The next place on my list I was eager to visit was newly-renovated Bar Soba on Byres Road.
Founder and chief executive Brad Stevens launched Bar Soba as a pop-up restaurant at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1997.
Stevens opened his first Bar Soba restaurant in Mitchell Lane in Glasgow.
From that he has expanded to locations such as Byres Road, Merchant City and premises in Edinburgh and Leeds.
I was curious to see what favourite dishes they had kept and what new plates had been added to the menu.
Aesthetically, the new space was eye-catching and popping with reds, turquoise and ambient lighting.
I sat on a table inside next to a big open window door as it was a wonderfully warm sunny evening.
PERFECT EXCUSE
To kick off, it seemed a perfect excuse (seeing as the sun was out) to indulge in a fruity cocktail - an apple ginger mojito, served all day Sunday to Wednesday for only £3 … BARGAIN.
In my opinion, their new menu has something for everyone. I could have easily ordered one of everything (I wasn’t that far off doing so).
I decided to be rational and sample a few different ‘small plates’ to get a taste for the diverse menu.
I opted for tiger prawn tempura, accompanied by lightly battered green beans. The crispy texture with the natural crunch from the green beans works really well, a delicious combo.
On to the stir fried green vegetables, fresh hot off the woke and sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds.
It was a dish bursting with that great Chinese teriyaki flavour we all know and love.
Next up I fancied some Gyoza dumplings, which come either boiled or fried (I agreed with the waiter that fried were way better).
They were crispy and packed with chicken and spring onions, accompanied with a great Szechuan sauce; garlicy, sweet and spicy.
Then we have the Salt + pepper squid, my sister’s all-time favourite, served with a chilli and lime mayo. Vibrantly orange chilli basil noodles were a great addition.
If you can handle a little heat like me then you’ll love these spicy noodles, the basil balances out the intensity of the chilli.
'PRETTY INCREDIBLE'
Of course, to top it all off, fries is a must.
I have to say these Thai fries were pretty incredible. Never have I had fries with peanut sauce before - that being said, surprisingly, it’s a perfect match.
Prices:
Tiger prawn tempura £5.50
Asian greens £3.00
Chicken fried gyoza dumplings £5.00
Salt + Pepper squid £5.50
Chilli basil noodles £3.00
Thai fries (peanut sauce) £3.00
My Own Take on ‘Asian Greens’
Out of all the dishes, I immediately wanted to try and recreate the Stir-fried vegetables; something quite simple yet I loved how much they were bursting with flavour. I was interested to see if I could achieve my own ‘Asian greens’.
* I picked up some courgettes, green beans, broccoli and pak-choi and partially cooked them in boiling water for about 3-4 minutes, to allow the vegetables to retain the perfect ‘al dente’ crunch.
* I let them drain as I made a start on my sauce.
* I used a glug of soy sauce, a little sugar, 2cm piece of grated ginger, a clove of ginger and whisked it all together, seasoning it to taste.
* I stir-fried my greens in the sauce for about 5 minutes until the vegetables started to wilt and soften slightly.
* Then I added in a little squeeze of honey to add some caramelisation to the soy sauce.
* I dusted it all off with some finely chopped fresh red chillies (to add extra zing) and sprinkled some sesame seeds over.
* The greens have such a powerful kick and are a great way to get all your iron, nutrients, protein, vitamin C, etc.
* The wonderfully-wok fried vegetables are so flavoursome, for ingredients that sometimes can lack imagination.
I pleasantly enjoyed the new and improved Bar Soba and left totally inspired to try out some of their cooking styles.
It totally met my cravings and I don’t think anyone can be left disappointed by the choice of food.
Bar Soba - Glasgow West
116-112 Byres Road, Glasgow
G12 8TB
0141 3575482
