Eating Out: Bobar

Sep 1 2011 Emma Smith

Address: 383 Byres Road, Tel: 339 8811, Web: www.hilton.co.uk

Bobar, which is part of the Hilton Glasgow Grosvenor hotel, is in the cosmopolitan west end.

The trendy venue is the perfect pit stop for lunchtime cocktails after a spot of shopping in Byres Road or a great place to go at the weekend before heading on to a club.

We arrived on a typical wet night in August and were impressed by the bar's stylish interior.

It was also clearly still in the summer vibe - despite the dreary night - as they had the patio doors open and tables outside to tempt potential new customers.

I found myself wishing the sun would come out so we could sit outside on the decking and try one of the delicious cocktails that Bobar has to offer.

But instead we opted for a cosy booth inside the bar which was a great alternative as the extremely friendly staff instantly made us feel at home.

It would be sacrilege not to try a cocktail in a bar that specialises in their own house potions so we decided to ask the barman for a recommendation.

I opted for the Sloe Berry Beret, which is made with apple brandy, sloe gin, lemon vanilla and egg white (£6.00) It was absolutely delicious - and has now stolen the crown from my regular favourite mojito.

My friend was equally delighted with her Grounds For Divorce cocktail which included Absolut vanilla, strawberry, blackberry and balsamic glaze (£6.50).

We were impressed to learn that the staff make all their own syrups for their unique cocktails.

For dinner, we decided to go for the vegetarian platter which came with feta-stuffed piquillo peppers, hand-cut potato skins, buffalo mozzarella with tomato and chunky tomato hummus with flatbreads (£12).

The platter was really tasty - the stuffed piquillo peppers were full of flavour and the potato skins were quickly devoured.

The only quibble we had was about the hummus. We felt it would be more rustic and spreadable without the chunks of tomato.

Dessert was a simple choice of five fantastic homemade ice creams, in keeping with the theme that this bar has something a bit special to offer their customers.

I decided to try the honeycomb special while my friend had the Madagascan vanilla (£4.00).

The ice cream was sweet and refreshing and the chocolate stick was an extra bonus.

We finished off our Bobar experience with an Irish coffee - the perfect end to a delightful evening in what could be the sleekest bar in the west end. I know we'll be back for more.

Emma Smith