The Ubiquitous Chip is legendary. A true gastronomic experience, no less.
There are many sides to Glasgow and finding its more interesting spots, redolent of a character less ubiquitous isn't easy. In Edinburgh, for example, every close offers a glimpse (albeit touristic) of an experience typical only to that fine city, but Glasogow presents more of a challenge. One has to dig beneath the surface a bit more, and erm - Chip - away to find aspects of the city that are unique. But with every visit revealing a little more, I would compare it to Manchester in the way that that city is replete with bars, pubs, restaurants and boutiques of idiosyncracy, yet they would be all too easy to overlook on the main drag without a guide. Such as Qype.
And so after a day spent plundering high street stores and a gallery where the building itself was far more impressive than any of the art contained within, we jumped in a taxi from our Great Western Road hotel and sped down to the intersection where the Byer's Road meets Ashton Lane.
I say intersection, and yet once the taxi had departed I found myself looking round and scanning both sides of the road. The turning into Ashton Lane is discreet to say the least, and a perfect example of how such a vital aspect of experiencing a city could be entirely overlooked. But once you step of the Byer's Road, the taxis, the traffic congestion, the newsagents and the tube station all disappear into a different realm, bracketed away, suspended in time and place until its time to venture out into the concrete world again and hail another cab.
As the hussle and bussle of 21st century studentsville is left behind, the ground beneath you is cobbled and cracked, shimmying ankles and snapping stilletoes. The buildings are irregular, higgledy-piggledy and sprawl upon one another like a family ensconced on the sofa for a night in front of the telly. The Lane itself is a right angle of restaurants, pubs, bars, clubs and cinema, pedestrianised, crammed with people talking, laughing and drinking beneath the fairy lights that hang between the buildings above their heads. This was exactly what I was looking for: the part of Glasgow I wouldn't be able to replicate anywhere else. Ashton Lane contains restaurants and bars one could find in different countries, let alone different cities to a certain degree, but the there is an atmosphere evident that is more than the sum of its parts.
The Ubiquitous Chip company take a large swaithe of the block leading up on the right from the Byer's Road, and their buildings comprise a restaurant, pub, bar and roof terrace (where the people of Glasgow gather to smoke). Once inside the maze of interconnected buildings things become blurred, especially after several pints of the fine continental beers on tap in the upper bar combined with an excellent rose with the meal. The main dining area is set out in what appears to be a covered courtyard, draped with much greenery and coupled with a low-ceilinged dining area off to one side. There is a further tier of mezzanine dining above, which I'm sure would provide a different atmosphere yet again.
For me, a booking at The Chip is a pilgrimage. I read about the place a few years ago as an afficionado of the books of Glaswegian author and artist Alasdair Gray. Legend has it that he ran up an almighty tab at the Chip and was asked to paint a mural to settle it. Gray not only writes his own brand of exceptional modern fiction, but also illustrates his books, designs the dustcovers and embosses the actual hardcovers underneath with inscriptions and graphic motifs too. After first visiting the Chip I was becoming rather disconsolate at not being able to see any evidence of the famous mural. Until a waitress advised me to check out the walls on the way to the toilets. The mural covers the entire stairwell between the restaurant and the pub and is well worth the visit.
So back to the actual restaurant (!). The service was superb - friendly, warm and knowledgable. Restaurant lunch and dinner are available at the usual times, there is also a brasserie menu, an extensive wine list and bar food served upstairs that would give usual pub grub a run for its money. I had the Venison haggis for starters followed by a main of Orkney Organic Salmon, Lime and Vanilla Mash, an intense Red Pepper and Chambery Sauce and Salmon Beignet. The food, of course, was excellent. We shared a dessert. though I forget what it was.
My only gripe with the service was the fact that we were brought the wrong bill three times: firstly because they'd charged us for another entire two course meal, secondly because they charged us for two three course meals and finally we settled the bill that got the meals right yet failed to mention the coffees;-) This may seem strange, but it was due to a mix up because of their pricing sytem - paying for combinations of courses rather than individual dishes. So watch out for that - I didn't spot it but read more