Food review: Kelvingrove Cafe, Finnieston, Glasgow

Kelvingrove Cafe, for all times of the day

It’s been far too long since we had ventured into Kelvingrove Cafe on Argyle Street in Finnieston. The vintage ice cream parlour signage leads you to a speakeasy-style bar with an eye-catching gantry filled with an assortment of liqueurs, bitters and vermouth, enticing you to take your time and work through the cocktail menu (or live dangerously and go off grid..!).

It’s a busy night, Massive Attack are playing at The Hydro, so seats are full for pre-gig food and drinks. Kelvingrove Cafe has always been known for its cocktails (which actually taste of the ingredients and aren’t watered down with a glacial amount of ice!). We are also looking forward to dinner now that chef Colin Anderson is at the helm in the kitchen. Colin comes with some serious skills after working at not only The Ubiquitous Chip but also Cail Bruich, some favourites of ours in the city.

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Food and Drinks

Cocktails! We then shared the following plates…

Goats cheese churros (£7.00)…not something either of us would think of picking but we had heard good things. Dough, goats cheese and truffle – what’s not to love?! It works, extremely well, fluffy and crisp churros not overpowered by the goats cheese or truffle oil. A perfect balance of sweet and savoury. These are a must order we think!

Monkfish cheeks, XO Sauce and pickled mooli (£8.50). Wow, just so good. Meaty chunks of fish with lots of flavour. The pickled mooli fitted well with the sweet and earthy XO sauce.

Crispy Cavolo nero with beetroot hummus, preserved lemon yoghurt and seeds (£6.50). Crisp leaves and creamy yoghurt with another earthy taste this time from beetroot. A light dish which makes for an ideal summer pick.

Cauliflower, vegemite, mint and pickled dates (£9.00). To say Mrs Foodie likes cauliflower is an understatement. She eats it in tacos, pakora and covered in cheese sauce! So this was a no brainer. Charred cauliflower, with a mix of crisp and soft textures alongside sweet pickled dates and yeasty vegemite. An interesting combo that works!

Time for more cocktails! The one on the right is a Delicious Mission (£9.50): Mount Gay Black Barrel, Menthe Vermonth liqueur, Blanca Menta mint liqueur, Rinquinquin, lime, pineapple, overproof rum.

While this is a Poppy Candy (£8.50), a twist on the Clover Club, described as the prettiest cocktail in Finnieston! It’s made up of Grey Goose, poppy seed liqueur, raspberry, lemon, egg white, Peychauds bitters. Order this, you won’t regret it!

More food too – Cod, leeks, hazelnuts, Chardonnay vinegar and smoked chicken fat (£12.50). A meaty slice of cod with a crisp skin, a generous scattering of crunchy hazelnuts, earthy leeks and the surprise inclusion of smoked chicken fat, an ingredient you wouldn’t normally think of with fish but it makes it all that tastier! This was our favourite on the night. Even batting the cauliflower into second place.

Pork belly, hispi cabbage, potatoes, Roscoff onion, cornichon (£12.50). A hearty, wholesome dish with a prominent mustard flavour. The pork came apart like layers of gooey, savoury puff pastry!

We were stuffed, but struggled on “for the blog” with the cheese course – Baron Bigod Farmhouse Brie (£6.00) with damson paste, fig and rye bread. No off the shelf oat cakes here! We’ve had Baron Bigod quite a few times now, always good, and here it’s served with a fruity damson paste, fresh fig and a rustic rye bread. Mmm mmm.

Soldiering on with dessert – dark chocolate brownie (£6.50) with miso caramel, cultured cream and puffed barley, which looks a bit like popcorn! Right up Mr Foodie’s street. He’s a huge chocolate fan and this was smooth, sweet and delectable.

Time and space for one last pudding course – Apple crumble with plums, oats and vanilla custard (£6.00). Just enough to satisfy a sweet tooth and not send you over the edge to “I wish I hadn’t ordered dessert” feeling!

Verdict

The food was awesome, surprisingly sophisticated and not just an afterthought for a place known more for its cocktails. Nearby The Gannet, Ox and Finch get all the plaudits but the food here was every bit as good, really! Total cost was around £90 for 9 different dishes, of a similar standard, and 4 cocktails. Good vibes and atmosphere too with Massive Attack providing the evening soundtrack to get us and other likeminded individuals in the mood for the nearby show at the SEC Hydro, it’s just a shame that the concert itself was a bit disappointing! We still had an enjoyable evening. Toilets also checked and in good nick! Note that KC is open for breakfast from 9am each day until 1am but can get very busy at weekends and no children are allowed on the premises after 6pm.