Brel (Ashton Lane)

What: Bar/Restaurant
For: Dinner
With: Friend
Site: Here

I must have wandered past Brel a hundred times, and I've probably thought "I should try that place some time" at least 20 of those times. As usual, I'm drawn by the cheap lunch offers I've seen them advertising, on this occasion though, I actually went for dinner.

We'd decided that we wanted to eat out, but not dress up, so the West End seemed like a good plan, and Ashton Lane was probably the best choice, since we're students, and as such looked student-y. In Ashton Lane, this means you look like you belong there.

My student-y tendencies meant that I was uninterested in the concept of parting with more of my cash than I had to. We had not at this point decided where to go, and it was getting a little late, so I looked on 5pm.co.uk for places in the West End that had offers. Brel had a set "5pm Special Menu." It was inexpensive, and they still had tables available, so we went for it.

We were seated at a small table in the corner, but felt in no way that we had been pushed to one side. The staff were friendly and attentive, and the clientele were clearly enjoying themselves. This is another place with an extensive beer list, we were handed the 5pm menu and a beer menu (note no wine, the website tells me they do serve wine, but I couldn't find it. Soft drinks and the odd cider were available, though).

Since the offer was for a two courses for a set price, we agreed to share a starter and a desert, and get a main each. It's a system that works well for me. After ordering our interesting beers (I think mine was called Barbar or something, it was good; sweet and orange-y) we ordered some mussels to start.

I like mussels, though they might be something of an acquired taste, and I have to say, if you'd like to acquire it, there are worse places than Brel to try. It turns out that they're quite proud of them, and rightly so. Ours were served in a garlic and white wine sauce, and were very moreish. I would happily have ordered the main-size portion on another occasion.

For main I chose the pork loin, and Euan chose the sausages. To me his dish looked like glorified bangers and mash, which he confirmed that it was, but that didn't seem to put him off. I suspect that it was in fact one of the lesser options on the menu. The pork loin was delightful though, tender enough that I almost felt sorry for it. I don't order pork often, but I can't criticise it here at all.

Finally we shared the Belgian waffle, and I finally realised that it was a Belgian restaurant. The beers had not been enough of a clue for me, it seems. The portion sizes had been huge, and we were both, technically, quite full. However, as you know, desert goes in a different space in the human stomach (basic anatomy) so we struggled on.

Euan felt it was the best dish, I am forced to disagree - it was good, and in fact ideal to follow what I'd already eaten, but I'm not much of a sweet tooth, and I felt it paled a little when compared to both the pork and the mussels. I don't regret ordering it, but it wasn't quite that spectacular.

I've heard bad things about their lunch options, which is a shame, because I've now looked at the menus on the website, and have found that it's actually a little pricey there. I know that I didn't pay anywhere near that much, and while it was excellent, unless it was a special occasion my student budget would make a revisit prohibitive.

My suggestion if you'd like to go would be to look on 5pm.co.uk, like I did, and try to find an offer. Do go though, because the usually high prices of the food are high for a good reason, there's no question that the quality of the food is quite excellent.

Oh, and if you were there for the rum tasting night that they were doing the evening I left Glasgow (18th August) tell me all about it, and I'll do my best not to murder you out of jealousy. I hope they do another.

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."