It’s easy to escape the buzz of metropolitan Finnieston: all you have to do is look out for the rather classy frontage of plate glass windows and wooden Venetian blinds of The Gannet, open the glass door, brush through a pair of beautiful velvet curtains, and you’re transported into another, gentler, world.
Restaurant manager Kevin Dow emerges from the restaurant’s elegant setting of beautifully uplit woods, muted greens and blond sandstone to greet us. A cool glass of salty, minerally Gusbourne blanc de blanc, served with the prettiest flight of amuse-bouches - a crispy tartlet of Loch Melfort sea trout, a puff of deep, earthy locally-foraged mushrooms and a creamy Cumbrae oyster - sets the tone of refined elegance that will remain throughout our meal.
The Gannet, opened by chef-patron Peter McKenna 11 years ago, is one of the original restaurants in this fairly recently gentrified Victorian part of town; its relative longevity is a testament to his ongoing creativity and expertise.
These traits are evident in my starter of wild North Sea halibut. Five apple- and grapefruit-cured rolls are dotted with dashi, apple and buttermilk cream, and are so deliciously dainty that it’s hard to believe they’re from a massive 8kg wild fish. But its horseradish ice cream accompaniment is what, for me, makes this dish truly outstanding: the root’s inherent heat and aromatic depth playfully tempered by the cold mouthfeel of the cream and merging beautifully with the saltiness of the fish.
A meaty hand-dived scallop with crispy salsify and a chicken cream keeps my partner more than happy. Both dishes are well matched with a Leon Pouilly Fumé.
We hardly feel the need to try the feather-light house focaccia and fragrant dark wheaten bread but are glad we do, not only because it is delicious but also because it gives us a chance to savour the creamy Stichill Jersey butter supplied weekly by Brenda Leddy near Kelso. This is exceptionally good, but I try not to overdo it for fear of filling up.
My Cairngorm red deer dish is a lesson on how to nail this most seasonal of Scottish game. Chef pairs two perfectly pink loin fillets with brambles, trompettes de mort, kale, rainbow beetroot and apple gel with a spicy sauce - and a couple of sharp shots of Isle of Mull dumplings. A sip of Alsace Pinot Noir delivers a deep fruit, spicy note complementing the gamey deer.
It looks as good as it tastes, though partner’s spiced North Sea monkfish takes chef’s artistry to another level: the meaty fillet is anointed with a deeply savoury dashi butter with locally sourced artichoke crisps, and surrounded by a wreath of mixed nuts and seeds, giving extra textural as well a visual pleasure.
A shot glass of lemon posset dotted with apple gel previews the desserts: my Bare Bones 68% Dominican chocolate soufflé is divinely crisp on the outside and moist inside, the cocoa flavour warm and strong. A quenelle of sharp sea buckthorn sorbet is a clever foil.
I love the presentation of my partner’s choice of three Scottish cheeses from George Mewes: little toasts upstanding in a bowl of seeds and grains.
As we listen to Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, the Pogues, Dire Straits and Martha Wainwright with Snow Patrol playing quietly in the background, we feel perfectly relaxed - and, as we savour our Domaine Fontanel Maury and Rivesaltes Ambré dessert wines, in no rush to brace ourselves for the street life outside.
And then I remember that this is where the late, great Andrew Fairlie of his eponymous two-Michelin star restaurant at Gleneagles would take his staff for their Christmas treat and that he once told me he thought it deserved a Michelin star.
Just leaving that here.
* The Gannet, 1155 Argyle St, Finnieston, Glasgow G3 8TB (0141-204 2081). Open Wednesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. www.thegannetgla.com.
