Take a step back tothe 1930s

The weekend found me in Glasgow for the matinee show of '˜Strictly Live! '“ four flights up at the Hydro in the company of 13,000 others.'¨Smashing show, and one which allowed us to have a saunter into the city.
The RoganoThe Rogano
The Rogano

My knowledge of Glasgow landmarks goes no further than football grounds, concert venues ... and the Rogano.

The latter is thanks to an old colleague who considered it her second home during her days in the newspaper industry through there – so it was a great place to catch up for what became some very enjoyable, long, liquid lunches.

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The city centre is stacked with places to eat, but it’s nice to look beyond the chains and the fast food joints, and literally step back in time.

The Rogano belongs to the world of ocean liners, and the days when men wore trilby hats.

It has class and style, and retains much of the charm from its 1930s launch.

The booths which line one wall are always in great demand, while there’s a restauarant at the back and downstairs too – and that’s where we found ourselves late Saturday night.

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No booking, but we were squeezed in, although when the maitre’d asked ‘‘where do you normally dine?’’ I think he meant which part of the building – which may explain the arched eyebrow when I said we’d been at McDonald’s for lunch. I don’t get out much.

The menus at the Rogano change across the day – everything from sandwiches and light snacks to a full meal.

Seafood features heavily, and includes a platter of mussels, langoustines, oysters, prawns, pickled herring, smoked salmon, smoked mackerel and dressed crab.

The starter menu was hugely tempting – but the late hour meant we decided against indulging too much.

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Scallops, salmon roulade, and wood pigeon were just three of the dishes on offer along with the soup of the day. I may have to go back!

When it came to our main dish, again it was a tough call.

I like my fish battered, so the cod and chips was the obvious choice.

Fillet of beef, venison, and tempting ribeye surf and turf were discarded before I opted for what was basically cod and chips.

It was a good call!

It comes with a dish of mushy peas, plus a dip, while the chunky chips were stacked like a mini Jenga tower.

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It was delicious. The cod was fantastic – crispy coating and piping hot!

My other half opted for the mussels – a bowl filled to the brim, and hugely tasty too. Stuffed, we decided against a dessert, although it was a close run thing!

We retired upstairs to the main bar where a cocktail (or two) rounded off a most relaxed evening in a famous Glasgow landmark.

Next time you are through west, treat yourself to a wee visit.

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