Café Gandolfi, Glasgow

Tom J - The Man Who Brunched!

There are some things which many of us do only in the privacy of our own homes, and with a loved one. For me, brunch falls into that category. It's an occasional treat and like most things which emanate from the kitchen here at 52A, generally rather good.

But it's not something I would go out for. In the twelve years of Tom Eats! not one single brunch has featured. Until today. I keep coming on classic Glasgow places and wondering why I've never visited. Café Gandolfi is one such. Planning to meet the (not so) young 'uns and the very young 'un, we'd agreed on the venue. I called to book (yes, getting to speak to a real human, oh joy) and discovered that on a Sunday it's brunch only. Well, why not?

Gandolfi Camera

A venerable institution, Café Gandolfi was founded in 1979 by photographer Iain MacKenzie. The Merchant City was a run down place in those days. The building was previously the offices of a cheese merchant. Why Gandolfi? It was named for Louis Gandolfi and Sons, England's oldest camera manufacturer, founded in London in 1885. They ceased trading as recently as 2017.

Current owner Seumas MacInnes joined MacKenzie as a kitchen porter in 1983, working his way up to become a partner in the business and taking over altogether in the mid 90s. It's still a family run affair, sons Donald and Alasdair being general manager and head chef respectively.

Well, never mind me, Glasgow certainly loves brunch. The place was full of people and full of good vibes. There are about a dozen or so choices, but truly something for everyone. The full breakfast or black pudding hash for traditionalists; a veggie breakfast and whipped feta avocado toast for the non meat eaters. If you're looking for  something closer to a conventional lunch, go for Cullen Skink and a New York pastrami sandwich. And, of course, eggs galore.

I was struck by the pricing of one dish in particular. The Gandolfi version of Eggs Royale is called Eggs Alba. Two poached eggs served on muffins, a generous amount of good smoked salmon and Hollandaise sauce for £11.50. Wow! In best review mode, we ordered lots and shared. The pastrami sandwich was thick and oozing, and came with good chips. Avocado toast is very common these days and can be dull, but a good amount of harissa oil raised it. Not the same condiment as provided a little heat to a very very good black pudding hash. That was Tabasco, I think. These things can be claggy. Not here. Tatties with a bit of crisp to them and top quality pud (Stornoway of course).

There are now two grandchildren in the family.  I can tell they are truly descendants of mine by their omnivorous nature and healthy appetites. There are a fair few fine memories of this meal. One of these is Miss F wreathed in smiles as she negotiated her way round a rather large slice of smoked salmon. Service in Glasgow is generally pretty good. Here it was far better than that. Attentive, efficient, friendly. Am I referring to our server? No, because anyone coming anywhere near our table, whether taking an order, delivering or clearing, fell into that category.

Who knows? Based on today's showing, I might get into this brunch malarkey, but I bet it's not all up to this standard.