they slipped down so easily. I kept it Scottish with Caorunn Gin in mine, whilst The Chap fell madly in love with a take on an Old Fashioned that used tequila and mezcal instead of bourbon.

Across the road and up on Sauchiehall Street is Ox & Finch, which boasts 'contemporary, relaxed, sharing dining'. Its big and bright, thanks to it's corner site with generous windows and high ceilings; even the kitchen's open, so it feels very approachable. The inside has been stripped back to brick, and the decor plays with a number of textures - steel, tiles, concrete - keeping your eyes entertained as you admire it's beauty.

It's all about the food here though. It has a tapas-vibe with a menu full of small dishes designed to share, pretty similar to London's Duck & Waffle actually. The menu is split into snacks (£3-4), raw, cured & cold (up to £6.50), seafood (£7-9), meat (£5-8) and vegetables (mostly £3.50). Desserts are a fiver if you can fit them in too.. We could not - poor form.

Orders come out as they're ready, so if you're like us and order as much as possible, then you end up having a continuous stream of food brought to the table. AMAZING. We had crispy fried squid, chilli and orange salad with saffron aioli; tartare of roe deer, egg yolk, hazelnuts and mustard; roast asparagus, poached egg and pancetta; seared scallops, lardo di colonnata and cauliflower puree; grilled baby gem, parmesan crackling, anchovies and caesar dressing; and braised ox cheek, roast cauliflower puree, thyme & bacon gremolata.

With such a range of dishes, your tastebuds are kept constantly excited; hot, cold, salty, sweet, spicy, sharp, creamy, crunchy, rich, fresh.. You get the picture. It was incredible and I wish Ox & Finch was on my doorstep.

The following day we'd booked lunch at Cail Bruich thanks to a tip from Girl Around Glasgow. It was voted Scotland's best restaurant for the 2nd year in a row, and they had a crazily good offer on during our visit; three courses with three matching wines for just £15! Certainly not to be sniffed at.

Only one other couple were in the restaurant the whole time we were there, which I'd normally hate when going out to eat, but it was different here; it felt like we'd been let in on a secret. First course was the juiciest piece of chicken with barley, topped with delicate onion rings and served with a light, fruity red wine. Next was pork belly with tenderstem brocolli, peas, and a tangy vinegary sauce. A fulled bodied red with much more spice accompanied this one. Dessert, which came with quite a sweet white, was the standout dish for me, mainly because it was a bit unusual; strawberries, a biscuity crumble, mallow-y meringues, and WHITE ASPARAGUS ice cream. So unexpected and so so good.

That night, a bit unsure where to go, we headed for The Gannet. They only had a table available quite late in the evening, but that was fine considering our 3 course lunch - haha. When we arrived, the people at our allotted table hadn't finished eating, but again, no big deal; a drink at the bar is always fine with me. However, by the time we sat down, we were probably halfway through our bottle of wine, which seemed a little ridiculous. Sure, dinner was nice, but by that point I was a bit too boozy to enjoy it properly. To be honest I can't even remember what I ate, and it was too dark to take any snaps to jog my memory. Although we got a 'free liqueur' at the end to apologise, I thought it could have been handled better, and we ended up being the last ones in there, feeling a bit miffed.

Ilustration by Adrian B McMurchie

On our numerous visits to Finnieston, we spied a lunchtime special at Old Salty's - a traditional chippy and cafe. For a fiver we bagged ourselves a mammoth fish goujon buttie with a mound of chips; all freshly fried to order, and served with some tangy homemade tartare sauce on the side. Unsurprisingly, The Chap had to help me finish mine; there are never any lonely chips left abandoned on a plate when he's around.

On our last night we ventured off in a different direction, where we found Stravaigin, the sister to Glasgow's famous Ubiquitous Chip. Stravaigin means 'to wander'; it's a Scottish restaurant, which dabbles in different cuisines from around the globe. Not so much a fusion, but more of a culinary trip. It's been awarded Michelin's Bib Gourmand in 2012 and 2013 and also has 2 AA Rosettes, not to mention it's highly praised wine list.

Whilst checking out the menu, we both had a cocktail made using Pincer; a Scottish vodka flavoured with extracts of milk thistle and wild elderflower - yum. I plumped for a middle eastern veggie dish and The Chap went for a mega steak. As for our wine selection, we chose the 2011 Chateau Viella Madiran purely based on it's description: Fancy a drink outisde the box? Charming, youthful but gutsy red from, Southern France. Fruity and moreish, this new bag in the box will change the way you think about wine. I'm not sure it changed the way I think about wine, but it was bloody good, as was the food.. Another place that I'd love to be my local.

Our flight home wasn't until the evening, so we planned on having a big lunch to keep us going. I'd asked some Glasgow foodies on Twitter what their fave cheap eats were, and a couple mentioned Bread Meats Bread, slap bang in the city centre. There's never any question about whether or not to go for a burger with me - as long as it isn't anything to do with those golden arches or the crowned variety. I do LOVE the trend of fancy burger joints popping up, but it has made it impossible to decide where does THE best, so being told where to go by someone else made the whole ordeal much easier.

They operate a no bookings system, a no brainer when there's such a quick turn around - it doesn't take long to wolf the goods down - but it did mean we had to queue for a bit. Handed a menu, and having a clear view of the open kitchen resulted in us firstly, having food envy, secondly, knowing exactly what we wanted to order, and thirdly, drooling at the thought of it.

We both went for the premium 'Black Label' beefy blend; I stuck traditional with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle and sauce, whereas The Chap had added smoked brisket in a Sriracha and BBQ sauce, with cheese and pickles. This was our first encounter of Poutines too; triple cooked chips topped with fresh cheese curds and house gravy. Phwoar. We went for the sweet potato version, which balanced out the salty cheese and gravy perfectly. It. Was. Epic.

There are still a number of places that were on my list of recommended eats/drinks, but there's only so much two greedy people can fit in before beginning to resemble a hippo.. "I'll be back."