It’s hard to keep up with the rate at which trendy new restaurants are popping up in Glasgow.
Last year saw the opening of the already much loved Sebbs – found below their already well-respected Margo – as well as what has been touted as the city’s next Michelin-starred eatery, Gary Townsend’s new restaurant, Elements in Bearsden.
And let’s not forget Bamboleo, a Spanish steakhouse, from chef Nico Simeone of Six by Nico fame, also in Bearsden, which is raising money for Beatson Cancer Charity.
Tobias Fiegel.
It therefore came as no great surprise when news arrived that relentless restaurateur Simeone, was transforming his speakeasy-style fish spot, Sole Club, in Finnieston into something new.
So it’s out with the old, in with the new, and we are onto the next one before we’ve even had a chance to catch our breath. This time it’s Pan-Asian fusion.
The space has had a bit of a face lift since Sole Club vacated and Extra Ordinary (aka X_O) arrived. The walls are adorned with modern Japanese illustrations, but other than that, the interior has been kept minimalistic.
Heading up this latest venture is Italian-Australian chef Tobias Fiegel who has previously worked with René Redzepi, Stuart Ralston, and Nico Simeone himself.
As he leaves the safety of the kitchen to face the diners, he explains his ideas to blend Japanese, Korean, and Chinese dishes.
The menu follows the template of all trendy restaurants just now – small plates.
We start with some snacks, vibrant orange kohlrabi stained by spicy kimchi, which is crunchy and has a good spicy kick, incredibly moreish lotus root crisps, and baby cucumbers hollowed out and their innards replaced with dashi creme fraiche and layo (a Japanese chilli oil), with some crispy seasons on the top.
The snacks.
A bowl of udon noodles, soaking in a deliciously salty broth, with mussels and an accompanying ‘doughnut’ was up next, swiftly followed by an incredible Chinese pancake stuffed with spring onions and topped with perfectly cooked char sui pork which just flaked off the fork. It was the star of the show for me.
The bitesize ebi katsu praw bao bun was perfectly nice. The buns are made fresh everyday, Tobias tells us, and served with a crunchy, tangy coleslaw and pickled mooli which was delightful.
Chinese pancakes.
Udon noodles
I was sceptical about the trendy matcha flavoured cake for dessert but was pleasantly surprised. The white chocolate sponge was delicately flavoured with a subtle hint of the green tea flavour and it’s a solid dessert.
Tobias’ passion for the food he is cooking is evident and his knowledge of the cuisine is impressive.
Matcha, white chocolate sponge cake.
I have high hopes for Extra Ordinary, here’s hoping it can stand the test of time amid the growing swell of Glasgow’s restaurant scene.
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