More than £1 million was spent making over the dining room at the already plush Blythswood Square Hotel this month.
As reported on Glasgow Live, the hotel is under new ownership and embracing a ‘more relaxed’ approach for its 146-cover restaurant, led by Scotland’s first female five-star executive chef, Gillian Matthews.
I’ll be honest, I was dubious. Renovations like it can be a case of style over substance; and the Blythswood has never lacked in style to begin with.
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Still, for its first sunny Sunday open, I headed along for lunch to see if the hype for the brand new Bo & Birdy was justified - and I have to say, it was the nicest meal I’ve had in Glasgow for a while.
The revamped bar and dining room certainly looks the part, but it seems the menu is squaring up to match - and while it’s not a perfect 10, I have high hopes for Bo & Birdy’s future on Glasgow’s growing upmarket food scene.
What’s it like?
Gone are the dark colours, the splashes of red and the heavy drapes at the city centre brasserie. There was always a bit of drama to the Blythswood’s restaurant - but when the bricks and mortar are as stunning as this, it seems a shame to detract from them. Now, light floods in from the tall windows, catching birdcage-alike light fixtures hanging in clusters, as well as a shiny new central bar in emerald green tile.
It’s a beautifully appointed dining room; a real luxury for a special occasion, whether that’s a three course meal or splashing out on cocktails. It may have helped that we arrived on one of the sunniest days of May so far - but it’s hard not to appreciate a room like it.
What did you have?
We sampled the lunch menu, although it works like an a la carte - a wider dinner menu is also available.
The other half started with the soup of the day; a vibrant pea broth with melt-in-the-mouth smoked ham, and plenty of it piled on top. It was a perfect, fresh spring dish and he loved every mouthful - although he did comment that some bread wouldn’t have gone amiss (it’s on the menu, but you’ll have to pay for it).
My smoked aubergine hummus was an interesting twist; creamy chickpeas stuffed into baby aubergines halves, dusted with paprika and accompanied by dollops of sour cream. It was nice; not earth-shattering, but very pleasant.
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The starters were fine - but clearly Bo & Birdy were saving themselves for the main event. Across the table, a 5oz wagyu fillet steak won the battle; a gloriously succulent piece of meat, charred on the outside and packed full of flavour on the inside. It was paired with excellent fluffy chips, roast tomato and a gorgeous mushroom pate on the side - a nice change from the usual watery mushroom roasted whole. Add a silky pepper sauce and it was, to quote my other half, “one of the best steaks” he’d had in a while. Coming from him, that’s a huge compliment.
My roast chicken with wild garlic gnocchi and spinach was almost as good; moist meat covered in a rich, savoury gravy, and hints of fresh, punchy green garlic all over the plate. Pillowy potato gnocchi rounded off the dish beautifully - I could have eaten a bowl of those doughy delights on their own.
It was a Sunday and we were treating ourselves, so dessert was a must to round off the meal - and, even as a self-confessed dessert cynic, I was very glad we did.
The lemon tart, topped with torched, marshmallowy meringue, was lovely and plump blackberries alongside wiped the palate clean.
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But it just couldn’t live up to my order of ’salted caramel and banana’ - which turned to be a glorious mash up between sticky toffee pudding and creme brulee. The sizeable pot was topped with caramelised bananas providing a lovely crunch, topping a creamy custard and oozingly sweet cake at the bottom. A dollop of caramel ice cream on top just about finished me off - but that impending sugar coma will have been worth it, trust me.
What else is there?
There are plenty of classics in there as well as a few high end twists; think scallop ceviche with pink grapefruit and fennel alongside pork pie with pickles and mustard. Mains on the dinner menu stretch to lobster thermidor and bone-in sirloin - think brasserie-style food, but at the fancier end of the scale.
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How much did you spend?
We had three courses each, as well as a bottle of Drygate beer (£5 each) and the bill came to £89.10 in total. That’s around £5-£7 for starters, mains circling the £20 mark and desserts at £7-£8.
Would you go back?
I’ll be back, Bo & Birdy - I’ve got my eye on your cocktail menu (ah, the perils of visiting before a 6am shift at Glasgow Live). There’s more of the menu to try - and with such a stunning dining room to boot, I’ll be bearing the Blythswood in mind for the next big occasion meal.
The hotel has always been a place to be seen - but with a new head chef on the premises and classic food done well, there’s more substance behind that style than ever before.
Bo & Birdy at Blythswood Square Hotel, 11 Blythswood Square, G2 4AD, Tel: 0141 248 8888
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