Archives for “Restaurants” tag

A visit to Bella Fresca transports you from its location amongst the everyday shops on Paisley Road West to a little corner of Italy where you will find coffee alongside homemade paninis, and a deli trading in goods and produce of strictly authentic Italian provenance.

Bella Fresca is always jam-packed with customers, the atmosphere is warm and cheerful and totally unpretentious. There is a real family style approach at Bella Fresca, and the cafe prepares all it’s meals fresh and makes good use of local and imported produce and its conveniently located deli next door.

You will find a great mix of homely Italian fare at great value in the restaurant. It’s the perfect setting to sit on a Saturday morning over a full-froth cappuccino and the paper.

The deli adjunct to the café, bears an exotic assortment of Italian small goods including olive oils, balsamics, dry and fresh pasta, cheeses, crispbreads and pre-made lasagne, calzones and ravioli.

Great for brunch, lunch, dinner, a hangover, or a picnic – Bella Fresca will not disappoint!

This once vegetarian cafe has been a long established part of the West End (since 1960), but I only recently discovered how great it is! With a large dining space in which wide windows overlook the Great Western Road, the Bay Tree is a airy cafe by day and a romantic spot at night.

The food is excellent, Mediterranean-inspired fare, with quality, locally sourced ingredients and simple recipes the order of the day. There’s a wide range including some excellent mezze plates which are perfect for sharing. You can generally count on being served up some of tasty hummus out there, as well as stuffed vine leaves, couscous and kebabs.

The coffee is good too, and there is free WIFI so it’s a perfect place to sit and relax. At night, the resturant is softly lit and the Bay Tree is also BYOB with no corkage charge so it’s a great place to come for a date or a catch up with friends. There are often lunchtime specials, with starters and main courses from just £7.95.

When you first enter the Hanoi Bike Shop, you immediately notice two things. Firstly, the buzzing atmosphere and secondly, the smell of fish sauce! Vietnamese is one of the best foods to eat where the occasion is friendly and informal – lots of little plates to share. The menu isn’t large, but there is enough there so everyone can try something different.

The menu is split into sections “Street Food” and “From the pot”. Try the “Summer Rolls” and our favourite Bahn Xeo – a pancake filled with prawns and pork wrapped in eggy deliciousness. There is a good choice of Vietnamese beers on offer. The “From the Pot” and “Pho” are main meal sizes, but all the dishes arrive at the table in no particular order, resulting in one great feast! The Pho (pronounced “Fuh”) is a soupy noodle dish with tofu, beef or seafood, and then if you want to add more flavour you can add herbs or Sriracha. We also couldn’t leave without trying the Vietnamese coffee. A combination of coffee drip filtered into sweet condensed milk.

You will love the decor, it’s quite informal, with stools instead of chairs. Look out for the signs for the toilets – Ladyboys instead of the Mens!

Perfect for a late night bite and the service and speed of the meals means you can start or end your night here.

This place, the Trans Europe Cafe, is a hidden treasure sandwiched amongst art galleries just on the edge of the city centre, where the ambiance draws you in and the simple well made fare will keep you coming back.

The cafe is a very interesting place for the interior alone, the walls are decorated with maps of European cities, but the roots are firmly in Glasgow with the booth seats sourced from bus seats.

The owner is really friendly and I’ve seen him talking to regulars like old friends. Trans Europe cafe is quite reasonably priced and has a great range of sandwiches taking their namesake from European cities, with fillings you would expect from the cities. I particularly like the seriously satisfying Lisbon sandwich which has great flavours of mozzarella, peppers and tangy balsamic. The cafe really has encompassed the chill of a local European hang out here. So go in with time and be ready to relax.

The interior is cosy and shabbily chic, with fairy lights, huge paper lanterns, mismatched furniture, candles and flowers on each table and interesting art adorning the walls.

Tibo offers a choice from at least two different items for each course, and with reasonable prices for what portions you get I have absolutely no complaints about the food. It is plentiful, simple, wholesome and yummy. A rich chocolate tart to rival a French patisserie, savoury mushroom pasta, and a deliciously complex Shepard’s pie are some of the assorted offerings I’ve tried.

This is a lovely chilled place to enjoy a meal out, and anyone you take here will think that you are cool.