Dinner at Browns Glasgow

Located centrally in George Square, Browns has always been the type of place I take my mum when we're in town. It's the kind of place that I always associated with older members of my family, and have never really considered as a place to go with my friends. The restaurant, to me, always had a classic feel, something my mum would like, but wasn't really my kind of scene. I'm the kind of girl who enjoys trying food from around the world, and Browns always just seemed a little 'safe'.  But when I was offered the chance to go and sample the menu of the newly refurbished restaurant, I grabbed a friend and went along for a lovely dinner to catch up.

As I said, the restaurant has recently had an update. Don't worry - the same cosy, intimate vibe is still there. The decor hasn't drastically changed, with the beautiful central bar and piano still being key features. There is still an open plan and relaxed feel, and its just a generally nice place for dinner or drinks. As soon as we walked in, I felt relaxed and happy and ready to eat.

We were seated and given an absolutely huge menu. If anything, there were to many options to choose from. For starters, I went for the torched feta salad, with heritage tomatoes, samphire and basil. The dish was super light and fresh, and the combination of flavours were delicious. It reminded me of a recent holiday to Greece, and wasn't too heavy that I didn't want my main. My friend had the whole baked Somerset Camembert, which came with toasted bread and tomato and rhubarb chutney. This was absolutely delicious, and quite filling. I'd actually say we could have shared this as a starter. We both had a glass of rose wine, which was the perfect accompaniment to the starters.  

I struggled to choose a main, and was going between the Browns Burger, and the courgette, mint and lemon tagliatelle. The tagliatelle was listed under the light mains section of the menu, so I decided to try the burger. I definitely could have done with the lighter option, given that the burger was stacked. I'm talking about beef, bacon, cheese, pickle tomato and lettuce, as well as the fries on the side. I seriously struggled to get through it all, delicious as it was. My friend tried the pan fried seabass, which came in a white wine sauce with squid, prawns and mussels. This was super filling too, but a lot more manageable. The dishes were presented beautifully, and are definitely quality for money given how big they are!

I can't say I've ever been a dessert person, I usually just go for a starter and a main and by then I'm full. But there were salted caramel profiteroles on the menu, and I'm a sucker for anything salted caramel. Luckily it wasn't a hue portion this time, and to my surprise the profiteroles were so light and fluffy it was like eating air. They were gone before I even had time to properly savour them. My friend had a chocolate brownie with a honeycomb ice cream, and from first glance we knew she had made the mistake I had with my main. It was just so rich and filling that we probably could have shared it (although those profiteroles!) 

I loved my meal at Browns, and was so impressed by the service. Our server, Ian, couldn't have been more attentive, checking on us during each course and able to make suggestions from the menu. I'll definitely be back (I need to try that tagliatelle). It's still the kind of place I'd go with my mum, but now Browns might just be a place I'd visit with friends too. I would definitely recommend. Especially if you have a big appetite!

 You can visit the Browns website here. There is also a Mother's Day set menu for £19.95 (bargain) which you can check out here.