I don’t visit Glasgow as often as I should, and I’m not really sure why as the train station at the end of my street offers direct trains regularly.

During a rare visit recently I stayed at Blythswood Square Hotel and had dinner at their restaurant.

The restaurant occupies a space that was formally a ballroom which creates a unique atmosphere.

The menu is made up of Scottish classics as well as a few more adventurous dishes and the Scottish theming carries through to the Harris Tweed furnishings.

My friend went very classic to start with a Prawn Cocktail (pictured at the top). This was served in the traditional style in a tall glass and looked very elegant in its surroundings.

I had the Seared Isle of Mull Scallops With Glazed Pork Belly, this was served with balsamic roasted shallot purée, apple gel and herb oil. The combination of pork and scallop works really well and both were perfectly cooked. This is a starter I’d definitely order again, the balance of flavours and textures all worked really well. It exceeded the standard of cookery you might expect at a hotel restaurant.

For main, again we decided to play it safe. My friend had the Grilled Chicken Supreme from the Josper grill. I think the Josper grill is having a moment as I seem to be seeing it all over the place at the moment. I’m not sure the charcoal cooking made much difference in this case, but it was a dish that went down very well anyway.

I’ve had turbot before but due to its price you don’t often see it on menus so when I saw it at Blythswood Square Hotel, I couldn’t resist. The Seared Fillet of Turbot was served with roasted celeriac, truffle purée, boneless chicken wings, hollandaise sauce and red wine glaze – it sounded delicious, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to its description, the fish was plentiful, but the whole dish was lacking in flavour and seasoning which was a surprise given the two sauces. It’s a dish that may suit someone who likes very plain tasting food. It’s rare I give up on a dish but this one was a real struggle for me and I left about half.

The desserts however were a real triumph and made up for the turbot. They were innovative, and beautifully presented with a flavour to match.

Above is the Blackberry Eton Mess with crème fraiche parfait, champagne jelly and blackberry mousse. Below is the Peanut Butter Cheesecake with raspberry and yuzu jam, black sesame macarons.

Overall this was a great meal and I’d happily recommend and go back myself, perhaps the turbot just wasn’t my thing as the rest of the meal was delicious.

Blythswood Square Hotel
Location: 11 Blythswood Square, Glasgow
Price: Starters £6.50-£13, Mains £16-£33.50, Desserts £7
Good for: Desserts are particularly good