The Sisters -
Best Scottish Restaurant Glasgow
has to offer

A Scottish restaurant Glasgow
is rightly proud of!

The Lowdown | Typical Menu | Getting There | Booking

The Sisters aren't just doing it for themselves!

Entrance to the best Scottish restaurant Glasgow has to offer

It's a strange one, really.

Over the years I've found that most of us folks what live in deepest darkest Scotchland, well, we're patriotic, but in that very same heaving braveheart bellow of FREEDOM we'll force into your sorry ears without you asking, more often than not you'll also catch a lip-curling stench of self-contempt.

This is particularly evident in the west of the country, perhaps more focussed in Glasgow, where you'll find a great deal of people who can transform fluidly from one moment to the next, rather like shifty chameleons depending on who they're talking to, from enthusiasts of tartan, kilts, bagpipes, our history of innovation and Scottish football, to seething haters of our drab weather, poverty, our history of crime & alcoholism and, yes, Scottish football.

Much to do with having to put up with the daily grind I suppose, but I suspect this type of split-personality pounding our streets is why it's uttered often that you'll find that the most patriotic Scots are those who haven't been back to the reality of their homeland for years.

The exception to all this nonsense however, getting back to the plot, is food. Nowt but good old Scottish scran.

(Boy Docherty, do you ever get straight to the point?!!)

When it comes to our nosh, in the main for whatever reason we've always been proud and slow to put it down. So despite the fact that in Glasgow you'll be bombarded with a myriad of eateries laying out cuisine from all across the globe, it's in the finery of the Scottish restaurant Glasgow really comes into her own.
Which brings us (finally!) to the Sisters, an absolute Mary Queen of a Scottish restaurant Glasgow has been hiding under her garments.

Put to one side any thought you might have that "dining out" for us Scots means nestling drenched on a misty hill of sludge, picking miserably through a freshly-caught haggis before washing it down with muddy water from a brook. I've only done that twice! And please upon please ignore the suggestion you'll hear from self-deprecating Scots and also those elsewhere whose words emanate more from lazily indoctrinated muscle memory than from anything close to an open mind, that "Scottish food" simply means anything deep-fried (although don't get me wrong here - I love a good sausage supper now and again!).

The food presented to you in the Sisters Glasgow, for example, without a shadow of doubt is amongst the most fresh, innovative, delicate and expertly prepared food you're ever likely to experience. Now that's quite a statement I know, particuarly given how much critics will harp on about absolutely nothing holding a candle to world-renowned joints like Noma, El Bulli and The Fat Duck, that it ain't fine unless it's adorned with a Michelin Star or two.

As I mention on my main restaurant page though, liking one restaurant over another is purely subjective - not one person can tell me what I like or don't like - one reason why I don't listen to critics! - and whilst I've not visited every eatery on the planet (yet...), having experienced fine dining on many an occasion on my travels over the years it's my opinion, such as it is, that getting the opportunity to eat the best of Scottish food right here in Scotland is something that should definitely not be sniffed at.

Jacqueline & Pauline - The Sisters!

For me then, the Sisters is the place.

Jacqueline and Pauline O'Donnell have established a superb reputation in these here parts, and run two extremely popular locations in the city, one in Jordanhill and the other, my favourite of the two I talk about here (no offence Pauline!), in Kelvingrove.

Every time I've bounded up those steps salivating profusely (quite the sight!) and through the curtain at the door, I've been welcomed like an old friend into the place. To be honest, the impression I get each time is that actually I'm walking into my family's house for dinner, and if you've ever been here you'll know what I'm talking about - this, the most special Scottish restaurant Glasgow has to offer, only has one room.

And it's a small room.

Despite how busy it can get though, that feeling never leaves me, and I attribute that as much to the attentiveness of the staff as to the intriguingly familiar but unique food placed before me.

And oh the food. One of the most satisfying things about living in a city like Glasgow is that everything comes to you rather than the other way around. You don't have to hike your way to Ullapool for the world's most tasty fish, to the Isle of Arran for your wild rocket, to the vast rolling Highlands for the most succulent beef in existence this side of Japan - if you find yourself a seat at any reputable Scottish restaurant Glasgow will deliver all of that to you right there on your plate before it has time to lose its freshness, and the pulverising burst of flavour you'll feel meandering deep down into your memory will prove for you that the Sisters is no exception to that.

So enough's enough - just go there if you can, have a chat with Jacqueline while you're there, and learn for yourself why of all the fantastic eateries you could choose when you're looking for a taste of our magnificent homeland, the Sisters will stand forever tall as a Scottish restaurant Glasgow can be eternally proud of.

The cosiest Scottish restaurant Glasgow can recommend!

The menu at the Sisters changes from time to time, but don't worry if what I yap about here isn't available when you visit, because you can rest assured that you won't be disappointed with the alternative.

Recent starters I've enjoyed at this Scottish restaurant Glasgow kept hidden from me for so long, have been the homemade chicken & duck liver pate with homebaked oatcakes & fruit relish; peat smoked achiltibuie haddock risotto topped with a lightly poached egg; a mouth-watering smoked salmon with crayfish & apple salad in a herb mayo; islay dived scallops on macleods black pudding & smoked haddock cream; or (and I've never managed to cook this myself, despite many embarrassing attempts at home) the poached balsamic pear with crumbled goats cheese, walnut & arran leaf salad. The choice of what to eat does always appear to be pretty daunting despite the shortness of the menu, but to be fair that could very well explain why I continue to return with cogent fervour as regularly as I can!

Mains-wise, again recently I've enjoyed the delights of the monkfish wrapped in ayrshire bacon on achiltibuie smoked haddock ristotto; a fabulous gressingham duck breast with garlic creamy mash & wild mushroom jus; or Tracey's out-and-out favourite roast limerick ham with champ tatties & buttered cabbage. There's also the undoubted mastery of the 21 day aged prime sirloin with pepper sauce & handcut chips; the scottish chicken breast with dingwall haggis on a whisky mustard cream; and the lip-smacking west coast haddock & islay scallops, chive mash & lobster bisque sauce.

Jacqueline pretending to be hard at work!

One of the most pleasurable things about dining at this excellent Scottish restaurant Glasgow patrons like my goodself enthuse about, is the time at the table you're given to loosen the belt buckle and chat it out before being offered the next course - just time to enjoy the company, the atmosphere, the free-flowing wine and so on. So the feeling you get in restaurants like the Sisters is one of intimate relaxation rather than production-lined urgency, and therefore, by the time it gets to the pudding menu, you should be capable of tucking some more away.

As I say, the menus do vary, but I suspect that the most popular of the desserts is the ingenious puff candy meringue with honeycomb ice cream & hot butterscotch sauce. Oh my is that tasty! Have a look as well though, at the old local favourite, thehomemade clootie dumpling with fresh custard & ice cream (be sure to pronounce "clootie" by replacing the "t" with a glottal stop for more authenticity - have a look at my Glesca patter section for more), or the guilt-fuelling homemade hot sticky toffee apple pudding with vanilla ice cream.

How do you type out the sound of drooling?!!

Finding the place

The Sisters at Kelvingrove is fairly easy to locate. It's on Kelvingrove Street which is just around the corner from the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Scotland's number 1 free tourist attraction, just up the road from the ever-bustling SECC, and nestled at the west end of Sauchiehall Street and Argyle Street.

Here's a map to send you on your way, and don't worry at all, if you lose your map along the way to this little Scottish restaurant Glasgow won't get you lost. Let me know though if you need any more directions.

How to book

To get yourself a table at the Sisters Kelvingrove, singularly (if you've not picked up my point yet) the most awesome Scottish restaurant Glasgow places before you, simply give them a call on or visit their website , which will also give you details of the Jordanhill location of the restaurant if you're planning to go there instead, as well as up to date menus and news.

So I hope that this has given you a wee flavour of my favourite Scottish restaurant Glasgow has to offer, and feel free to send me your comments if you manage along.