Makar Gin at Baby Grand
My friend was already seated when I arrived at the Baby Grand on a grey and rainy evening for the Makar Gin Dinner. We'd been asked to arrive at 7, so had a fair bit of time to chat and enjoy some of the live piano music before dinner kicked off around 7.45.
Amuse bouche of crisp Prosciutto was served with a Makar Gin & Fever Tree tonic garnished with the recommended pepper along with a shot of Makar Gin on the side to taste neat. The pea mousse was light and lemon vinaigrette had just the right amount of acidity to cut through the richness.
Starter of Makar cured salmon was served with a lemon juice, dill, cucumber water and Makar cocktail. We were both skeptical of the cucumber water, but were pleasantly surprised and the tartness of the lemon was a great pairing with the salmon.
Main was a braised lamb shoulder & lamb cutlet served with a Makar Red Snapper (a Bloody Mary made with gin rather than vodka) with a hint of rosemary which paired well with the rosemary jus on the lamb dish. The lamb was well cooked and the dish well seasoned.
A blueberry and Makar sorbet followed, which was rather heavy on the gin and somewhere along the line had developed a slight gritty texture which defeated its palette cleansing ability.
The coconut Panna cotta sounded promising and was a shame it wasn't set as the flavours were fantastic and nicely complimented by the ginger tuille & plum puree which also featured in the drink pairing along with rosemary and Makar.
Service
Was very casual but good throughout.
Decor
Fairly minimal, slightly tired. Cosy but comfortable.
Overall
We had a good night and enjoyed most of our meal and thought the drink pairings were well done. We felt the price point was fantastic although we were guests of the Baby Grand on this occasion.
Location: Baby Grand, 3-7 Elmbank Gardens, Glasgow
Baby Grand Bar & Grill
