Glaswegian Dining Humour

Spotted in Glasgow recently:

Keeping it classy on Woodlands Road

Living the dream at the airport

New pub Sparkle Horse has a strict policy.

And one for the saddos who didnae pull.
(Translation: find a compatible partner to "entertain" at home for the rest of the evening.)

Cafe Andaluz

2, Cresswell Lane, Glasgow, G12 8AA
Map
http://www.cafeandaluz.com

Restaurant type:

Spanish Tapas

Cafe Andaluz from the outside

Service:

Outstanding

Ambiance:

Thoughtfully, tastefully decorated to produce a rich, warm, subterranean Alhambra.

Vegan choice:

Cafe Andaluz from the outside

Somewhat limited given that one needs to order a few tapas to make a meal. Dishes that are vegan, or can be altered (without too much violence) to be so, are: Patatas Bravas, Pimientos de Padron, Ensalada Marroqui, Tostada de Champinones, Ensalada Andaluza, Ensalada Sevillana, and Berenjenas Rellenas de Pimientos

Review:

Set in the cosmopolitan West End of Glasgow, down one of its most charming cobbled lanes, Cafe Andaluz looks inviting from the outside. The tasteful tiles, benches, and lighting outside hold promise. Descending the spiral staircase, one enters a little piece of Southern Spain. A warm, vibrant scene awaits. Dark wood, red walls and subtle lighting, tasteful accessories and, usually, the hubbub of the many customers gathered to taste the tapas.

The inside of Cafe Andaluz

I have been to this restaurant twice now, both times with large groups of people with disparate dietary needs and other proclivities. On both occasions the waiters were patient, knowledgeable, and directed the communal sharing of food, sorting out special diets and special orders with aplomb. They were knowledgeable about the food and very attentive without crowding. One had the sense of a plate spinner keeping many plates rotating while making it look effortless.

Patatas Bravas

I sampled four dishes from the menu. The Patatas Bravas - fried potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce (without the non-vegan alioli) - were delicious. The sauce was piquant - with a good kick of spice. The potatoes would have benefited from being crispier on the outside.

Ensalada Sevillana

The Ensalada Sevillana is a salad of roasted beetroot, green beans, oranges and croutons (the goat's cheese was omitted). It looked beautiful on the plate with the oranges sitting atop  the purple beets with a sprinkling of croutons and herbs. There were pleasant elements to this. Oranges like other acidic fruit in a salad can be fabulous and are underused. (A new favourite of mine in a salad, is strawberries, which a good friend of mine recently made me appreciate.) The green beans were crunchy but had taken on the purple of the beetroot and looked rather dull. The beetroot did not inspire. I like beetroot enormously. I'm not quite sure what the problem was, but perhaps it might have been over cooked. The croutons, I'm afraid were very poor. They were far too oily and I could only eat a few. If it were executed better, this salad could have been a winner. But, sadly, it was somewhat disappointing.

Ensalada Andaluza

The Ensalada Andaluza contained asparagus tips, artichoke, sunblushed tomatoes, and lettuce, in what was called a "sweet hinamin" dressing. Google reveals nothing about what "himanin" may refer to! I was assured the dressing was vegan by the waiter and what came seemed to be a not very too sweet tahini dressing. This dish was the highlight of the meal. The vegetables were cooked to perfection. They blended together with the tomatoes and lettuce to produce tasty and interesting, fresh mouthfuls. The quantity of dressing was just right. It was slightly creamy, but not overly so, just enough to add substance to the whole without drowning out any of the flavours. I highly recommend this dish.

Ensalada Marroqui

Finally, I had the Ensalada Marroqui. Roast sweet potato, parsnip, and chickpeas, mixed with  parsley and corriander, were topped with a tahini dressing. I liked the sound of this dish enormously. Each of the individual ingredients appealed, as I thought, would their combination. However, I was rather disappointed. The sweet potato, parsnip and chickpeas formed a very dense base. The flavours of these vegetables didn't sing out. Like the beetroot, I would question whether they were roasted too long.  The tahini dressing was rather thick and cloying and it needed lifting with lemon juice or other acidic streak to cut through the denseness of the sesame. With more careful preparation, however, this dish could, I believe could be rather good.

Overall, Cafe Andaluz has a wonderful atmosphere, great staff, and a small selection of vegan tapas. The food is not bad, however, the execution of some of the dishes requires attention.

Interior of Cafe Andaluz

Interior of Cafe Andaluz

Vegetarian menu

Additional menu items

Chicago O'Hare Airport

Bessie Coleman Drive , Chicago, IL
Map
www.ohare-airport.org

Restaurant type:

Various take-away outlets, particularly, and as reviewed here, Cibo Express Gourmet Markets and Argo Tea in Terminal 3

Service:

Good

Ambiance:

Soul Gourmet Grilled Southwest Tofu Wrap

Typical airport style!

Vegan choice:

Excellent for an airport. O'Hare is a major hub for American Airlines who do not serve vegan meals on any flights - one can't even order a special vegan meal in advance even on major international flights - therefore being able to buy vegan food in the airport is essential.

Soul Gourmet Grilled Southwest Tofu Wrap

Review:

Located between the G and H gates in the terminal 3 building is a branch of Cibo Express Gourmet Markets and a branch of Argo Tea.

Cibo is a delicatessen selling fruit, crisps, snacks, and has a long refrigerated cabinet selling sandwiches and a wide variety of edible goods. Vegan goods are widely advertised and there is, surprisingly and pleasingly, a large section of the refrigerated cabinet dedicated to a wide selection of vegan sandwiches, wraps, ready meals and desserts. I bought two wraps by Soul Gourmet: the Grilled Southwest Tofu Wrap and the Vegan Buffalo Tofu Wrap. The former consisted of a sun-dried tomato tortilla-like bread stuffed with a filling of rice, beans, corn, peppers and rather small pieces of tofu, in  spicy sauce. The filling was rather too moist and had made the tortilla too moist. I didn't particularly enjoy the taste. The ingredients didn't combine well together and  the pieces of tofu were too small. It was bland, despite the spicy heat of the sauce.

Soul Gourmet Vegan Buffalo Tofu Wrap

In contrast, the Vegan Buffalo Tofu Wrap was truly delicious. The spinach tortilla bread was stuffed with large substantial and hearty pieces of tofu covered in a spicy tomato sauce together with some spinach. This was right up my street: the tofu was firm, with a thin solid outer layer and a not too moist, ever so slighty softer, centre. The sauce didn't make the bread or the filling soggy, and it was tasty and tangy. I'd buy this sandwich frequently for lunch if it were available to me.

Soul Gourmet Vegan Buffalo Tofu Wrap

I also bought the gluten and soy free Soul Gourmet Vegan Macaroni and Cheese. Obtaining a vegan cheesy product without soy is rare. It was made with almond milk and nutritional yeast. (The latter is available in most health food stores. Somewhat unappetisingly, it looks like goldfish food flakes, however, it has a delicious cheesy, slightly nutty, taste and melts into soups, stews and milk. It is a complete protein and good source of B-complex vitamins.) Cibo does not have heating facilities, so I ate the macaroni cheese cold. It was somewhat pleasant. The sauce tasted much as it would if one had made it with soy, perhaps slightly creamier. The seasoning was fine, perhaps a little bland, and the noodles al dente. Macaroni cheese is often a dish that sticks to your ribs, particularly when made with a vegan white sauce with nutritional yeast, and this one was no exception - a little on the stodgy side. One might find this forgivable in comfort food, but the dish was also exceptionally oily, and although the oil was olive oil, it was still too much for my palate. I suspect that heated up and stirred up, the dish would have been better.

Soul Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese

Another offering on sale was the Soul Gourmet Vegan Cheese Cake. Again, this was pleasant. The biscuit base was not as crisp and firm as one would like, although it had a good biscuity taste. The top layer was made with tofu and was a little bland. I would have preferred something more tart with a bitter lemon twist. It was topped off with a large strawberry in sweet strawberry sauce. The whole thing was juvenile and too sweet. it reminded me of something that might have been served on a good day at school dinners. I would have preferred a sophisticated, grown-up product.

Soul Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese

Argo Tea is one of a chain of outlets (approximately, at the time of writing just under fifty) offering mainly fancy tea drinks, but also some coffee, soft drinks and a small range of food and snacks. Teas range from pure green and white tea to flavoured teas, and flamboyant concoctions, such as red tea with raspberry and white chocolate. I had some plain green tea, which was passable and not too bitter. I would have appreciated different grades and types of green teas being on offer, rather than the unusual "signature drinks". However drinking green tea out of a take-away plastic cup is far from ideal and I would have liked to have had the chance to taste the from china or porcelain. The vegan products on the food menu are Medetaranian Vegetables and Brown Rice, and Green Tea and Poppy Seed Muffins. These items are clearly marked on the menu as being vegan, which I appreciated.

Soul Gourmet Vegan Cheese Cake

I tried an item for sale at the time which was not listed on the menu: an oatmeal and raisin cookie. This was delightful. It was moist and chewy and contained a good number of succulent raisins. The level of cinnamon was just right and while the sweetness level was a tad too high, it wasn't bad considering the level of sweetness in many such American products. I'd buy this again.

As noted above, there were many other vegan dishes I could have tried at O'Hare. Overall the vegan choice was excellent - far greater than any airport I've ever been in before - and the quality a little better than one would expect from take-away food. The standout-item amongst those I tried was the Soul Gourmet Vegan Buffalo Tofu Wrap from Cibo, which I highly recommend.

Other airports please take note! Vegans are often left scrabbling about for crisps and nuts at many airports. Please provide a selection of vegan food. After all, non-vegans can eat vegan food too, and vegan food is edible by many people who follow special diets - people of the sort that one might expect to find rather a lot of passing through an international travel hub.

Argo Tea container

Argo Tea Oatmeal Raisin Cookie