Tennents (Byres Road)

What: Pub
For: Lunch
With: Friend
Site: Doesn't have one.

This is the pub, not the poor attempt at larger, just in case you were concerned.

I dropped by a few weeks ago with a friend, as a break from study (anyone pointing out that I seemed to have spent more time taking breaks from study than actually studying, will be kindly asked to leave). It's a reasonably obvious choice for a pub lunch if you're chilling out near the uni.

It is, admittedly, an old man's pub. It has a lot of whisky, and a lot of real ale. Unfortunately, a lot of my friends seem to be old men, except that they're not old yet. They'll do their best to fool you anyway. On the other hand, it also has double Havana Club and mix for £3, so I won't whine (too much).

For an old man's pub, though, it's not bad. It's friendly enough, the staff are polite, you don't tend to wait long to get served. It's also nice and light, dark pubs are all very atmospheric, and it makes little difference at night, but if you're after lunch in the middle of summer, you want it light. Studying is depressing enough as it is.

I ordered fish and chips, the old-man-in-the-making got scampi, and we picked up a side of onion rings. The portions are generous, and apparently the scampi is wonderful, but the meals are very basic, even for pub fare. The chips are detectably oven-chips, the fish tasted good, but lacked anything special.

Also, I must urge you not to get the burgers. I've seen so many people ordering and enjoying them, but I just don't understand. I've tried one, and it was completely uninspiring. Now, I know it's just pub food, and that's fine, but it doesn't make it good. Being aware that Ketchup is only two minutes away, I don't know why you'd settle for second best.

In fairness to them though, the steak pie is pretty good, if probably completely identical to every other steak pie available in pubs throughout the West End. The onion rings weren't bad either, and though I've not had one, the deserts do look rather special.

This all sounds very critical, but I actually kind of like this place. It's decidedly inexpensive (I don't think there's a single item on the menu that would make a student balk). It's convenient, friendly, and a pleasant place to simply sit and chat. It's just that the food isn't very interesting.

Maybe they just need to revamp the menus or something. I don't eat pub food in the West End all that often, so I guess I'll try a few more places for comparison, and then judge afresh.

Tennents is a nice pub. I'd go there. I do, often. But I think next time I'm there and someone suggests we get food, I'll try to drag them somewhere else for it. Byres Road has too many exciting places to eat to waste time on mediocre burgers.

Republic Bier Halle (Great Western Road)

What: Bar
For: Lunch
With: Friend
Site: Here

It's not the first time I've visited this place, and I severely doubt it'll be the last. The problem is, they have 2-for-1 pizzas, lunch deals on soups and sandwiches, and an impressive list of beers - most of which I can't pronounce.

I guiltily tottered along for lunch with a friend a few weeks ago, as a nice break from some work. The range of pizzas is original enough for me to want to try them all, but unfortunately I'm predictable enough to stick to a select few from the choice of around ten. Usually my choice involves chicken, chorizo or goat's cheese. However, having tried slices of other peoples, I can tell you with confidence that if they sell any bad pizzas, they've never sold one to me, nor to anyone I know.

The sandwiches are somewhat less inspired. That isn't to say they aren't good, just that they're nothing special. With the vast selection of eateries in Glasgow, and the extreme concentration in the West End alone, if you went to Bier Halle for a sandwich, you would have wasted a lot of opportunities.

That's not to say don't go, only, get a pizza instead if you're hungry. Or perhaps one of the "bar snacks." For once, I must admit I haven't tried a single one, not even the nachos that they will inevitably offer, but I wouldn't be afraid to do so.

Of course, the real star of the show is the beer menu. Boasting over 60 beers from around the world (and I'm told the town centre branches offer even more) it's almost guaranteed that there will be something you've never tried or even heard of. Especially if, like me, you're not really a beer-drinker.

However, should this be the case, I urge you not to be sheepish, and to try something new anyway. Unless you really do hate beer, there's probably a bottle of something that will be to your tastes. They may be somewhat pricey, but here you're paying for the novelty, as well as the privilege of drinking something that isn't Carling.

So far I've tried;
- Quilmes: Argentian, not bad, light and easy for someone who hasn't tried many beers before.
- Framboise Bier: Belgian, and raspberry flavoured, refreshing, but possibly the Belgian answer to the alcopop.
- Crocodile: Swedish, not Australian, and I have no idea how it tasted, I was too amused by the crocodile logo on the bottle to remember anything else.

So my suggestion is that you go. Comfort yourself about the high beer prices by reminding yourself that the pizzas are two-for-one, and relax for and hour or so. It'll be well worth your time.

P.S. My spell-checker thinks that "alcopop" is wrong, and that I probably meant "ogliopoly." Maybe it needs a hyphon or something, but I don't care, I'm too busy laughing at the word "ogliopoly."

Ad Lib (Hope Street)

What: Bar/Restaurant
For: Meal (Dinner)
With: Boyfriend
Site: Here

Last week Nick and I visited Ad Lib for dinner. I'd actually only booked it at the last minute - I'd realised on Friday night that we'd need a table somewhere on Saturday evening. This was simply the first place I found that had tables free at the time I wanted.

My first impression was a little confused. As you enter there is a bar area, clearly separated from the restaurant area itself. At first glance I saw only the bar, but we walked through and found where we were meant to be.

It was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday night, and was immediately obvious that I needn't have booked. However, I am pleased that I did, maybe this Saturday was quiet, but there's no reason to believe that others would be.

Service was quick too, perhaps because there was more staff than necessary for a quiet night. However there was nothing to suggest that they wouldn't be just as attentive when the place was packed. The only time we had trouble getting attention was when we wanted to pay, so I'll not complain.

It happened that there was an offer running where you could get two courses for a set price (excluding rather expensive steaks from the grill, for which you would pay extra). We decided to share a starter, get a main each, and share a dessert.

To start we got the nachos. Standard fare, pretty good portion to say it would normally have been for one. For some reason though, they did seem especially good. Maybe they've just got your basic chili-nachos dish down to perfection, or maybe it's simply that I'd been craving them for a few days, but I reckon they were the second best I've had in the city. One day I'll tell you where to get the best.

For main I chose the catfish and Nick chose the chicken in BBQ sauce. Both were excellent. I don't believe I've tried catfish before, but I would happily recommend it. The bread-crumb coating was rather special too, somewhat sweet, I was tempted to ask what they'd put in it, but couldn't face the possible shame that I'd encounter if they said "sugar." Nick, usually silent in opinions on food unless asked was clearly quite delighted with the chicken. Both were served with salad, Nick's with crushed new potatoes, mine with hundreds upon thousands of fries. You will not go hungry here.

Desert was sticky toffee pudding, apparently flavoured with whisky. I was pleased to see it was raisin-free. Not that I have anything again raisins, just that I prefer my sticky toffee pudding without it. It was good, the standard perhaps not reaching that of the rest of the meal, but certainly above average.

I was glad we'd decided to share starters and deserts, or else the portions would have been too much for me. It would have been a great shame if I had not been able to finish anything. I suspect Nick will ask me to book it again, if only so we can try their "gourmet burgers."

So, in summary, really rather excellent bar style food. Large portions, high quality, satisfying. I will definitely be back, possibly even just for a few drinks, since the bar area seemed to have a good atmosphere. It was a little busier than the restaurant, not so far that you'd be unable to find a table. Nick tends not to drink with food, and generally if I'm out with him I'll abstain too, but on this occasion I noted a Concha y Toro wine I'd had before, and loved, on the list, so I ordered a glass. It was not the only one on the list I'd try, and all were fairly priced. I also saw cocktail menus on the tables in the bar as we left, and as always, I was curious to find out what was on them. Some other time.

You'll get a reasonably priced, large, delicious meal in a pleasant environment. Well worth a visit.