26A Renfield Street
Glasgow
G2 1LU
V: 13th May 2017 T: 0141 221 9251 W: www.charcoals.co.uk
Child Friendly: Yes (well behaved kids) Accepts: Cash & Card
My last visit to Charcoals must have been around a year to a year and a half. I used to come here loads, then I stopped going but only because I started to think about being a food blogger and started preparing ideas for a blog.
Every time I went in the past the service was great, the food was great and the staff were always very very friendly.
I was recently approached by Charcoals to come and have a meal, so I checked my calendar and made a booking.
On entering I was greeted with a familiar face, one of the staff from my last visit was still here so it was nice to see him and also have a quick catch up (didn’t want to talk too long as I didn’t want to hold him back from his work).
After having a seat and taking in the atmosphere, the manager came over and we had a catch up and also talked about some charity work he has been doing in India. I will be doing a little post on his charity work soon, so please do keep watching as its very touching and also a good cause.
Looking about you can see a wall of all the awards this restaurant has won over the years, its amazing to see this amount.
My aim today was to catch up with the manager, and come back for some good food. I had in my mind that I would have 1 starter and 1 main……that didn’t really go to plan as you will see.
You will notice that I haven’t included any prices in this post, as the manager was very very very kind to give me my meal for free. I like freebies as much as everyone else, but its not something I aim for. When you see the amount of food I got today I had to leave a good tip, which I did.
I will start with the items I ordered, then move on to the ones the manager brought out for me to try.
All the thoughts and comments on the food below, are not in anyway swayed by this so what you read is my true review.
Starter :
Before my starter some poppadoms and dips were served.
This for me is a perfect starter or little snack before the meal.
The poppadoms were really nice and had a great flavour.
Chana Chaat
Sweet ‘n’ sour chick peas with chaat masala
I had this the very last time I visited, so I wanted to do the same and see how it is.
Presentation was very nice as you can see from the photo, and I couldn’t wait to dig in to this.
This has been improved from my last visit, and I really enjoyed it. The flavours all complimented one another, and it wasn’t too spicy for me so loved it.
Portion Size : 5
Flavour : 5
Presentation : 4.5
OK so this is where things got interesting….
Battered Chicken (Not on menu)
Basically its tender chicken done in breadcrumbs, and was a really nice dish. The sauce worked perfect with the chicken, and very filling.
Remember this dish isn’t on the menu.
Portion Size : 5
Flavour : 3.5
Presentation : 5
Lamb Chops
I am not really a big lamb person, I have only had lamb very few times but I am a food blogger and I will always try anything put down to me (as long as its not salad).
I was very surprised at how much I liked this, the lamb meat was very tender and tasty. It wasn’t chewy which I liked, and had nice flavouring.
Portion Size : 5
Flavour : 5
Presentation : 4
Mains :
Chicken Korma with rice
Mild and creamy – ideal for the milder palate
My favourite curry is a Korma, as its very mild and sweet.
This was very nice but could have done with a little more coconut flavour to it, but thats my personal taste.
Portion Size : 5
Flavour : 5
Presentation : 4.5
Kulcha Naan
I have never hard this before normally I get a normal naan or pashwari naan, so it was good to try something different.
I really liked this, it was tasty and if at this point of the meal I wasn’t getting full I could have easily had all of it.
Portion Size : 5
Flavour : 5
Presentation : 4
Mix Veg with Soya Bean
For me this was a very interesting dish, due to the flavour.
I couldn’t decide if I liked this or not, I did like the flavour but part of me was still not sure….random comment but this is exactly how I felt.
This was a very thick and heavy dish, so I am sure this and some rice would be a meal in itself.
I am not sure if its due to me being ready to explode with all this food I felt this way, maybe next time I will give this a second attempt.
Portion Size : 5
Flavour : 3.5
Presentation : 4.5
Lamb Goldie
To be honest I didn’t actually get a chance to fully try this, but the little I did it was very nice and very flavoursome.
I would like to comment more but it was only a little, next visit I will try this and comment better.
Overall
……and breath and loosen the belt….
My return visit was a very good one. I enjoyed all the dishes tonight, I even had to take some home as I was so full.
The food just like last time is amazing, packed with flavour, presented nicely and very moreish.
I would like to thank Muhammed for the massive meal tonight, and compliments to him and the chef there. I felt very welcomed, and felt very very full.
I will be back soon as I really enjoyed the food, and I will try other dishes…..I promise!! Do check out Charcoals as you will have a great meal, and even try some of what I had and let me know what your thoughts on the dish are.
Review Scores –
- Atmosphere : 4
- Staff : 5
- Menu : 5
- Service : 5
- The portion sizes & taste : 5
- Value for money: N/A (but the prices are very good)
- Overall : 5
