Magnificent menu that’s all stars and stripes

There are few things worse than going to a restaurant, being presented with an extensive menu, and finding that there are few choices which appeal.

Thankfully, that won’t be the case when visiting the TriBeCa diner in Glasgow’s Merchant City.

The Merchant City is renowned for being cool in the British Empire’s second city, and TriBeCa fits in perfectly with that.

When you think of an American-style diner, you might think of a plastic waitress holding a tray, a fake New York taxi cab, and lots of black and white patterning.

That’s not the case here.

TriBeCa feels American, but it’s done in a subtle way, with street signs on the wall, an upper level with a look of scaffolding, and tasteful decoration.

The Caesar salad

Attentive staff welcomed us and showed us to our table, which was a good start.
I opted to start with a peanut butter milkshake (and my word, it tasted peanut buttery), which I had never had before. Perfect start. My companion had a Greenwich Detox to drink – a healthy option made with broccoli.

My first thoughts were to try a pizza, especially the Southern Chicken pizza which had southern fried chicken breast, chipotle, mozzarella cheese and Napoli sauce… but in the end, I went for something that couldn’t have more America, unless it had started to sing the Star Spangled Banner.

My choice was the Trailer Trash burger – it had deep fried macaroni cheese in a croquette burger, topped with pulled pork, chipotle mayo, tomato and crisp lettuce, presented in a brioche bun.

I had to dissemble it before eating. The pulled pork was good – I’ve eaten it in the past when it has been dripping in gravy, which was almost off-putting, but here, it was moist, soft, and full of fantastic flavour.

The all-day breakfast

And the mac and cheese burger was heavenly. Mac and cheese is one of my most favourite dishes, and this was a delight – very cheesy, perfectly gooey, and full of taste. I made the right choice.

My companion opted for the Chelsea Village, an all-day breakfast. This classic comprised two eggs, back bacon rashers, sausage links, golden hash browns, baked beans, flatcap mushrooms, and French toast.

Everything was done to perfection – the eggs were fried without being greasy, the bacon was crisp, the sausages succulent and again, not greasy, and the hash browns were crunchy outside and lovely and soft inside.

This was accompanied by a tremendous Caesar salad. It was done perfectly – the sauce was strong but not overpowering, and the chicken was delicious – cooked without being crisps, and the croutons provided the crunch.

We had to have a dessert – you can choose from buttermilk pancakes, Belgian waffles, French toast and even vegan pancakes.

Waffles, with peanut butter, chocolate sauce and maple syrup at TriBeCa

Despite my pancake love, I went for the waffles, topped with maple syrup, peanut butter and chocolate sauce. The waffles were heavenly – sweet and with enough give to be satisfying, without being too hard or too soft. My choice of toppings were wonderful – you just can’t beat a combination like that.

As for my companion’s pancakes – what a treat. They pancakes were lovely and thick, whilst being very fluffy, topped with caramel sauce and Biscoff crumble.

The menu had an extensive list of toppings, so we were spoiled for choice, both sweet (with Tunnock’s tea cake, Greek yoghurt, peanut brittle and white chocolate chips) and and savoury options (eggs, smoked salmon, ox cheek and blue cheese sauce) available too.

Pancakes at TriBeCa, with a delicious Biscoff crumbles

If you order pancakes, just make sure you order some ice cream to help them go down – you’ll need it!

TriBeCa is a little gem in the Merchant City, just metres from the old Candleriggs. The other customers who were in as we dined were evidently as happy as we were, as the grins on their faces and overheard conversations indicated.

TriBeCa is a tasty slice of American Pie that’s not to be missed.

TriBeCa, 51 Bell St, Glasgow, G1 1NX.

0141 552 5175

www.tribecadiner.com