Glasgow restaurant Café Andaluz revamps its menu and we tried it
Tony Conetta, director at The DRG, says the new menu was developed after research which took the company to Spain.
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Bread, olives and sangria (Image: Newsquest) He told the Glasgow Times: "We usually have a tweak of the menu but this year we had a full revamp.
"We have some nice new suppliers from Spain, we went to Madrid to research our menu and we also visited some tapas bars in London just to see what they were doing.
"The food has had a real upgrade.
"We're very proud of our new product."
Croquetas de setas y trufa, pollo rebozado con miel and ensalada de radicchio (Image: Newsquest) The first Café Andaluz opened its doors on Cresswell Lane in Hillhead in 2022, bringing a taste of the Mediterranean to the heart of the West End.
More than 20 years later, the restaurant still draws in large numbers of diners there and other locations, including on St Vincent Street.
Tony says he believes part of the reason it has remained so popular for 23 years is because no matter what, people will always get something they enjoy.
Chirpirones fritos (Image: Newsquest) He said: "The thing about Café Andaluz is everyone comes out and has multiple dishes.
"It's hard to get it wrong because there'll always be something on the table you like.
"It's great to share, it's a nice form of eating.
"The small plates revolution is upon us but that's the way the Spanish have always eaten."
He added: "Café Andaluz just goes from strength to strength."
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Carrilleras de cerdo (Image: Newsquest) One new addition to the menu is pollo sofrito which is a new version of pollo marinado which was removed from the menu to some uproar last year.
It features chicken marinated in paprika and lemon juice with tomato sofrito sauce.
Tony said: "We've put that back on so you get the pollo marinado with a nice sofrito base.
"That dish is back which is a big relief and fans will be delighted to know."
Arroz de mariscos (Image: Newsquest) The Glasgow Times was invited to come and try dishes from the new menu at their Cresswell Lane restaurant.
As well as ordering a couple of old favourites like the patatas bravas we tried the croquetas de setas y trufa (woodlands mushroom and black truffle croquettes with Manchego), ensalada de radicchio (a salad of bitter radicchio, chicory, orange, Manchego pomegranate, olive crumb and honey dressing), carrilleras de cerdo (pork cheeks braised with red wine, woodland mushrooms, chickpeas, rosemary and garlic), chipirones fritos (crisp fried baby quid), and arroz de mariscos (king prawns and mussels with rice, tomato and parsley).
My friend and I enjoyed every dish, noting the presentation along with the flavour.
Patatas bravas (Image: Newsquest) A favourite of both of ours was the chipirones fritos which was served alongside a spicy aioli.
I'm a fan of calamari but really enjoyed these much smaller pieces of squid which were crispy on the outside and not at all chewy the way it can sometimes me.
We were both surprised by how much we enjoyed the ensalada de radicchio, both saying it's something we normally wouldn't order.
The salad was light and fresh but packed with flavour, especially from the small orange segments.
A favourite flavour combination of mine is mushroom and truffle so the croquetas de setas y trufa were something I was really looking forward to and they did not disappoint.
The arroz de mariscos, especially the prawns which were large and cooked to perfection.
I don't normally order pork dishes but I tried a bit of the carrilleras de cerdo and was pleasantly surprised by the flavour of the pork which was so tender it easily separated with my fork.
My friend and I were both very impressed with everything we tried and now have some new favourites we'd like to order next time we dine there.
Café Andaluz is located on 2 Cresswell Lane and 12-15 St Vincent Street in Glasgow.
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