The Hyndland Fox (Glasgow): Review

Nestled away in the heart of Hyndland in Glasgow's West End, lies a restaurant so witty and smart, so cute and crafty that even those who are in a hurry, would pop in to see what all the fuss is about.

A known haven for foodies, The Hyndland Fox, situated at 43 Clarence Drive, has a reputation for being one of the best places to grab breakfast or brunch in Glasgow. Not one to usually meander the streets looking for somewhere to eat breakfast, I stumbed upon The Hyndland Fox a few months ago and literally can't seem to stay away from the place.

My relationship with The Hyndland Fox has been a curiously fun wee thing, I first stepped foot in The Fox when I came to Glasgow for a job interview. Looking for somewhere which served up a hearty breakfast, it seemed to be the place to be. Fast forward a few lunchtime pit stops, and a number of light in-between flat viewing small dishes, it wasn't surprising I soon enough began to get to know a few members of staff. I love getting to meet new people and trying out new places, and when you find a place which serves up food as good as The Fox does, who can blame me for taking all of my friends there for brunch every time they come to visit. Only a ten minute walk away from my flat you can imagine how much of a struggle it's been to stay away.

Arriving for dinner one Sunday evening, I took residence in the kings seat (so I've decided to call it) watching the restaurant fill with people who were all coming to indulge in the delicious dishes.

With The Hyndland Fox recenly updating their food and drink menu's, the eatery has a number of Scottish dishes on the menu, something I was very happy to see. To start the meal off with a bang, I decided to order the mussles of the day (£6.25) which was to be served with two slices of warm sourdough bread. Not a massive fan of mussles, I was really eager to see how I would get on tackling this dish. I love seafood, however, there's something about mussles I have never seemed to enjoy . It wasn't until I lifted the cloche that the smell of the garlic hit the back of my nose, I knew we were on to a winner. The mussles were cooked beautifully, and drowned in a mariner sauce which was perfect for dipping my bread into. I love garlic so the fact it was infused in it was divine. The garnish on top was questioned, but I still managed to manoeuvre around it to get to the goods. Without a doubt this dish could easily be a lighter main meal option as there were so many mussels which was great! I would absolutely, definitely, 100% order these again.

My guest for the evening opted for the Harissa chicken skewers (£5.95), a dish which had also been teasing me as a starter. Chicken and chorizo with a zingy minted yoghurt dipping sauce on the side, the dish was full of different flavours and very light for a starter which suited perfectly. Both dishes were devoured very quickly, and I even managed to get a wee taster of the skewers in exchange for a slice of bread and some mussels. And who said chivalry was dead!?

Powering on to the main event, unexpectedly, I decided on trying out something I wouldn't usually order at a restaurant, shepherd's pie. Alas, his was not any old shepherd's pie, this was a duck and sherry shepherd's pie (£12.95). With confit duck and puy lentils cooked and topped with a crispy layer of mash potato with a hearty serving of kale on the side which was topped with smoked bacon pieces, there were a lot of flavours to consider when sampling his dish. The duck and lentil jus which had formed within the pie was heavenly. The duck itself was cooked just right, and the mashed potato top was lovely and crispy, exactly how I like it. Usually a fish and chips kind of lass, I surprised myself when I ordered this dish. Needless to say I did order a side of fries, although I must confess it was purely only for research purposes, although I did eat quite a few, and when I say quite a few I really mean almost all of them.

Whilst staying in Glasgow I've noticed a recent new trend of cooking in truffle oil fore-fronting the foodie scene. Intrigued by how good they sounded, it was only right to order a side portion of the truffle and rosemary chips (£2.95)just  to see what all the fuss was about obviously. By god if there is one thing you must do in this life, it's to try out truffle chips - there are no words.

Expectedly, my guest decided on a rare steak, very typical of him. A lover of steak I was interested to see how well The Fox would pull this one off. I'm very picky when it comes to steak, and so is my other half (for those of you sitting in anticipation, the mystery guest is my boyfriend). I'm not a fan of rare steaks, I usually order mine medium-rare, and as much as he had ordered it rare, I believe this steak was more medium than rare. Nevertheless, it tasted ruddy good and was accompanied by a very interesting, and usually paired sauce, chimichurri. This chimichuri was a little on the warm side for me, but a lover of all things spicy and accustomed to a good hot sauce, he had no issues with the spicier version. The 8oz Ayrshire 21 day dry aged ribeye steak (£19.95) was served with chimichurri, slow roast tomato, flat cup mushrooms and chunky chips. Hats off to the chef as it was affa fine.

I'm not going to lie, dessert was a serious struggle. Not only did I have very limited space left, if any, for a pudding, but there was also so many darn things I wanted to sample on the dessert menu. With a lot of toing nd frowing, one salted caramel and hazelnut chocolate tart (£5.45) with tablet ice cream, and one fresh Scottish wild berry eton mess (£5.45) were ordered. Not only did the tart itself melt in my mouth almost putting me into a chocolate coma, but the tablet ice cream ft tablet pieces throughout it almost sent me over the edge. The eton mess also tasted delicious, as messy as it looked,  but that's the point of an eton mess, right?

After what seemed like the best Sunday dinner I'd had in months was finally polished off, and a final cup of coffee ordered it was time to sit back, relax and take in the energetic, yet calm atmosphere The Fox beholds.

The perfect getaway for a morning catch up coffee with friends, a romantic meal with your loved one, Sunday brunch with the extended family or even an after work tipple, The Hyndland Fox has something for everyone on it's menu's.

Without a doubt I would return  to The Fox in a heartbeat, not just because of the vast food and drinks menu the eatery boasts, but because of the friendly, homely atmosphere it possesses too. Come to think of it, my friends are coming to visit soon so it looks like brunch at The Fox will be on the cards much sooner than I thought.

So catch The Fox if you can, because one you visit, you'll be dying yo return...

  For Now...

Just Julia

*I was invited along to the restaurant to review my experience. I was gifted this meal, however the review is a true and honest reflection of my experience.