Review: Maison by Glaschu, Glasgow

If I had my way, I’d sit each Sunday on the terrace of a Parisian café, nursing a strong black coffee and a flaky almond croissant.

I can but dream. But for the time being, I need to find a substitute a little closer to home. So, the news that a French-inspired bar and restaurant, Maison by Glaschu, was opening its doors in Glasgow certainly caught my attention.

My colleague Ellie Forbes had already been to check out its sister venue, Glaschu – which is Gaelic for ‘Glasgow’ and pronounced glas-a-hoo – located in the Dear Green Place’s Royal Exchange Square. Her verdict? It ticked all the boxes for flavour, a sense of occasion, and excellent fine dining fare.

But would this new venue – which is based in Buchanan Street’s shopping mall, Princes Square – deliver in the same way? It promises to be a blend of Mediterranean kitchens and French brasseries with local, seasonal ingredients.

The darkly-lit bar area of Maison by Glaschu.

Despite its more informal location, the first impressions were good. It’s on the second floor of the mall, and you can opt to sit in one of three distinct areas – in a light-filled dining room with 85 covers near the kitchen; in a swarthy, darkly-lit 120-cover bar area; or on the 45-cover indoor terrace. Obviously, I chose the latter. Granted, it’s not quite the bustling streets of Paris, but from our table you could look down onto the luxury clothes stores from which foot-tired shoppers were emerging, heavily laden with bags. It made for some excellent people-watching.

The dining room at the back of the restaurant is flooded with natural light.

And so to the menu, which is crafted by Chef John Molloy. For dinner, you can opt from their ‘prix fixe’ option, which offers two courses for £25, or three courses for £30, with each dish paired with suggested wines ‘to elevate the flavours’. There is also a separate vegan and vegetarian menu. We, however, chose from their standard à la carte crowd-pleasers.

For ‘bar snacks’/starters, we’re talking Gordal Olives (£6), Cumbrae Oysters (£4) and Truffle Arancini (£3) – all of which sounded divine. But for me, a restaurant’s bread usually gives a good steer on how things will be for the rest of the meal, so we chose their Garlic Chicken Butter Bread (£5), along with the Fried Squid (£11) and Tempura Prawns (market price).

The bread was served warm, fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside – just as we had hoped. The side of chicken fat butter was exceedingly savoury and not to my personal taste, but I know plenty of people who would have lapped it up with glee. The fried squid was next best with gorgeous chipotle aioli and lemon, with hits of salt and spice – an excellent balance. Meanwhile, the portion of prawns was generous for a starter.

Bar snacks, including Tempura Prawns and Fried Squid.

While we awaited our mains, mixologist Ewan Angus made sure we were well topped up with drinks. He’s incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about curating a drinks menu that places good quality spirits to the fore. So, if you like to be able to really taste the spirits in your cocktails, as opposed to masking them with gallons of sugary mixers, this is the place for you. Though Ewan confessed that choosing his favourite cocktail was like ‘being made to choose between your children’, he did admit that The Auld Alliance (£15) was an absolute show-stopper – it contains Macallan 12-year-old, calvados, lychee, blue curacao and apple.

The Auld Alliance cocktail, crafted by Ewan Angus.

Our mains arrived in no time at all, with my plus one having opted for a true French classic, the bavette steak frites (£15 on Mondays when it’s the Plat Du Jour). When slicing into the meat, juices came oozing out, and the smoked bone marrow it was served with added a rich, unctuous, full-bodied flavour to the dish.

Steak frites with smoked bone marrow.

Meanwhile, I ordered the Poulet Rôti (£24) which came with skinny fries and a red wine jus. From a presentation point of view, it was the clear winner. It was a whole poussin, served with large sprigs of rosemary and thyme. It was dripping in red wine jus and the frites were perfect for soaking up the juices. Again, for my taste it was too well seasoned to be able to finish it, but I’d recommend sharing it with your fellow diner (and hoovering up half of theirs too!)

Poulet rôti with skinny fries and red wine jus.

Ewan has put together a good range of wines to suit multiple budgets, ranging from by-the-glass whites from Portugal to £120 bottles of red from Bordeaux. He suggested that a Vinho Verde ‘Signus’ was the perfect match for my poussin, and it cut through the fats beautifully with its citrusy notes. For my plus one, it was a classic, smooth red for the beef – Syrah/Viognier ‘Palooza’, Aubert and Mathieu.

Dessert was a step too far for us on this occasion – the choice of rich mains were our downfall! But the options did nearly sway us – Solero soufflé (£9), Affogato (£5.50), or chocolate and olive oil mousse (£7.50) all seemed reasonably priced for the portion sizes. And that can really be said for the whole menu.

If you’re wondering, Maison by Glaschu also deliver on the coffee and croissant front. So, while I may have to wait a little longer for my Parisian city break, I’ll be back for Maison by Glaschu’s ‘superlative croissant’ menu very soon.

To find out more about Maison by Glaschu, please visit their website.

Pastries at Maison by Glaschu.

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