RestaurantsBrelReview

The small town where we live has very little in the way of decent eateries, so when we get the chance, my husband and I like to spend a weekend in Glasgow, look round the shops (a bit of a novelty for us) and have a nice meal out. One place we go back to again and again is Bar Brel, in Ashton Lane.

Location


The west end of Glasgow has an atmosphere all its own. It is a favourite haunt of the city's students and BBC types (BBC Scotland HQ is just up the road), yet it's not a student-only area. It has a very cosmopolitan feel, and a great buzz, especially for us country folks. Ashton Lane is a narrow street off Byres Road, a street known to any Glaswegian worth his salt. It is a busy, bustling thoroughfare, with lots of great little shops and pubs. If you don't know Aston Lane though, you might walk right past it and not notice. When you turn into the lane, the first thing you notice is the cobbled stone paving. Then you start to see all the quaint bars and restaurant and the old- fashioned Grosvenor cinema. And here is Bar Brel.


Appearance


This lovely brick building used to be a stable and coach house. The conversion is very sensitive and doesn't make the place look too new. Downstairs is the bar and restaurant, all pretty basic with white tiles of the kind you used to see in the metro in Paris (or unkind people might say in the style of public conveniences). The restaurant part is a little crowded with small tables covered in brown parcel paper rather close together. It can be a struggle fitting everything on at times. Behind the bar is a conservatory where there are live music gigs on a regular basis and this opens to a beer garden at the back, with a couple of wonderful trees. When the weather is nice (and yes, that does happen in Scotland), they will sometimes put tables outside in the lane. Upstairs is another restaurant room which looks rather more sophisticated but we have never eaten there (we are probably too unrefined for that section!). There are posters of Jacques Brel here and there (more about him later). I am sorry if my description brings a shabby image to mind, as this is due entirely to my limitations and not to the venue itself. I think of the place more as having a rustic feel and the clientele is certainly trendy (although they do allow old crusties like us in).

The name


Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer-songwriter who was at the top of his game in the 60s and 70s and in French-speaking countries enjoys a reputation as one of the best song writers of all times. English translations of his songs have been sung by a variety of artist, Bowie, Neil Diamond, Sinatra to name but a few. Occasionally in Bar Brel you will hear some of his songs being played. The French of course tend to consider he was French, as they do for any major artist who chooses to live in France (Picasso, Da Vinci, etc). But Bar Brel has a very Belgian feel to it, in particular the beer and food on offer.


Beers


Many Belgian beers are available here, both as draught beers such as Hoegaarden, or Leffe (both 'brune' and 'blonde') or bottled like Chimay (in its blue, white and red embodiments), Hoegaarden Grand cru (a hefty 8.5% ABV), Timmerman Gueuze Lambic and a number of fruit beers. Other non-Belgian varieties are also available in draught and bottle. If you like good beer and want to find out more check out their website.

Food


The menu here is absolutely brilliant, comprising mostly of unpretentious but well-executed Belgian dishes. The evening menu has a long list of mussel dishes which you can have as a starter with garlic bread or as a main course with chips. Those are lovely, although I recommend the mussel pots as opposed to the mussel platters (where the mussels are open faced and finished off in the grill). When I tried the latter I found it very dry and I felt you didn't get very much at all. This is the only time I was disappointed by the food here. The mussel pots though are huge and cooked to perfection. My personal favourite is the classic garlic and white wine variety.

The rest of the menu has some really nice casserole-type dishes, merguez (spicy north-African sausages), fish, etc. Every single dish my husband and I have had here has been really nice. Vegetarians are also catered for, although I don't think you will find anything suitable if you are vegan.

You can also add side dishes to your main course and the red cabbage is rather good. They used to do braised endives but these are no longer on the menu which is a pity as they were fabulous.

The trouble with the food here is the rather generous portions. You might think it is a good thing, but for me it means having to choose between a starter and a desert. I always take the starter as I think I will manage desert too, but I never do. It kills me to be missing out on such delights as Belgian chocolate mousse with berries or vanilla beans crème brulée with Grand Marnier Starters are between £2.95 and £4.75 and main courses between £6.95 and £12.95.


The lunch menu comprises many of the same dishes, including the fabled mussels, but I cannot comment on portions as I have not yet eaten there at lunch time. They also serve lighter dishes like sandwiches and salad. The soup of the day with sandwich will cost you £5.95,

Wines


The wine list is fairly long, with wines from £13.50 to £22.50. I have to say that on the whole it is a little uninspiring, with a majority of New-World wines which don't really complement the menu very well. But perhaps I have been unlucky in my choices. I think the Chablis they offer would probably go really well with the mussels, but having had (more than once) white wine that was not sufficiently chilled here, I am reluctant to fork out £21. Having said that, the food is very reasonably priced and therefore we cold probably afford to splash out a little more on wine.

The dining experience


Dinner is served at a continental pace, meaning you have a little time between dishes and you don't feel you have to hurry and vacate the table. The service is attentive and informal at the same time, and everything feels fairly relaxed and laid back. As mentioned earlier, the tables are quite small and if you are having the mussels for instance, where you need to dispose of the shells, it can feel like a bit of a balancing act. The tables are also quite close together, and if you happen to be seating where waiters and customers have to go past you, it is a less than ideal situation. However, I feel it is preferable to changing the layout of the place thereby removing some of its character.


Special events


Every Saturday afternoon you can enjoy free live Jazz. What could be better than sitting in the conservatory with a nice glass of beer with the Saturday papers enjoying a bit of live music? I only wish I got to do that more often. They also have acoustic gigs every Wednesday and the occasional poetry reading.

Every day from 5 to 7 pm, they have a 'food happy hour', when the mussels, merguez and chips, gourmet sausages, salmon fish cakes and vegetarian crèpes can be had at the reduced price of £5.95. A bit early for me, but ideal if you were going on to the theatre or comedy club afterwards. Or perhaps if you wanted to soak up some of the alcohol after an afternoon of Jazz and beer.

My opinion


I pointed out a couple of niggles with Bar Brel earlier, such as the size of the tables or the wine not being cold enough, but all in all, we love going there. This is for three main reasons, the quality of the food, the choice of beer and the ambience of the place. When we are presented with the bill we are always surprised by how little it all comes to. And although we always like to try new places, we will keep coming back to this place as long as they keep getting those right, as they have for the past ten years.