On a rather dreich Glasgow Friday, my wanderings took me to West Nile Street. I stopped in at the Marco Polo Brasserie & Grill for a spot of lunch.
Exterior
Their menu is quite a mix, with Italian classics, steaks and burgers from the grill, and brasserie staples. The cross-cultural theme was further explored in my main course, moules frites al Portugaise. This followed a goat’s cheese salad.
The place is stylish and understated, with mood lighting giving it a permanent feel of middle evening.
Goat’s cheese
My starter was soon with me, with a well-toasted round of cheese atop toast, served on salad leaves. The sweetly sticky red onion topping was lovely. My only slight quibble was that calling the dish a salad was a touch misleading, as the salad greenery felt like something of an after-thought. I liked the dish very much, though.
The main course mussels were very good, too. Served with tomato, chilli, chickpea, chorizo, cumin and coriander, the aroma when the lid was lifted on the generous portion was quite wonderful. The mussels were plump, and the broth, once I’d worked my way to it, was packed with flavour. In a day of rare pedantry on my part, the accompanying frites were rather chunky, and much more what I’d call chips. As with every other element of the meal, they were very tasty.
Mussels and chips
So overall, a couple of little nit-picks aside, I really enjoyed my time at Marco Polo. Dishes were smartly prepared, service was attentive and welcoming, and everything was nicely judged. I’d happily go back for another good value lunch, as their eclectic menu offers plenty to explore.
Scores
Blythe scores Marco Polo
4/5 for food
3.5/5 for presentation
4/5 for service
3.5/5 for setting
giving an overall 15/20
I ate: goat’s cheese salad; moules frites al Portugaise
I drank: water
I wore: slippy shoes
Total bill: £8.50
