ALL YOU CAN MUNCH BOTTOMLESS BRUNCH
| Follow: @mcphabbsglasgow |
It’s always a good weekend when McPhabbs announces one of their bottomless brunches is coming to town. They happen every few months and this is the second time I’ve made it down to stuff my face. The concept is simple; in a nutshell, you have 2 hours to work your way through the menu ordering as many dishes as you please providing you eat what you order.
It’s one for the more adventurous foodies out there if only because you don’t see the menu until you arrive but for me that adds something to the brunch. And that’s coming from a self confessed menu surfer like myself who usually plans his meal a week before he eats somewhere. From experience the menu can be hit and miss but I still think it’s worthwhile checking out for hidden gems you do find.
If you don’t know McPhabbs, it’s a cool bar on Sandyford place just passed Charing Cross. They have a food menu that I’ve been meaning to try and having been to a few brunches I don’t think it’ll be long before I’m back, maybe for the Monday night mac’n’cheese night. Check out the menu here.
As you can see from the menu above it really is simple; look, point, eat and repeat. The great thing about this brunch is it combines all the choice of a buffet brunch but in tapas sized portions that are cooked fresh to order. I managed to work myself through most of the menu, I think the only thing I didn’t try on the plates section was the granola dish which sounded nice but didn’t appeal to my hungover mind at the time.
As I said earlier it can be a bit hit and miss, some dishes definitely work better than others. Part of this though, and an enjoyable part for me, is enjoying a one-off menu designed for that weekend and not knowing what you might encounter.
They take classic brunch stalwarts such as eggs benedict, waffles, pancakes, french toast and then do something different with them. It may not always work but for me trying new things and experiencing them in different ways is fun in itself. Add food and I’m sold!
So first up was the dish of the day for me; buttermilk fried chicken waffle with bang bang peanut sauce. This dish was so good I actually had it twice. I’m a massive fan of waffles and fried chicken and the more places that catch on to this trend the better as far as I’m concerned.
I wasn’t sure how I’d like this, being quite pernickety when it comes to satay style sauces. This one was spot on though, not too peanutty for lack of a better word and with a nice kick of sriracha to add some heat. The waffle itself was nice and I liked that it was a little crisp as it held up better with the sauce. The fried chicken was nice and crisp and everything worked well together. (5/5)
Next up was the beef brisket benedict with caramelised apple sauce, poached egg and English mustard hollandaise. The eagle eyed amongst you will notice the different plates and that’s because my friend took a much better picture of the yolk burst as I was too busy feeding my hangover.
I’m still undecided on this dish, a day after eating it I can’t decide if it worked or not. The caramelised apple might have been just a little too much with the hollandaise and the egg yolk. I do love eggs benny though and beef brisket and the hollandaise sauce was very good, the mustard really added something to the dish. (3/5)
Now this was a dish that took me by surprise with how much I enjoyed it; the house tattie scone with chestnut mushrooms and tarragon. The tattie scone was much thicker than what I was expecting but was much nicer than what I’d call a traditional flat tattie scone.
It’s hard to explain the tattie scone, somewhere between a potato rosti and a potato croquette in texture but at the same time very tasty. The mushrooms were also very good, I love mushrooms though and the sauce that accompanied them was delicous and was soaked up by the tattie scone adding to the flavour. (4/5)
If you look closely at the pics above you’ll see hints of the sweetcorn pancake dish from the menu above. If there’s one thing McPhabbs do well it’s eggs! Each dish we ordered with an egg had the yolk cooked to perfection.
The sweetcorn pancake with BBQ beans salsa and fried egg was no different in that respect. The sweetcorn pancake was also nice though I think I’d have preferred an ordinary pancake but sweetcorn isn’t a massive favourite of mine. I also felt on this dish the BBQ taste could have been more prominent in the bean salsa and that would have turned a good dish into a great dish. (3/5)
The next 2 dishes there’s not much to say on. The rosemary, parmesan and truffle hash browns were excellent, full of flavour and crispy on the outside. I really enjoyed them and ordered two portions. (4/5)
The house lorne and pork sausage was a bit disappointing. The sausage itself was delicious but the dish was just missing something to stop it being a bit dry. A little bit of butter on the toast or some ketchup would have made this so much better. (3/5)
Last but certainly not least was the dessert portion of brunch. The pictures above may not show it but I ordered the ‘Full Elvis’ French toast bread and butter pudding with candied bacon almond brittle, salted caramel, peanut butter and maple syrup twice. The second time it arrived it was on a waffle and not the french toast but I wasn’t complaining due to my aforementioned love of waffles.
This was a sweet dish in all the ways that sweet can be used. I loved it, at times it was almost sickly but it walked the line perfectly of not being too much. Candied bacon on anything wins for me, I’d put it on everything and anything if I’m being honest.
The almond brittle was a first for me and added a nice crunch and then it was smothered in peanut butter which was also a great addition. All in all this was a great dish in both its incarnations. The French toast bread and butter pudding was different but delicious and the waffle was a simpler version of it which was probably for the best after all I’d eaten. (5/5)
I’d definitely recommend getting down to McPhabbs for one of their bottomless brunch weekends. Based on the food I’ve had at both my visits I’d feel comfortable saying that their day to day menu would be pretty good too and will be aiming to get down and see for myself. There’s not much else to say, if you haven’t before then check out McPhabbs for food or even just for a few drinks; it’s a great little bar!
BOTTOMLESS BRUNCH REVIEW
Food: 4/5
Atmosphere: 3/5
Value for Money: 4/5
For more information follow McPhabbs: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Follow Chris Eats for more posts: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter