Mid-century interiors and a colourful chef menu anchor Brett’s position as Glasgow’s favourite neighbourhood fine dining spot

Admittedly, it takes a few moments to spot what has changed at this beloved fine dining spot on Great Western Road. Brett’s familiar art-deco tiled façade remains intact while new brushed bronze signage, by Envisage Signs, pops above the door. Inside, the open kitchen still takes centre stage, but its surrounding dining counter has been lowered to give diners a clearer view of the kitchen. Design studio Surface-id, who designed Brett for its opening in 2019, has added some mid-century interior flourishes: playful artwork, a lick of green paint, jade leather bar stools and some glowing spherical pendant lights above the pass.

Perhaps my favourite part of the revamp is a small illustration of Anthony Bourdain pinned to the kitchen wall. In the Vietnam episode of his documentary series ‘Parts Unknown’, the well-respected chef and broadcaster sits in a busy food market eating local specialty, cơm hến (or baby clam rice). He recites a mantra, “All the things I need for happiness: low plastic stool, check. Tiny little plastic table, check. Something delicious in a bowl, check.”

With risk of sounding high maintenance by comparison, Brett has all the things I need for happiness tonight: polished walnut counter seating, check. Exposed stone walls, check. A truly exquisite six-course meal, check.

The chef menu and a la carte are designed by chef director Colin Anderson, who is inspired by traditional European cooking. But these menus prioritise creativity over convention, threading heritage ingredients with unexpected global flavours that challenge my understanding of savoury and sweet.

Take the a la carte’s monkfish main, for example. This salty-yet-mild fish is brushed with a brown butter sauce that I initially think would be better suited to a pudding. However, earthy charred Jerusalem artichokes and roasted chestnuts mellow the notes of caramel, pulling the dish back to its savoury roots. Trout roe adds a pleasing pop of orange on top.

When it comes to the chef menu, colour takes centre stage.

To start, a new Brett snack of tempura Orkney scallop. “The dish is simple but effective,” says Colin. A large hand-dived scallop is plush and sweet, wrapped in a thin, yellow batter. A fried, buttery cube of potato is dressed in thyme and garlic; all served on a rosy scallop shell. A crème fraiche tartar sauce is on the side.

Up next is the sand carrot. A lone carrot, gently cooked in saffron stock, sits in a pool of gingery Sauternes sauce. “We use sand carrots because of how they’re grown,” says Colin. The vegetable originates in Normandy, France, and thrives in a sandy soil, fertilised with seaweed.

“The sand stresses them just enough — tighter texture, deeper sweetness. The presentation of the dish always makes people stop at the pass,” he says. But it’s the flavour that surprises me the most. A neat dollop of acidulated carrot purée has been sharpened with Moscatel, flanked by punchy salt-and-vinegar kale, and finished with salt-preserved kumquat.

The aged raw beef is a kaleidoscope of burgundy and green: tiny dices of ethical foie gras mixed with olive oil, apple and watercress. A sprinkle of lapsang souchong leaves a smoky aftertaste.

Cantabrian anchovy brings sourness to the creamy mushroom xo linguini, which is topped with crispy leeks and 36-month-aged parmesan.

The Spicy Margarita cocktail, with basil and jalapeno, is an ideal partner. “Our cocktails are built in the same way as our meals, using ingredients from the kitchen to create something that feels considered from the very first sip,” says Colin.

Lamb saddle is cooked to perfection, paired with a yin and yang of Tuscan cavolo Nero, crispy lamb breast and green peppercorn.

Despite my savoury tooth (sorry, but I’ll take a cheese board over a sticky toffee pudding any day of the week), the Yorkshire rhubarb dessert wins gold tonight. A little blue bowl houses one perfect quenelle of bright pink sorbet, which is surrounded by a moat of crème fresh mousse.

Impossibly thin sheets of pulled toffee and crispy milk melt into every mouthful like Sherbet. The Rose Old Fashioned cocktail, made with Highland Park and rose petals, is a perfect match.

I savour my last spoonful of sorbet and decide that Anthony Bourdain and I’s gustatory elation is the same — mine, on this occasion, is just neatly wrapped in a bow.

Sample the chef menu for £85 (wine pairings are an additional £65).

Brett

321 Great Western Road

Glasgow

G4 9HR

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