One of Limmy’s many Vines – improvised short videos uploaded to the social media platform – has him standing as a Glasgow character on Royal Exchange Square. He points to the statue of Wellington with its obligatory traffic cone hat saying “see that, that’s my Glasgow”. Sitting in the backdrop is the decidedly grim edifice of the old Bank of Scotland building, a concrete construction of no particular aesthetic value.
These days, that particular corner at the top of Ingram Street is occupied by a modern, glimmering office block. It’s not that pretty either, but it is more emblematic of the many improvements that have been made to the Merchant City.
On the ground floor, encased in glass, sits a sleek dining room occupied by Argentinian steakhouse Cau. It’s a chain restaurant, but there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with chain restaurants.
Glasgow city centre has become the place the biggest brands want a landmark restaurant, they vie for the best positions and the largest square footage.
It’s some kind of a compliment that they think we’re the place to be. When the food on offer is generic and uninteresting, it’s an unwelcome intrusion.
When the food is good then it’s a welcome addition. Glasgow’s homegrown food stars can more than hold their own against the influx of the multinationals.
Cau’s hallmark is a sense of easy South American style – on a sunny day the Glasgow branch’s dining room has the appearance of a culinary showroom where both the food and the diners are on show. It would be a great place for a long lunch.
Today’s visit was a quick catch-up where we were effortlessly able to be served and out within an hour – important if you are on a break from work. Staff were friendly and efficient.
Steak being the general theme, we opted for a steak sandwich, served with tomato and lettuce on jalapeno bread – we chose sweet potato fries as our side.
It’s a simple, straight-forward dish, but so many places get it wrong. Seriously, we could make a list. Everything here was as it should be – devoured while making vows to return for some of the more robust cuts of beef like their rib-eye.
Unexpectedly in a steakhouse, the star of the show was a miso-glazed sea bream fillet on a bed of wild rice, a dish introduced by Cau’s executive chef James Garland for their summer menu.
Cau Steakhouse
1, 224 Ingram Street
Glasgow
G1 3BX
Tel: 0141 2216 272
Email: glasgow@caurestaurants.com
Glasgow G1 1DR, UK