The Citizen, Glasgow

In spite of Humphrey Bogart films, I seriously doubt that anyone ever called in to shout, Hold the front page! And I wonder if newspaper editors really wore green eye shades. I can tell you that at one time homing pigeons were used to relay news, though I believe the results were mixed. At football matches, a bird might be despatched every time a goal was scored; however, the story is told of one flustered reporter who became over excited at the dramatic finale of an Edinburgh derby. In a panic, he is said to have removed the last bird from its hamper, shouted Hibs 3 Hearts 2, and hurled it skywards.

Well, not for the first time you may be pondering the relevance of all of this. In reponse, I offer not one but two reasons. This was lunch with Scotland's Finest Former Journalist (West). Attempts to get the two of the species together are thus far singularly unsuccessful. And secondly, what finer choice of venue than former newspaper offices, sometime home to the Glasgow Evening Citizen?

It is, I think, the latest venture from the DiMaggio Group, or DRG as they're now known. Having kicked off in Glasgow's West End in 1985, they now operate an eclectic range of restaurants including the excellent Cadiz in Edinburgh, the very reliable Amarone trio in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the less accomplished but popular Cafe Andaluz tapas places. The website boasts the best pint of Tennents in the city and also Scottish produce with an authentic Glasgow influence. All sounds fine to me.

If I'm being cynical, I would have to say that the authentic Glasgow influence has produced a pretty run of the mill menu. There's nothing out of the ordinary, and vegetarians are rather short changed. There are a few meat dishes, plus steak plus burgers. The Citizen Curry is Yellow. There are four fish dishes and a couple of salads. We eyed the pies, which seemed best to fit the script. Before that, some bread and olives to share. Not great quality or quantity for £6.45. The Stornoway Bon Bons, on the other hand, were terrific, grease free and containing black pud of the highest quality. There's a choice of two pies, steak, and chicken and ham hough. The former boasted Cumberland sausage, which I failed to detect. The best I can say about them was that they were OK, and would have been much improved had chef been taught how to use salt.

The range of desserts is what you would expect, ice creams, crème brûlée, parfait, sticky toffee. Had space been available, the rum baba might have been worth sampling. You can tell a great deal about the generosity of a kitchen by this particular dish. As it was, while it's impossible to spend time in the company of the SFFJ(W) that isn't great fun, I was underwhelmed by the food, though, in best Glasgow tradition, the service lifted things.