Cookie

I only live a few hundred yards from Cookie, so you might think I would use this place regularly. But no, it has been almost four years to the day since my last visit. The reason for my 4 year recoil is down to a regrettable experience which left a lingering distain for this place. I’d witnessed it’s popularity rise, but also noticed some very poor reviews popping up on various websites. Anyway, I think 4 years is enough to let the dust settle, and to give Cookie another try…
We arrived at 2pm for Sunday lunch, we booked ahead but the place wasn’t too busy. We had our 2 year old son with us to try the kids menu too, and he was seated with minimal fuss. However, we were a little confused by the menu… there isn’t a lot to choose from on the Sunday menu which is a shame because some of the ‘tuesday-​friday’ options sound nice. I know their choices change daily but the menu doesn’t help at all. Stating ‘Fish’ or ‘Veggie option’ just added to the confusion. There are some specials on the board but our waiter didn’t seem too sure of what was available on the day, and quite a few things on the breakfast menu were off. It seems Cookie would love you to try their imported Italian sausages but these too were off the menu. Not the best start.
I eventually opted for one of the all day breakfast options and ordered the Stornoway Tower (which is mis-​spelled on the menu as ‘Stornaway’). This more than made up for the inauspicious start as it was fabulous. The black pudding was moist and spicy, the bacon was cooked perfectly, the french toast was a solid base and topped off with a nicely cooked poached egg. One of our friends went for the veggie haggis breakfast and equally loved it, in fact all of the food was really good. Even our puddings were of high standard, simple dishes executed well like the rice pudding with mango sauce which was really creamy, tangy and sweet.
The service overall is pretty skittish, but a vast improvement on my last visit when the service was simply appalling. The staff didn’t really seem to have a grip on what was going but their demeanour did warm and it became jovial, friendly and comical to a point, but it could easily have become farcical if the place had filled up a little. It did get better as the meal went on though, which was pleasing. The place still has an air of smugness about it which is a real shame because I really like the idea and principles that Cookie like to tell you about. It is a little on the expensive side and there are much better value places nearby. £70 for lunch for four people is a tad pricy, especially given the poor choice on offer.
The quality of the cooking coming from the kitchen is the best thing about Cookie. (the main reason I give it 3/5).There is real quality from the chefs and the produce/​ingredients they use, however the level of service still lets down the whole experience. This visit was a massive improvement on my last one, and I hope it keeps improving as I will be back for another try; it won’t take me four years this time.

This was my first visit to Cookie but it definitely won’t be my last, I thought it was amazing. I loved the look and feel of this place. It’s slightly shabby and comfortable in a way that just made me feel right at home as soon as I walked in. There were only a few other people in when I arrived, and at one table there was an old guy on his own with a lovely looking plate of food and a glass of red wine. Nothing makes me happier than a place where you can go to eat on your own and not feel awkward.
The waitress was great — really chatty and friendly and answered our many questions about the menu. However, the reason I didn’t go for 5 stars here was because we had to ask so many questions in the first place. In order to allow them to vary the menu daily, it just says «pasta» or «risotto» and none of the dishes have descriptions. So we ended up asking — what’s that, what’s that, what’s that, for about four or five things on the menu. There is a blackboard with menu items on it but it isn’t clear whether that’s a separate evening menu or an explanation of what’s on the lunch menu, or what. So there was a bit of to-​ing and fro-​ing while the waitress went to ask the chef some questions and overall the ordering process was a little more complicated than it had to be.
However, after all that, the food was delicious. I went for Italian Sausages which were served on an absolutely beautiful lentil stew. Simple but hearty and really really tasty — just perfect. Washed down with some very acceptable white wine (I was only going to have one glass but somehow the waitress talked me into a second!), it was a really fantastic lunch. Can’t wait to go back and try some other things off the menu… :-)

The pre-​theatre on a Friday night is last orders at 6:45, but unless its super busy you can stay as long as you like!
A really welcoming atmosphere, with the open plan kitchen right in front of you in its small main room with toilet downstairs. Menu changes with the seasons but you can be sure it’s tasty and fresh.
Great atmosphere in here too, really good restaurant and one perfect for a date or impressing your folks too!

I had heard about cookie from a few people, so we decided to try it out for a late breakfast. I like the interior of the place, it’s quite a mix and match type of interior and looks like it was cobbled together. I also like the graphics by Conzo Throb, add a really nice dimension to the place, with it being on their menu’s etc.
We were lucky to get a table when we arrived as it was busy, and our drinks orders were taken immediately, however it did take quite some time for our food orders to be taken, although it was quite busy, but still, people were arriving after us and being served. Eventually our breakfast was brought to us (well after we had finished our drinks), and I had the eggs benedict. The hollandaise sauce was lovely, and the bacon was, well baconish, you can’t really get that wrong. What disappointed me was the eggs were still quite raw, but not in a slightly runny way, but say about 30% of the egg white was still actually clear. It did put me off my food slightly and I think I might have ordered another muffin to soak it up if it was just yolk and sauce, but not the case. Not the cheapest in the world, but not the most expensive too, but I don’t think I will be rushing back. The waitress was apologetic about the raw egg.

I was disappointed by Cookie. It was highly recommended to me by a friend, but it wasn’t at all as nice as I expected. We waited a long time for our food (brunch, and we were pretty hungry when we arrived, so starving by the time we ate!). The coffee was nice and the food was almost nice but eggs a little undercooked for my liking. Also fairly expensive for brunch.

Cookie had been on our to-​visit list FOR AGES, and I’m glad to say our visit for Saturday lunch didn’t disappoint.
We arrived around 1pm and it was busy, but we were able to get a seat without any problems. Inside it is an oddly laid out space, but that is due to the weird building — the shop front faces two streets. You can also get a good view into the kitchen (which I weirdly love) — there were two chefs and one assistant (I think anyway!) and it was awesome watching how relaxed and organised they were. Impressive.
There was just two wait staff on and they seemed under the pump, to put it mildly! Especially seeing as one of these people was being trained, so was more of a meal-​runner than waiter.
They had lunch specials on — two courses for £11.50 which we ended up going for, after a little confusion over whether the meals on the board were available (I was keen to try the pea, blue cheese and wild garlic risotto but that’s a dinner option!). We had an antipasti sharing board to start, and then a chicken bean stew/​casserole for main.
The antipasti was really big — about 18 slices of different meat, breadsticks, chunks of cheese as well as grilled vegetables and olives. We also got a portion of bread and olive oil with this, the olive oil was delicious. I assume this is the oil they make themselves, I really want to go back to get a bottle as it was far nicer than anything you can get in the shops.
Our mains were great, although I was pretty full from the antipasti and breads. There were lots of beans, as well as spinach through it, and it was really filling.
The other thing I really loved was the cordial on the menu. I got lime cordial, and it came as the cordial plus a big jug of water so I could mix to up to my preference. I like my cordial really weak so this was perfect!
Cookie also has a lunch deal during the week of £5 mains which I think sounds like great value. Hoping to pop back soon to try these or dinner.
Our bill came to just under £30 for two x two course options, plus a lime cordial and two cokes.

It was that time of year again, my annual visit to the South Side! I was off to visit chums on their patch instead of dragging them out to the West End or City Centre. I had no say on where to go as I don’t know this land, so as always, the local Southsiders picked the restaurant and the boozer.
When told we were going to Cookie, I groaned. Why would they pick a café for food? But, in fairness, this ain’t your regular caf. They operate as a café during the daytime but also a deli /​baker selling homemade bread. At night, Cookie is transformed into a snazzy eatery.
First thing I want to get off my chest was the very confusing pre theatre deal. Its like they were trying to catch you out and hoping you would inadvertently buy something not on it, thus charging you full price — v. annoying! Why not just have a separate menu for this instead of rattling of a list of foods in the deal and expecting us to remember?
Staff were very friendly and keen, but they REALLY liked to blow their own trumpet at Cookie and it got to the point of being annoying. They kept feeding us tales of how they just visited Italy and brought back the finest cured meats, olives, oils and cheese from the Umbria region. How they made olive oil by crushing the olives with their bum cheeks. Anyway, the trick did work and they tempted us into starting with an antipasto plate and boy did we pay for the darn thing. At £25 for 2 wee antipasto plates I choked on my after dinner sweety when I saw the final bill.
The food was all decent enough, not amazing not bad, but the portions were a little small for my hungry appetite. Unfortunately some of the vino we order was pretty horrible, and again, tres expensive!
To top it off we were overcharged by over twenty notes, as they had failed to put through the pre theatre deal, (told you it was confusing).
In summary: I have had better experiences.

Oh this place is sooooo lovely! My wonderful other half and I were exploring the south side last weekend and had a series of really great random experiences, bumping into wee places, some of which we had the fortune of visiting, some of which we had to mark for a definite destination for later.
Fast forward to this week. What great autumn food! It’s perhaps ma fave time of the year and the spread that we treated ourselves to warmed (and filled) us through and through. Risotto, mussels, wine, the service, some succulent sausage, the bread… OH the bread!!! I’m getting hungry again.
The Scottish — Italian mix is certainly not your typical combo, or is it? Nae matter — we loved it. The ingredients felt fresh, you can hear the spoons clinking and if you listen closely, the knives chopping everything up. No tearing of plastic and microwave buttons being pressed. I don’t know much about the Umbrian region, but that’s apparently the connection down south.
No one ever said much about good food when we announced our move to Scotland, least of all my hubby. But if this is any indication of good eats to come, I’m no worried a bit! Dear Cookie, we’ll be back xo

Really enjoyed the few meals I’ve had here. The tables are a bit close together, but they need to be as it’s a popular place.
I’ve waited a bit longer than usual for the food, even at times where it’s not been busy, but it has been nice and I’d have no hesitation returning.

On my first visit (just after they opened) I thought «great food» but «VERY expensive». A more recent visit was a much more satisfying experience — two lunch courses for just under a tenner felt much closer to the mark.
Had a Sea Bass fillet with spinach to start then an amazing Duck with Sweet Potato main — as good as anything you’d get up the West End for sure. We didn’t see anything for the «wee yin» so they quickly knocked up a «small» plate of carbonara for her with fresh home made ribbons of pasta and hunners of garlic — fortunately the plate wasn’t exactly that wee and I got a good munch out of it too.
The place definitely has a lot of personality and a friendly home spun vibe about everything they do — will try dinner again some time soon and report back further.

Excellent place — have the beef shin if it is on, it is sensational. Very good service and laid back atmosphere. The olive oil is like nothing I have tasted, had to buy some to take home.

Tum tee tum, ho hum, la dee da, and do do do. Need coffee, ooh, new place… done deal.
Well this is quite the funky little deli/​café/​restaurant/​grocer/​off license… covering all bases are we guys? And to be honest, in my short visit, it looks like their doing it pretty well.
I popped in here for a wee takeaway coffee and a nosey (as you do) and was delighted to find a welcoming wee joint with a funky deli interior selling tasty deli like grub. Like most of these places, all the gear on sale is fancy, a little pricey but in the main probably worth it. What i did find different in this place was the amount of seating available. Unlike most deli/café’s, the focus in this joint appears to be on the sitty down and eaty customers rather than the other way round.
They also appear to have a number of high end designer kitchen utensils made by names i don’t recognise, but having searched on google, appear to we world renowned… i wonder how you become world renowned? Is there an application form or do i actually need to put in the work or commit a stunningly elaborate crime??? Anyway, back to deli, crime can wait.
Now so far i ain’t had no grub in this gaff, however judging by the wonderful smells invading the air and the look of sheer joy on the faces of the sitty down customers i would say its probably pretty damn good… if a little pricey.
Check this joint out, not totally obvious but well worth finding… go…your still here… go…right now i’m pissed!