The Trading House

So went over to Trading House (located right under the Swipii HQ) for a nice dinner with my ex-​colleagues from Swipii. Honestly wasn’t expecting much from this restaurant so I was pleasantly surprised with my dinner!
The place has really nice deco and a pretty lively atmosphere but was a tad loud for me. I’m not the biggest fan of loud restaurants because hey, I like to talk and catch up with friends without having to shout in their ear, but we managed while there!
Didn’t get any drinks that night but it seems like they have tons of beer options and liquor for sure.
So for dinner, I ordered coleslaw (£1.60), half a chicken (£9.95) which comes with chips of course and a side of ketchup. The half chicken was roasted I think, seasoned with salt, pepper and other stuff that I wasn’t sure of. It was an okay meal. Nothing great but good enough, and super huge portions. Was super stuffed at the end!
They have stuff in the menu like «Malaysian curry» which doesn’t convince me whatsoever but I’d try their comfort food. Defo!
Overall, a decent and pleasant experience overall! I think if I’m feeling super hungry, crave some alcohol and want comfort food, def will come back. It’s affordable and pretty good.

This review gives me great pleasure to write, as I had been very excited about The Trading House before it opened, initially *extremely* disappointed, but it has well and truly redeemed itself!
I got to go to one of their «VIP» preview nights and to be honest, it was a total riot. Far, faaar too busy, a lot of awful people milling about and needing to wait ages for drinks. I was so gutted after that, as I thought it was indeed a preview of what TH would be like normally, but I was determined to return to give it another shot. Especially since I did still manage to get a cocktail, beer and Prosecco at the preview night for nowt, I didn’t really feel that was worthy of a review.
Somewhere that was all «antiquities and curiosities» and fairly Victorian-​ish just had to be a place I would love, right?
Right…eventually! Myself and Paul S returned for dinner last week as they’re currently offering 50% off food in January as long as you book through the website and there were many things I wanted to try off their menu. It’s quite a clever ploy really, because I’d probably go back to try other food items now and happily pay full price for them!
The staff were lovely when we went in (they had also been lovely last time I was there, but mega-​stressed due to said riot of a preview night) and took us through to the back, an area I never even got to see on my previous visit. I absolutely love the décor, there are loads of interesting things dotted about the place, lamps with tassels on etc. and it really does have a lovely old-​fashioned feel about it.
I opted for the chorizo and chicken pie, which arrived as an ACTUAL PIE and not a pretend pie made of a tray and pastry lid. Bonus points for that alone, but the pie itself was totally delish as well. I opted for chips and they were very tasty indeed, they were also crispy enough which I do like in chip. Yum. I avoided the mushy peas (well, actually I tried a bit to see if I still hate mushy peas, turns out I still hate mushy peas) but my dish also came with the most adorable wee jug of gravy, which both Mr Debs and I had great pleasure in slathering all over the aforementioned chips. So good. Paul got a steak and let me try a bit, it was really good! He asked for it medium-​rare, and medium-​rare it was, better than some steaks I’ve had in more expensive establishments.
Service continued to be good even when it started getting a bit busier, and while I wasn’t entirely sure the live music really matched the surroundings, I think it’s great they’re giving a platform to local musicians who might not otherwise get a chance.
Hope I’ll be back soon!

Orange juice + pineapple juice+ vodka does not equal a cocktail. It’s barely a boozy smoothie.
I have struggled to find a decent cocktail recently since a lot of bars in Glasgow do not employ trained bartenders (and get their cocktail recipes from google, I assume). But The trading house cocktail menu is a well thought, inventive, surprising and classy menu.
I am all over floral cocktails at the moment, so I had the Earl grey and lavender martini, the Rose cosmo and the Lemon and jasmine martini. Three absolute triumph. Fresh, perfumed, a little strong just like I love them. The food was lovely too although we had the Christmas menu so I cannot vouch for a la carte.
I wrote an article about the experience on my blog if you fancy a read.

Having visited The Trading House twice now I have to say I’m a bit disappointed. For weeks, I felt like it was all anyone was talking about and I was desperate to try it out for myself, but now I just feel like I’m missing a trick!
Our first visit was purely for drinks after a meal that evening, and despite it being a very quiet night in terms of custom it still took us forever to be served. The variety on the drinks menu was a bit of a redeeming factor, but also slightly overwhelming due to the sheer amount of choice. The cocktail menu has a fantastic selection and having tried a fair few (both alcoholic and non alcoholic) I’d definitely recommend trying them, if cocktails are your thing.
We visited again a few weeks later, this time to try the food, and again faced similar issues. We arrived in the very early evening for a «late lunch» and were shown through to the large restaurant space at the back of the building. Much like our previous visit it was very quiet, although I would say that was due to our timing, but service was still very slow. Unlike before, though, they were clearly well staffed with numerous servers hanging about chatting. It was a quiet night, so I’d say its forgiveable, but it is annoying when we were waiting to be served.
I feel like the food was just alright. I had the baked Camembert for my starter which was decent enough, but not a showstopper. My main was the steak sandwich which arrived lukewarm with a pretty pathetic portion of limp fries — not the most appetizing! Tasted okay though, and my OH enjoyed his burger.
One of the real bonuses of the place is the fact that they have live music on every night, which really adds some atmosphere. The manager on duty at the time did check in with us a couple of times to make sure that the volume wasn’t disturbing us and that everything was okay, which was a nice touch.
I’d probably visit again for a casual cocktail and to listen to the entertainment, but I don’t think I’d be going back for food any time soon.

Popped in here for a few drinks after work and have mixed feelings.
Firstly it’s a cracking big space, I love the long bar but it does feel like they could maybe have gotten in a few more tables in the bar area? But then is it really a restaurant with a small bar, or a bar with a small restaurant? Hard to tell, seating through to the rear is for those who are dining (and I think I’ll be back to try the food).
They have a good selection of ales on, although none of the names are written on the chalkboards at the pump so you have to ask, and price wise it was a little over what I would expect given there are two decent enough pubs very close by (Counting House and Auctioneers).
The staff were very friendly and helpful enough, but there is just something about the place that seems odd.
Maybe it’s the décor which seems to be going for a cross between Davy Crockett (with stuffed animals and ye olde wooden implements) and … well I’m not really sure. Whatever they were aiming for, they missed.
Hopefully a return visit, and a sampling of their food, will cement this place in my mind, whether that’s for the better, or for the worse, I’ll just have to wait and see!

First visit to this new place. Apparently it’s only been open for five weeks. The bar is really well done. Classic style, taking many cues from the 1910’s and ’20’s.
They even have some of their own beers, brewed by the owners. It’s more informal than its neighbour Anchor line, as is the menu.
The food was great, the deep fried onion flower is excellent. Definitely worth a try. I had a chicken pie for mains. Nice meal, although I probably wouldn’t have it again, not because there was anything wrong with it, but very filling.
I’ll definitely be back, especially as they ask you to fill in a questionnaire and offer you a bottle of prosecco on your birthday for your efforts.

I was really looking forward to going but, to be honest, I was a bit disappointed.
First of all, the positive:
Stunning place with a nice ambience and must have cost mega-​bucks, to renovate: the gantry is amazing and the toilets are beautiful. A special mention to Callum who was extremely nice and helpful.
Negatives:
It was very cold in it so we left earlier that normal.
Food OK. Friends all enjoyed theirs but I would give the onion petals a miss as I struggled to eat any of them.
Didn’t like the dessert being served in a mixing bowl — very strange choice!
Weird selection of vodkas, most I’d never heard of, so I had none. :(A Bacardi and draught coke costs £4:50 and must have been a tiny measure so not a place to just go for a few drinks.
I would go back but not in any rush.

I’ve been putting off writing this review as I really, really want to love the Trading House. I had been watching their launch with interest, with its lovely horses parading around the town, the reveal of the menu and the intriguingly dressed staff appearing on their social media posts, not to mention the stunning revival of a once sadly neglected and almost green coloured stone fronted Citizen building… so I was excited to finally visit when it opened. I have now visited twice, once for drinks with friends and once for a romantic dinner for two. I have put off writing this review as I don’t like writing what I perceive to be negative, but it is my honest opinion and I feel that having been once and felt a little disappointed, then visited again to give another chance for the food and still felt the same that this is my ‘complete’ view having visited at different times and had both food and drink.
The first visit we had was to experience their drinks, and have a nosey at the building. I’m impressed with what they have done with the front of the building, I always like to visit pubs and restaurants in old buildings as this lends itself to a nice atmosphere full of character. There were no seats at the front of the building, only at the back (it was a busy evening) but the back of the building isn’t as grand as the front. We sat together browsing the menus, which were extensive, and tried out two of the draught beers and one of the ‘brewers and traders’ samples– I really couldn’t decide as their selection is so big and so varied! On this occasion it took a long time to get served at the bar, although the staff at the bar were happy to explain about the drinks which they had there were not really enough staff at the bar on that visit. I love craft beer and their ale encyclopedia intrigued me, but some of the beers are over £6 when I know I could buy them in a specialist beer shop for considerably less than that. I know that you are paying for the service and the surroundings, but even beers we expect to be much more widely available as they are not as specialist were very expensive. I really loved my beer/​cocktail combo (which was unusual, but let us taste several different things between us, so a nice treat).
The second visit we had was a lovely late afternoon romantic dinner out. we had booked online beforehand and thought it would be good to try their vegetarian options to see what they were like. Again, we were greeted at the door by a friendly well dressed member of staff, who took us to our table and gave us menus. A second member of staff came over to ask us for our order but we had not quite decided, she was really friendly and helpful and asked at the bar about the beers which we had wanted to know about, I had also ordered a Cardamom smash which came in lovely tall glass, garnished with fresh mint. Beautiful! The starter was a small tart, it was like a little quiche and came with a few salad leaves and a drizzle of dressing beside it. This was a rich cheesy flavour, with onions in the bottom layer. Delicious, if small. The Malaysian curry was OK, it was nicely presented with fresh vegetable garnish and quite tasty but really not particularly Malaysian– it was enjoyable but was just ‘curry’. The cauliflower cheese pie was not that much larger than the starter, I was expecting a larger bowl and overflowing cauliflower, but what I had was garnished with picked cauliflower (not to my taste, but a nice touch), but was not much bigger than the starter and came with a spoonful of peas and peppery chips. For £11!!!
After we had paid for our meal we went to have a look at the private dining room and beer tasting room, which were stunningly decorated and looked really impressive. A member of staff noticed us browsing and asked us how our meal was, I told her what I now have written in this review, and she listened and offered to get the manager. The manager asked us for our view of dinner and did genuinely seem to be interested in our opinion. She offered us a drink each and thanked us for our honest feedback, but I am sad to say I won’t be back in the Trading House on a regular basis, I had hoped it would be my ‘posh treat’ but it is really doesn’t live up to my original hopes.
I really like the interesting cocktail range, and the splendid selection of beers, but in my opinion it is just overpriced for a pub. The front of the building is beautiful and they have obviously considered the décor and Victoriana style with care. Looking at the London menus online, there is hardly any price difference between the two for food or cocktails. The staff are faultless, giving you almost silver service– the food does not reflect the standard of service or décor, it is just ‘pub food’.

I’m going to preface this review by saying I’ll be back and will update my review in the near future.
But I was super disappointed with The Trading House last night.
I went for one of their opening nights (also wondering how many more weeks they’re going to stretch these out for) last night with an intrepid bunch of Unilocalers.
The super swanky invites (which were, in all seriousness, awesome!), said we would be treated to am evening of canapés and cocktails. Unfortunately, I never had either. Basically, they overfilled the bar (felt like half of Glasgow was there) while also understaffing it — result being that when we went to the bar to order our cocktails they had already decided to stop making them, and were only serving beer, wine or spirits.
For a bar that’s marketing itself as a cocktail bar, this is pretty poor in my opinion. That said. The cocktail menu was pretty good, and surprisingly reasonable. And there was a decent selection of mocktails too.
I’ve no idea if the canapés ever arrived — after an hour we were so hungry we just left and went to pinto!
Like I said, I’ll be returning. I loved the look of the place, this night was just badly handled.
3 stars for being new, nice look, and decent beer.

I like — I like a lot! This is a welcome addition to the city centre and can see it being mobbed in the coming weeks.
I had noticed they were working on the building a few weeks back so had kept an eye open to see what was opening — and Unilocal did not let me down so I knew it had opened this week. So a well timed night out with my best friend was already in the diary and off we popped to see what this place had to offer.
Inside they have clearly taken their time and spent a fortune to make it look cool. With an eccentric old fashioned feeling and laid back vibe I knew I loved it from the minute I walked in. It was fairly busy so we nabbed the very extensive cocktail menu and set about making our first choice. There was so much to choose from and it was a sangria rose that we decided upon and we got served pretty quick by one of the lovely young chaps behind the bar. He took his time making it but hey it was worth the wait — fruity and yummy and reminded me of summer!
We managed to get a perfect table at the window and that came with table service — yay! He was great at appearing when we needed him and happy to give us some great suggestions from the cocktail menu as we were happy to try a few out. We ended up having the blueberry gin fizz, a strawberry vodka yummy one (can’t remember the name!) and the epic — must have if you go — peach and pineapple mojito.
All in a great night and we will certainly be back. I didn’t get a look at the food menu but there were yummy smells coming from the kitchen!

I was lucky enough to be one of the first to visit The Trading House yesterday, and what a treat we got!
The soft launch started last night and runs until Sunday before the full launch on Monday, and if the media preview on Thursday afternoon was anything to go by — I don’t see it struggling in a city obsessed with burger bars.
A new brand from the Gusto Group (part of the company who brought us Grill on the Corner — but different), the theme here is based on the East India Trading company, and there’s some fantastic décor to go along with this — without being overpowering like TGI’s for example.
The staff have gone through some serious training and specialist staff such as Keiran (assistant beer guru) are clearly passionate about what they do. They know the background to the drinks they’re mixing and pouring, and they’ve sampled ALL the menu in order to provide great recommendations.
Their faces light up when you ask ‘What do YOU like on this menu?’ And can’t wait to expertly discuss the 80 ales, extensive gins and mouthwatering menu.
I had the goat’s cheese & tomato quiche to start (I loved that to me it looked like a ‘football pie’) followed by Malaysian chicken curry, and topped off with sticky toffee pudding (surprisingly light…) All portions were just perfect, and for someone like me who has both a stomach condition, and a fussy taste, I didn’t struggle to choose.
Mains include such delights as half/​whole chicken, ‘hanging kebabs’ (they look incredible — please get one), steaks, fish, and a small burger selection (just incase you want to taste a real burger instead of your usual Five Guys).
There’s live music also, from local acoustic talent, which is just the right volume and style to create both a relaxed afternoon lunch vibe, and later, a post-​work bar atmosphere.
I urge you to sample for yourself, experience some of the friendliest staff, and tasty tasty cocktails. We’re headin back next week… sadly the horse driven stage coach which collected us yesterday won’t be there though