Thai Siam

Reeling from the effects of an expensive holiday to the US, but hoping for a savory and delicious lunch, Mr A and I made our way to Thai Siam on a recent overcast Saturday. Remembering our prior unsuccessful attempts to lunch there on a weekend, we timed our visit between their lunch hours of 12-2:30 and were rewarded for our planning. Thai Siam offers an incredibly budget friendly lunch menu: £7.90 for two courses and £8.90 for three courses. (Their full menu is also available.)

We were greeted by the lovely, friendly waitstaff and seated with a complimentary basket of prawn crackers which we happily munched while perusing the menu. Some set lunch menus offer a limited choice, or the selections offered pale in comparison to their regular menu but Thai Siam's lunch menu dazzles with choice. The only discernible difference I was able to find were smaller main course sizes, but this was actually a welcome change for me; I was able to eat every luscious drop of my main course after scarfing down my starter.

We chose the Som Tum Thai and Tord Mun Plah to start. The Som Tum Thai was the standout of the two- a crispy and fragrant salad made from thinly sliced vegetables- cabbage, carrot and green beans were detected- all mixed up like a slaw and served in a fantastic sauce of diced chilies, fish sauce, lime juice, minced peanuts. It was spicy, crunchy and a seemingly healthy choice so I was delighted. Mr A's Tord Mun Plah- or cod fishcakes had a delicious lemongrass and ginger flavouring but I wasn't thrilled with the spongy texture of the fishcake.

Pad Kee Moh Gai (stir fried spicy noodles, veg and chicken) and Pad Ga-Prao Tao-Hoo (spicy red curry- I opted for pork but chicken or beef can also be added as protein) were our main courses. The spicy red curry was the phenominal- the curry sauce was redolent with spices and tempered with naughty coconut milk- I scooped every last drop out of the dish over my jasmine rice. The spicy noodles were also delicious but may have made more of an impression if the noodles were left long instead of chopped into bite sized portions. Mr A was at first wondering where the noodles were! Both dishes had ample fresh veggies and meat in them.

Feeling pleasantly full but not stuffed, we declined dessert and happily paid our bill which came to just under £20 with our large bottle of sparkling water. The calibre of food and service was easily worth more. We will be back for lunch again!

Thai Siam
1191 Argyle Street
Glasgow G3 8TQ

Osteria Piero

Special pasta with pesto, green beans and diced potato

Walking down West Regent Street, we spotted a line up of blackboards propped against the wall of a ground level restaurant. One read in bold letters, 2010 Scottish Restaurant

Awards winner: Best Italian Restaurant. Popping in for an impulsive lunch Mr A and I received a warm welcome by the Italian staff, even with no booking. My coat was whisked away and once seated an amuse bouche of toasted bread with a garlicky tomato dipping sauce and a small dish of olives appeared. The specials were charmingly handwritten and the combination of Italian and cursive made it a challenge to decipher!

We chose a bottle of Inozlia Sicilia (£16) – if you have deeper pockets there was a wide variety of impressive sounding wines to try with prices to match. This white wine was excellent- crisp and refreshing, perfectly balanced- just the thing for a Saturday afternoon lunchtime tipple.

Our server skillfully added on a bottle of sparkling water and enticed us to order a starter, by the simple technique of reviewing the special starters until we agreed on the Bresola. Foccacia was also suggested and ordered along with our mains and our menus were taken away with me admiring our server’s selling skills.

Osteria Piero looks to excel as a salumeria as well as a café/restaurant- there was a mouth watering array of platters of cured meats, cheeses and vegetables which are demanding a return. If the Bresola was any indication I am eagerly awaiting that trip! The cured topside of beef was arranged in overlapping circles on the plate, topped with roccola (rocket) and shaved aged parmesan, drizzled all over with EVOO and aged balsamic. It paired beautifully with the crisp foccacia, which was brushed with EVOO and scattered with snipped rosemary and sea salt.

For mains we both sampled pasta dishes. Mr A had a pasta special in a pesto sauce with green beans and diced potato. This was outstanding, the pasta enrobed by the spring like pesto, the potatoes meltingly tender and the green beans fresh and crisp. I ordered the spagettini con pomodorini- tiny spaghetti tossed in a sauce of EVOO, garlic, and cherry tomatoes, with the tiniest hint of chili (a touch more would have pleased my palate, but then again I am heavy handed with spice!) The sauce was delicate, simple, and good. Of the two, the special was the winner, and that plate was cleared within minutes.

Too full to do more than look longingly at the dessert menu, we asked for the bill. The total bill was 50, not unreasonable for two starters, two mains and wine. We walked out with happy bellies and taste buds, and look forward to a return visit to sample more Italian delights.

Osteria Piero
111 West Regent Street
Glasgow
G2 2RU