We’d been keen to try the relatively new Ian Brown Restaurant in Giffnock since it opened, but we hadn’t managed to get a booking. It’s very popular on the Southside, and also quite small so if you want to go for dinner, I suggest you try booking a bit in advance!
We had some Australian friends staying with us recently who got engaged, so we wanted to take them somewhere special for a celebratory dinner. I normally don’t have a problem heading into town, but perhaps it’s the colder weather, I really just wanted to go somewhere local but lovely. We were able to get a booking for dinner on a Thursday night without any problems.
The restaurant is quite small and can seem crowded when it is full and busy as some tables are quite close together, and you might find it a challenge navigating a path to the bathroom.
We were warmly welcomed and seated right near the bar, where I could spy through to the kitchen to see that Ian Brown himself was cooking that night.
Complimentary beetroot velouté
We were served this as a complimentary stater and it was greatly appreciated – lovely and warming with the heavenly rich taste of beetroot that I love so much. We decided to diverge from the pre-theatre menu (which is fantastically cheap – £11 for two courses or £14.50 for 3) and go a la carte. I won’t write anything about the dishes individually but here are the photos for your drooling pleasure.
Slow braised Perthshire pigs cheek with herby polenta and Madeira sauce
Haggis, neeps and tatties
Roast partridge breast with saffron barley risotto and herb bisque
Grilled Perthshire pigeon breasts on a bed of bacon and puy lentils and morel cream sauce
Seared collops of Stirlingshire venison with bramble sauce, celeriac purée, sesame seed potatoes and fried kale
Slow cooked Scottish shin of beef with garlic crushed potatoes, honey roasted shallots and spinach
Courgette and cous cous parcel with red pepper sauce
We were really full after all of that so decided against dessert. I was expecting the meals to be pricer but the entrées were around £5 and mains around £15 so I found it to be good value. Everything we ate was tasty, fresh, and the menu all seems to be locally sourced. I didn’t leave floating on cloud 9 in food heaven, but I was quite content with our meals and would recommend it to anyone looking for somewhere new to try on the Southside. I would go back to try out the pre-theatre menu as I think that is a really good value deal.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
