Eating Out: Rogano

Mar 8 2012 By Ben Spencer

11 Exchange Place, G1 3AN, Tel: 248 4055, Web: www.roganoglasgow.com

EVERYONE knows that Rogano is one of the oldest and most stylish restaurants in the city - but did you know it's also home to one of the biggest bargains?

When visiting this 1930s-style eaterie, I was surprised to find they are offering a menu of two courses for £10 or three for £15 during set lunch and dinner periods.

And with the food and service of the standard you'd expect from Rogano, this could be the bargain of the year.

Visiting with a pal on a Friday, we decided to enjoy a refreshing gin and tonic (£4.60) as we browsed the menu.

I was drawn to the light but tasty baby mozzarella, sunblushed tomato, black olive & basil salad.

It was a perfectly sized portion and a fresh way to begin the meal.

My pal's goat's cheese & red onion marmalade tart also won a contented mumble of approval.

A good selection of mains were available on the set menu but both of us couldn't see past the Rogano game pie served with creamed potatoes and baby carrots.

The vegetables were al dente and bursting with flavour, while the pie had an interesting blend of meats.

A side order of home-cut chips (£3.50), recommended by our waiter, were also excellent.

The earthy dish sat well with a bottle of house Merlot (£20).

For dessert, I enjoyed an iced rhubarb crumble parfait with Chantilly cream - effectively a deconstructed and chilly version of an old-fashioned crumble.

It cleansed the palate after the heavier game pie, but I was jealous of my friend's warm ginger and lemon sponge with vanilla ice cream. This was yet another excellent course and neither of could find fault with it.

We were both also impressed by the service, which was attentive but not overbearing.

After our dessert, we had to try the coffee and petit fours (£3.25) and the homemade chocolates were suitably naughty.

The coffee rounded off an excellent meal at a price that makes it possibly the biggest dining bargain in the city.