As it was mentioned in last week's Sunday post my parents came down to Glasgow for a visit and treated me to a meal at
Strata Bar & Restaurant situated on Queen Street (or my mum got vouchers valid for the day they were planning to come down).
The place was a bar with some tables lined up the side by the window. There was also an upstairs though I didn't venture into that part. It was quite lively and having our meal at 7pm meant that there were already people having their Friday night drinks after the 9-5 hog!

For starters it was veggieness all round despite my parents being firm carnivores. The vegetarian cred of this restaurant wasn't high but the options of starters included my brushetta, my mum's sweetcorn soup (which was the soup of the day) and my dad's halloumi salad. I did have reservation about ordering as there weren't any 'v' symbols on the menu and I had to make my decision as to which looked veggie - and I have to admit I was suspicious that the dressing round my bruchetta possibly contained Worcester sauce, though it could have been something else - been a while since I had Lea and Perrins! (Or I could have asked)

For main course my parents went back to being raging carnivores whilst I sat down with my mushroom risotto (it was either that or a bean burger). This was absolutely delicious; it was absolutely creamy and had so much flavour (let's be honest mushroom risotto's are not the most flavoursome thing ever!). My only compliant was that the portion was really small which was a shame as I could have eaten about 10 more portions.
I was at the toilet whilst the waitress was asking about desserts so my parents flipped the coin and decided we weren't having any. Boo! But I did finish off the meal with one of their fancy cocktails. I honestly cannot remember what was in this but I seem to remember it caught my eye because it mentioned herbs which I thought was weird (and I normally always select the oddest cocktail on the menu, or one that contains rum).
Overall the Strata was nice. I've bitched about the vegetarian friendliness of the place in this post however it really was quite nice. My main reservation (even if I did eat meat) was that I much prefer to get a big portion of okay food rather than a small portion of what was simply amazing. It was amazing but really - I'm a hungry person a lot of the time and need my munchies. My parents thought there's were filling, but they did order a meaty main.
The main highlight was definitely the drinks selections (my dad was spoilt with whiskeys), so whilst I might not fall over myself to return for a meal I imagine this would be a really nice place to go for a drink (or several) with some friends.
Lots of herby cocktail love!
Mmm, mushroom risotto is my favourite thing! I love food so I'd rather have a big portion of okay food as well!
ReplyDeletexx
Mushroom risotto is defo one of my fav things too!
DeleteOhh that's making me so hungry haha :( mushroom risotto is a hit or miss definitely. I tend to get bored of risottos quite quickly so I'd maybe be quite happy with a smaller portion - as long as I got some dessert! xx
ReplyDeleteI actually made myself a mushroom risotto after writing this - and yes they are completely hit or miss.
DeleteOh my goodness, that portion wouldn't feed a sparrow!! Looks delicious though
ReplyDeleteI laughed at the sparrow comment! But you are so right!
Deletethat looks amazing (and they are my size portions!)
ReplyDeleteSee, each to their own. This is why I always try and be constructive in my negative reviews.
DeleteI haven't been in since it changed management but it is a lovely laid out place. Your risotto portion is ridiculous though :/, you must have been starving after that lol.
ReplyDeleteHow much were the cocktails?
xx
I seem to remember the one I had was about £4.50 so yes they were expensive cocktails. So it's a good place for pay day drink rather than 'normal' drinks.
DeleteThe portion does look very small :/ everything looks tasty though, and I don't do veggie! x
ReplyDeleteMy parents said they really enjoyed their meat mains though :) xx
DeleteI always think it is a bit unimaginative when mushroom risotto is the main veggie option on a menu, although is it delicious (I swear I would live on mushrooms if I could) the portions do look disappointingly small though, ok for lunch but tiny for dinner. Looks like a nice atmosphere though xo
ReplyDeleteI feel the same - but a risotto is so delicious when done right! And the atmosphere was a good point - so I do think it would be a nice place for a drink!
DeleteI've lost count of the amount of risotto's I've eaten in restaurants, that being said though yours here looked really nice! Looks super tiny though, I'm all about the bit portions!
ReplyDeleteJennie xo | sailorjennie.com
Same here - risotto definitely is a typical dish for a resturant to throw on the menu to keep veggies 'happy'!
DeleteLooks delicious!
ReplyDeleteYour blog is really lovely! Am now a follower :D
ReplyDeleteWould love a follow back :D
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