During a recent trip to Glasgow, we decided to have a bit of fun and check out a restaurant and bar named Hillhead Bookclub. This is actually one of our favourite discoveries of all time, with the fun, casual vibe of the venue offering interior design that is certainly one of a kind. This is a busy and buzzy place that clearly knows how to deliver a cocktail or two, and the minute we arrived we were excited for our evening to begin.
When we arrived we were greeted warmly and shown to our table. To begin our evening, we started with a couple of cocktails, which appears to be the done thing at Hillhead Bookclub. I had to go for the “Man’s Not Hot”, which saw a mix of chilli infused brugal, mango puree, lime and sugar. This was a fiery, yet sweet and fruity concoction, which was certainly most delicious. My partner went for "The Gambler", which saw a mix of gin, lemon, sugar and gravino. This was a punchy, cirtusy cocktail that was extremely fresh and clean on the palate. We sipped our cocktails as we made our menu choices from the most intriguing selection.
“The food was great, the drinks were fantastic and the atmosphere was buzzing. What more could you ask for?”
As a starter, I chose the halloumi fries that came served with smoked paprika mayo, spring onions and chillies. The halloumi was cooked to perfection and the sauce and garnish additions really helped cut through the richness of the delicious cheese. My partner chose the roasted cauliflower which was coated in sriracha and served with cucumber soldiers and satay sauce. This dish really delivered on flavour, and we can recommend it as an excellent choice.
For our main courses, I went for the sustainable catch of the week, which on the day we visited saw beer battered fish served with homemade chips and tartare sauce. My partner went for thee braised ox cheek that came served with polenta, roast gravy and parsnip chips. The ox cheek in particular was a great dish, however my fish was also extremely well prepared and delivered everything I could have hoped for from a good fish and chips dish. We also enjoyed a bottle of their 2016 Domaine de Valent Pinot Noir, IGP Pays d'Oc, France, with our meal, which was extremely drinkable and a fine example of a Pinot Noir.
Overall we were thoroughly impressed by Hillhead Bookclub, and will certainly look to return during our next trip to Glasgow. The food was great, the drinks were fantastic and the atmosphere was buzzing. What more could you ask for? We highly recommend Hillhead Bookclub to anyone visiting Glasgow’s city centre, and we cannot wait to return.