Cranachan, Glasgow - Restaurants in Glasgow | s1play.com

A tartan special taste of Scotland

Review published on 24/08/2009 © Sunday Herald

We’re over halfway through 2009, and that means you’re probably as sick as I am of hearing those six solemn words: “In this, the year of Homecoming …” The ambitious initiative to promote Scotland’s tightrope-walking global image – we’re a forward-looking country offering backward compatibility for monied ex-pats! – was laudable in theory, but has it ever progressed beyond the abstract? It might seem more tangible from an international perspective, but for most Scots, Homecoming 2009 has remained an amorphous, woolly concept; one that can be wrapped around pretty much anything like a Royal Stewart travel rug.

Why such thoughts of sedition, risking the wrath of Big Tam and Wee Eck? Perhaps it’s because I’m sitting in a restaurant offering traditional Scottish fayre that manages to do so with a light, playful touch rather than rinky-dink nostalgia and grim bombast: more neon-lit Highlander than dreich Braveheart. The newly-opened Cranachan is also doing its bit for the Homecoming project by planting a Scottish culinary flag in the middle of Princes Square, Glasgow’s most delightfully cosmopolitan and cravenly aspirational shopping precinct. This beautiful mall for beautiful people has always had an international outlook, but Cranachan strikes a fierce blow for Caledonia.

You cannae miss it, neither, as Cranachan’s eye-popping purple colour scheme highlights its position on Princes Square’s dining-orientated second level. It features terrace seating for those who want to see and have their branded carrier bags be seen, while a dining room through the back offers a more insulated break from the consumer hubbub. Charged with providing grazing shoppers with sustenance throughout the day (Cranachan is open 10am-6pm all week, and until 8pm on Thursday), the menu ranges from hearty breakfast options to elegant afternoon tea, utilising the best Scottish produce with certifiable provenance, from Ayrshire bacon to silky Thorntonhall ice cream via tasty Macsween’s haggis.

The service may be geared towards ladies who lunch – it’s efficient and highly attentive, with a cocktail menu always on standby – but portions have a bit more heft. My groaning club sandwich of chicken, bacon, avocado and Mull of Kintyre cheddar is satisfying, while my companion struggles to overcome his Scottish seafood platter: a walloping spread of smoked Shetland salmon, hot Loch Duart salmon, homemade mackerel pate and North Atlantic prawns, served with caper berries and horseradish crème fraiche, plus thick slices of bread and rustic oatcakes. It’s a delicious reminder that Scottish seafood is truly world class.

Talking of fishing, as a restaurant hoping to hook passing shoppers looking for a somewhere to touch down for a coffee and a natter, Cranachan offers a revolving selection of homemade cakes as bait. You might also feel obliged to sample the dessert that gives the restaurant its name: thick, whisky-soaked cream and tart raspberries, topped with oats and heather honey and served with buttery shortbread (there’s also a wicked sundae version that comes with two spoons and extra dollops of ice cream).

It’s still early days, but Cranachan already has a confidence that belies any supposed Scottish cringe. It also manages to evoke fond feelings of our culinary heritage – look, clootie dumpling! – without getting too Ma Broon. Topped off by the meticulous service, it’s cannily positioned to satisfy those discerning shoppers who fancy a bit of tartan along with their United Colors of Benetton.