The Living Room

Venue Review by Yasmin Ali | 20 Apr 2009

At the heart of Glasgow’s business district, the Living Room is worth seeking out. The menu is seasonal and each restaurant in this national chain is under the direction of its own chef. Knowing we were in for a treat, we tried to pick light appetisers. To start, I had teriyaki chicken skewers with a satay sauce, which were lightly roasted with a side salad with chilli and a warm peanut dip. My friend had beer-battered tiger prawns which were served with a sweet chilli sauce and wasabi – plenty of spices to whet the appetite.

The food was both artistically presented and generously-sized in portions, so quality and quantity are well-matched. For mains, my friend chose tender slow-roasted shoulder of lamb with creamed potatoes & rosemary. I went for fish with maple-roasted organic Shetland salmon, Bombay potatoes & sun-blush tomatoes, the unusual combination of delicately sweet fish with Indian potatoes working well together.

Leaving our plates almost emptied, and with just enough room for dessert, we plumped for the most intriguing names: Eton Mess with mascerated strawberries and 'Banoffee in a Bag'. For those not-in-the-know (and we were none the wiser ourselves), mascerated strawberries are sugared and freeze-dried, then mixed with crushed meringue and lashings of cream. My bagged dessert contained roasted bananas and hot toffee sauce served with smashed ginger snaps. Both came topped with vanilla bean ice-cream.

The décor is more gentleman’s club than living room, but aside from a few ill-fitting nude paintings, the modern metropolitan look is well-placed, and the seating is excellent – intimate but not intimidating. A good venue for relaxed dining.

The Living Room, 150 St Vincent Street, Glasgow Tel: 0141 229 0607

http://www.thelivingroom.co.uk