REVIEW : EAT - Mamasan, Glasgow
Confirmation email received, I then sat and considered the weight of my actions. This would be my first restaurant review since lockdown and I’ve just confirmed that I would review a restaurant in Glasgow. I was filled with mixed emotions - so excited to finally be going out, socialising and eating in restaurants again, but also knowing that Covid hasn’t been eradicated and is still a threat to us all.
I weighted up the pros and cons, and I finally settled on the fact that life goes on; we need to return to some form of normality soon and myself and the restaurant will no doubt be vigilant in our efforts to sanitise and do what we can to not help spread this.
On arrival at the restaurant, there is a hand sanitising station and there are a few dotted around amongst the booths and seats too. I noted that there is a member of staff constantly disinfecting surfaces like handrails and anywhere a guest would touch. I felt at ease and settled in to a booth to enjoy dinner.
The interior of Mamasan’s is beautifully designed by Scarinish Studios, who were finalists at the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards this year - so they know what they are doing!
Making the most of the split level, the bar and booth seating’s celing is two levels high creating an immense sense of space and allowing the area to flood with light. Gold, greens, turquoise make up the colour palette. It’s lovely.
The restaurant has only been open since the 15th July so it’s very new. The staff are new, and besides learning a new menu and set up, they are also learning how to deal with Covid and the rules of restaurant serving. It’s all a massive learning curve not only for restaurant/bar staff but for guests too.
Very friendly staff soon take our order for drinks - in this case a mocktail or two please. The Garden Mocktail sounded amazing - Seedlip, lemongrass and ginger. It certainly tasted like a garden, very herbaceous and thirst quenching.
Their bar menu is fairly extensive with some great sounding cocktails, decent choices for rum, whisky, brandy, tequila and wines.
DINNER AT MAMASAN GLASGOW
First up was the Loch Fyne Oysters with sour fruit, chilli and lemon. Nicely presented on a large bowl of crushed ice. These were nicely chilled, well shucked (in other words the foot of the oyster had been cut and turned over). Nice tang from the diced fruit and squeeze of lemon.
Thai Fried Chicken with wasabi sriracha caramel. Quite a large portion for a starter. The heated sauce that smothered the chicken was most definitely finger licking good. The chicken was succulent and the marinade has most certainly penetrated the chicken and not just coated it.
Crab Cakes with pickled bean sprouts and a lime & coriander mayo. Densely packed with crab, these were little mouthfuls of big explosions of flavour. Loved the pickled bean sprouts and dunked in the mayo, these are delightful.
Charred Sweetcorn Patties with young coconut, tamarind and chilli salt. Perfectly light like a spice cloud, but packed full of flavours. Some heat, some sweetness and then the wee pops of the warm sweetcorn - mmmm.
Wok Steamed Mussels with lemongrass, coconut and chilli fries. We all let out an ‘ahhhh’ when these arrived at the table. The fragrant aroma of lemongrass and coconut filled the air. A large portion of beautiful gems of the sea, mostly open revealing large plump salty bites. The sauce was light and ideal for scooping up. I’d have preferred this to be served with bread rather than fries, just so you can soak up that broth.
Rib Eye of Beef with miso smoked butter and dirty thai fries. Unfortunately, this dish disappointed. The ribeye steak hadn’t been flattened on the grill, so much of the steak was tucked under itself not giving it an even cook; and the fries were undercooked. However, the flavours were there. The miso smoked butter smothered over the ribeye was fantastic adding a real depth of umami there, and the dirty fries had the potential to be absolutely filthy!
BBQ Grilled Breast of Penang Chicken with peanut sauce, pak choi and spiced nuts. Another trip to flavour town! They’ve got the spices and the flavours spot in, so well balanced and downright tasty. The chicken was faultless, I just wanted there to be more. I’m not a fan of pak choi, so left this and next time I’ll be sure to order rice as a side.
Lime Leaf and Pandan Creme Brulee with coconut and sesame seed shortbread. Presentation 10/10, taste 9/10. There was a little bit of liquid at the bottom of this creme brulee, which is really just me being picky. The texture was smooth and creamy, and the overall taste subtle yet tasty.
Mango and Papaya Parfait with tamarind butterscotch, puffed black rice and oat granola. Again, the flavours are superb in all these dishes, but the execution perhaps needs a little tweaking. The textures are great in this dish, flipping between the smooth icy creaminess of the parfait, to the crunch of the black rice and granola.
Thai Spiced Chocolate Cremaux with roasted pineapple and passionfruit compote, crystalised peanuts and burnt orange. Not the best looking dish on the block, in fact it was a little messy and not that enticing, but nailed it with the flavours again. The spices in the chocolate cremaux where there and caught you on the backnote, and the soft squigginess of the burnt orange slices against the crunch from the peanuts was nice. This dish requires a little refinement, but otherwise another lovely dish.
Mamasan are young but eager to learn and quick to adapt and adjust. I love their enthusiasm and although the food needs some slight tweaks, I think it’s all pretty delicious and I would definitely go back. Their flavour and texture combinations are possibly some of the best I’ve had and that is the one thing that shone through on every dish - no one dish pony here!
Mamasan, 222 Ingram Street, Glasgow, G1 3BX. Tel : 0141 7391550 www.mamasan.uk
My Spoon Award : Silver 8/10
I was invited by Mamasan to review their menu. Food and drink were complimentary but the views are very much my own.