Eighty Eight
Glasgow, Strathclyde
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Epitomising the old maxim that ‘good things come in small packages’, Eighty Eight's open kitchen is little bigger than the interior of a Transit van with diners sitting against the plant-festooned walls in convivial proximity. A good job it's a ‘small plate concept’ then, as the petite tables couldn’t accommodate much more. However, what the place lacks in scale it makes up for in ambition; dishes on the regularly changing menu put the emphasis on plant-based dishes that pack a flavour punch. Sourdough with a moreish goat's cheese custard and runny marmalade provides a confident start, with the overall effect delightfully reminiscent of dippy eggs. Onglet tartare with wild garlic and beef-fat croûtons is richly satisfying, conjuring more childhood memories of Sunday roast drippings on toast. Dishes ramble confidently around the Med: crispy patatas bravas croquettes adorned with aïoli segue easily into a more Lebanese-influenced aubergine accompanied by burnt-onion yoghurt, preserved lemon and pomegranate. Larger dishes such as pea and Parmesan agnoletti prove the chef has a deft touch when making pasta, while a hearty chunk of cod is cooked with exactitude and confidently matched with tapenade and Gordal olive. A well-judged rhubarb and ginger panna cotta braves wafer-thin slivers of tart raw stalk, bringing proceedings to a palate-cleansing close. It would be easy to walk past this unassuming spot, but stop and watch the chefs through the front window and you might just be tempted in.
