360 Byres Road, Glasgow 0141 334 3333 Food: French-Scottish £48 for a three-course lunch for two people, with wine Wheelchair access: No
Among the least-remarked-upon aspects of migration into Scotland has been the almost imperceptible transformation of Glasgow's west end into Paris's left bank. Stroll down Byres Road on any given weekend, close your eyes, simultaneously strain your ears and credulity and you could imagine yourself on a continental promenade, the jaunty wheeze of an accordion surreptitiously inciting a desire for a decent glass of wine and relaxed fine dining.
Perhaps this was in chef Neil Clark's mind when he established his new venture in Hillhead, a rare outbreak of haute cuisine beyond the city centre. Formerly of award-winning Etain in Princes Square, Clark has opened La Vallee Blanche, somewhat incongruously, atop the Fopp record store in a brick building that previously housed a parade of antique stalls.
Serried wine bottles entice diners up the stairs, a less than subliminal theme continuing along the far wall of the spacious dining room, which is arranged like an alpine lodge with slatted wood panels illuminated by stag antler lamps. Named after a picturesque village in the French Alps celebrated for its ski slopes, the room actually commands an unfortunate view of Somerfield's car park. However, the window is high and the restaurant feels a world away from the bustle outside. The staff are crisply attired and professionally hospitable, pleased to suggest alternative or complementary dishes and willing to apologise for the Michael Buble soundtrack when prompted.
Owned by the same money as Cafe Antipasti across the road, it seems more authentically French than its counterpart does Italian, with an emphasis on such eye-catching plats principaux as wood pigeon and wild duck presented alongside proudly sourced Scottish ingredients such as Peterhead halibut, Bradan Orach smoked salmon and grilled fillet of Angus beef. The wine list is impressive if a little steep, starting at £22.50 a bottle, but the pre-theatre menu is excellent value for food of this quality, at £11.95 for two courses or £14.95 for three.
Garnished with capers and supplemented with egg relish, a fatty dish of potted pork may not be the healthiest hors d'oeuvre on offer, but it is sumptuously spreadable on warm toast, the pale rillettes affording a satisfyingly shredded texture to the crunch. The French onion soup is delicately sweet and gratifyingly hearty, a classic starter caramelised to just the appropriate consistency with a generous crouton topping baked with a salty Gruyere.
Toulouse sausage was a famously cheap mainstay of Le Dome Cafe in Paris when Hemingway and Miller caroused there at the turn of the twentieth century, the fleshy pink saucisse sustaining poverty-stricken artists and two-bit poets through many an evening. Sadly for this scribbler, it is temporarily off as a main, so with the residual guilt of my richly carnivorous starter still clinging to my palate I choose a vegetarian alternative, the wild mushroom risotto. Moistly firm in the mouth and creamily coalescent, it is appetising enough but begins to seem bland by the final spoonful.
My girlfriend, meanwhile, enjoys the smoky flavour of a crispy red snapper, served with olives and a bed of soft white beans reminiscent of mashed potato.
The dessert selection includes a French and Scottish cheeseboard alongside such intriguing concoctions as pineapple gazpacho and peanut parfait. The creme brulee arrives with subtly flavoured lavender shortbread and is a rich, custardy puck that could benefit from a longer burning of its surface, while a sauce Anglaise lends a welcome vanilla viscosity to a chocolate fondant as biscuity as it is crumbly.
With its prime location and subtly expressed yet ambitious standards, one suspects that La Vallee Blanche will be a popular addition to the west end.
