Moyra Janes @ 20 Kildrostan Street

Went with a mate to Moyra Jane's last night for a bite to eat. I've walked past the place hundreds of times and until then had only ever had a couple of slices of cakes and never a proper meal.

We'd spotted that they are currently doing a deal during the week of 2 courses for £11.95 and 3 for £13.95 so thought we'd give it a go. We also thought we'd take advantage of the last remenants of the summer and sit out side where they have three small tables for two. Thankfully, unlike lots of other places with outdoor tables, the pavement is nice and wide and the road is very quiet. It was pretty pleasent sitting outside and watching others wander by, including spotting a few people who we knew. Made it feel a more sociable event, shame we don't have the sun all the time.

I've got to apologise as I was starving when we sat down so I didn't really take many photographs of our food before it was all wolfed down. I started with a goats cheese and caramalised pear dish served on a toasted cibbatta with freash salad. Not something I would normally order but I have to say it was delicious - I'd have happy eaten a bigger version for my main course as well. My mate had the Arbroath Smokie (pictured above) which he said was great but he did voice a preference for their Cullen Skink which he'd had the last time.

For the main I fancied some comfort food and was thinking about choosing the burger until I discovered they didn't serve it with chips. Instead we both went for the macaroni cheese with chorizo sausage. It was tasty too, though I think we should have ordered some garlic bread on the side, as a full bowl of macaroni on its own takes some eating.

By this point it was starting to get chilly so the waitress showed us to a table inside. The cafe is really nicely decorated inside with dark wood panels, tasteful lighting and black and white photos of the staff on the walls. It feels very comfortable and friendly. We both ordered desert of their inhouse made honey comb vanilla ice-cream. As readers of the blog will know I'm a big ice-cream fan and this one passed my taste test. Its light, creamy and very, very sweet. Maybe a little too sweet for some as the lumps of honeycomb get stuck in your teeth but I was a fan.

All in all, including drinks it was just £15 each which for the quality of the food was fantastic. I really, really liked my goats cheese starter - so much in fact I'm thinking of trying to make it myself tonight.

Moyra Jane's

20 Kildrostan Street
Glasgow, G41 4LU
Phone: 0141 423 5628

Sherbrooke Castle @ 11 Sherbrooke Avenue

After the excitement of our trip to Pollokhouse we decided to go somewhere really nice for our Mothers Day dinner. We decided to stay within the original Stirling-Maxwell familiy's domain though and headed to Pollokshields.

Sherbrooke Castle was built in 1896 as a baronial villa for John Morrison, a respected and obviously well off contractor. The building was designed by the architect Robert Sandylands and John Thomson, the eldest son of Alexander "Greek" Thomson and must have been a pretty impressive house at the time, as its still a pretty impressive hotel today, with a grand vista over the surrounding area.

It was a bright but bitterly cold day and as we walked into the dining room, we were pleased to see a roaring coal fire on one wall pouring out heat. We were initially a bit jealous of the couple who were seated right beside these flames, but as their faces grew redder and redder I think we decided viewing the flickering fire from a distance was actually the best bet. The whole interior feels very solid, with thick dark wood and original prints, paintings and books lining the walls. Its been given a recent make over as well though and the furniture and new decor are modern but entirely fitting for the space. I could easily imagine it as an old gentlemans' club in an other era.

The menus were really tasty looking, with an evening restaurant menu  or the lounge bar menu to choose from, between which all bases were covered. I opted for the haggis filo parcel to start, which was light and very yummy and then went for the rib-eye steak for my main. I have to admit it was one of the best steaks I've had in a very long time, rich juicy and melted in the mouth. The rest of the group all really enjoyed their meals too and we agreed it was a place we'd all happily go back. 

We were in the main restaurant which was very much fine dinning. The lounge bar however is far more relaxed and when we were leaving I noticed lots of families in having dinner so it looks like its popular with the locals. In short, a great place to take families for special occasions, a pretty ideal Mother's Day venue. Would love to get a proper look round the rest of the building. I bet the bedrooms at the top, which have turrets, have amazing views. Anyone ever stay there and can tell us what its like?

[Images from Sherbrooke Castle Hotel Website]

Sherbrooke Castle Hotel

11 Sherbrooke Avenue, Pollokshields, Glasgow, G41 4PG
0141 427 4227

Mimmo's @ 235 St. Andrews Drive

Mimmo's is a new Italian restaurant in Pollokshields which opened earlier this year on the site of the old Honours Three pub.

The night we decided to try Mimmo's we were torn between it and the more well established L'Aragosta which is a few doors down the street. We've been meaning to try L'Aragosta, (which from the outside looks like a place Tony Soprano would enjoy) for years but the friend we were meeting fancied trying the newer place so we agreed. There seems to be a bit of a connection between the two places. Mimmo Rossi the new owner of Mimmo's appears to have once been the head chef of L'Aragosta. I wonder what L'Aragosta makes of their chef moving four doors down?
Anyways, this review is about Mimmo's. From the outside Mimmo's looks nice but not anything amazing, inside however it is very different, decorated in a modern Italian style, with warm welcoming materials, smart simple furniture and splashes of Italian culture in old signs, posters and prints. The food too was great, there was five of us and the total was about £60 without wine. I had the Tagliatelle Della Nonna which was light creamy and cooked to give the pasta a nice bite. Others went for the Italian sausage pasta, the chicken in bread crumbs, the ravioli and the escalopes of veal which were all good too but I preferred my own choice.

We would def go back, we were on our way that night to the Imax to see Avatar in 3D and Mimmo's is quite a good place to stop off at on the way as there is easy parking. I think next time we go we should try some of the tapas or try and go along on one of the Italian nights which boasts a six course meal and live entertainment from a guy called Leonardo!

In the past I've always found this stretch of road quite strange, it felt slightly like an in between place, on the edge of several different Southside areas, the motorway and the rail works. This unease was probably further exaggerated by the various events that have happened near the Honours Three pub in the past. The pub closing seems to be part of a tentative rebirth in the area, with a lot of new housing being constructed and a few new shops. In Mimmo's they now have a large venue worth travelling to and maybe the area can start to create a proper identity.

Mimmo's Ristorante Italiano
235 St Andrews Drive, Glasgow, G41 1PD
0141 429 4657

Opening House
Mon - Sat 9.30am - 11pm
Sun - 9.30 - 10pm

Ikafe breakfast

Ikafe - Nithsdale Road Pollokshields

So in our ongoing quest to find the best cafe breakfast in the Southside we paid a visit to Ikafe in Pollokshields. Its a lovely wee place with a really nice varied menu - covering breakfast through to dinner. They even do home take away meals and will cater for your dinner parties.

The breakfast was very nice. Annie had the veggie breakfast and I had the full Scottish with cibatta, toast, potato scones, beans, fried egg, lorne sausage, bacon, mushrooms and fried tomatoes. Annie tells me the veggie one was very tasty but of course the carnivore one is what we are all concerned with. Lets break down the highlights.

The lorne sausage was delicious - I always prefer lorne instead of the banger kind
Bacon - very tasty but a bit strange texture - i like it more crispy
Egg - nicely cooked - runny enough to dunk toast and thankfully not enough to run everywhere
Beans - very nice touch - in a separate wee dish - no bean juice over everything
Toast/ ciabatta - veggie breakfast came with toast, the carnivore with a ciabatta. Must admit I preferred the toast and was able to persuade ann to swap one toast for one ciabatta. Toast was thick and well fired but there was a very poor offering of one tiny butter which wasn't enough
Potato scone - looked burned but was actually very nice
Mushrooms/ Tomatoes - I don't like these so didn't really eat them - its the same with salads I view them as decorations

All in all, a high standard and I give it a

**** out of 5 yum

Of special note was their apple juice - it was tasty, organic and served in a tall good quality glass.

Mmmmm full cooked breakfast