Restaurants attached to hotels aren’t necessarily thought of for their gastronomical prowess.
But at the newly relaunched Grahamston restaurant, within the Radssion Blu hotel on Glasgow’s Argyle Street, the food is among some of the most ambitiously bold that I’ve ever eaten.
Executive Chef Matt Mills has created a new dining experience at the venue, bringing together the finest Scottish produce with an Asian twist. This includes scallops with pakora and tandoori marinated chicken, a varied menu that wouldn’t look out of place in some of the city’s coolest restaurants.
I arrived, pleasantly impressed by how busy the restaurant was despite it being a grey Tuesday night. This ambience was fuelled by the restaurant’s mammoth glass frontage, which almost brings the outside in and prevents the Grahamston from feeling like a stale hotel bar.
I started with a whisky cocktail, an ode to the Scottish theme of the menu, washing it down with my starter of Gochujang chicken. For those unfamiliar, Gochujang is a spicy Korean paste used to add umami and sweetness to dishes and sauces. I thought my eyes deceived me when I saw it was served with a passion fruit dressing.
After all, passion fruit is usually a staple of dessert menus, not something served alongside spicy chicken. The dish arrived, complete with passionfruit segments on the side, and I'll admit to having a considerable amount of scepticism about how it would taste.
Was this style over substance? An attempt to be bold that had gone too far?
It was, in truth, one of the best chicken dishes I have ever eaten. Somehow it worked, the sweetness and spiciness working perfectly with the chicken to make one of the most memorable combinations I have had in a long time.
This set the scene for our mains, a barbecue glazed steak served with pak choi and a haggis fritter, and a Kerala hake fillet with chorizo and leek. Again, these were flavours I wouldn’t have thought to put together, but somehow it all worked perfectly. Far from being a dull, corporate menu, this is truly brave and ambitious cooking.
More cocktails kept our conversation flowing before it was time for dessert: a miso apple cheesecake and a chocolate and cherry mousse. They were light enough to be enjoyed even after two courses, with delightful flavours in the cheesecake in particular.
With a great location right beside Central Station, the Grahamston is a bit of an overlooked gem in Glasgow's food scene. And with flavours as good as these, I'm already planning my return visit...
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