Velvet Appetite

What a lovely addition to West Nile Street! This place was «opening soon» for what seemed like months — and thankfully it has finally opened. I hadn’t realised it’s split over two levels with mezzanine seating up the top which looks really lovely. I sat downstairs which is a nice casual seating area, good for a coffee and catch up with a friend. They also sell lots of booze (beers, wine and cocktails) which is handy if you’re looking for an evening destination too (or if you just need a drink after a hard morning at work).
I ordered a strawberry daiquiri after taking the waitresses recommendation — I don’t know why, I was just in the mood for a nice sweet drink. This was one of the nicest cocktails I can remember having in Glasgow so kudos to the waitress who made it, it was seriously delicious and gone in about 30 seconds. Oops. And it was garnished with a plump, delicious strawberry on the side of the glass, yum! Their cocktails are normally £6.50 but selected cocktails are £4 Wed-​Sunday which is a total bargain.
We then decided to get some chips to share and got a portion of the skinny fries and cajun wedges each. I’m not really a wedge fan, but these were really, really good. And the chips were crispness perfection. The waitress sorted us out with a nice selection of sauces presented in wee glass dishes (very fancy) — even the sweet chilli was lovely, and I hate sweet chilli sauce like no other condiment on earth. This one had a good kick of heat to it and none of that artificial sugar taste to it. There was also a «secret mayo» which was really good, with a bit of tang. Also worth noting — the portion of chips was £1.50 and the wedges £1.95. Yes, these are sides but they are crazy cheap prices seeing as you get a pretty good amount in each!
The staff were all super, super nice and really cared about whether we had a good time which was lovely to see. For a new café/​restaurant in Glasgow, this place is doing some seriously good things already, and I can’t wait to head back for a second visit.

We nipped in here for a late lunch after seeing some really good reviews on-​line. So glad we did as the service was great and the food was lovely. We both had burgers and they were so tasty. Can’t wait to try some other items on the menu.

With such a great name I have to admit I had high hopes for Velvet Appetite and they were met pretty well.
We popped in here for a late lunch, eschewing some regular, trusted, haunts in favour of trying something new (one of the many reasons I love Unilocal!). I had this place bookmarked and it was only when we turned the corner I remember walking past it not that long ago. At the time I commented on the location being a little hidden away, and the layout is a little odd as well, with a much larger dining area up some steep stairs, nonetheless we took our seats at the balcony area and ordered some drinks.
One pint of Samuel Adams finest for me, one large glass of rose for Clare S and looking down the menu there seemed to be a good choice and mixture of offerings, toasties, burgers, salads, pizza and more, although thankfully the choices within each category were kept small or we’d have been there for hours trying to choose!
I plumped for a burger, topped with goats cheese and red onion chutney… yup, another burger, when will I learn! I ordered it medium rare and it arrived perfectly cooked, a nice chunky patty with a lot of flavour, the soft tang of the goats cheese and sweet kick from the chutney worked well and the only criticism would be that the bun wasn’t toasted at all. That said, I’ve had toasted buns that fell apart on me and whilst the bun did get a little soggy it held together well… maybe that toasting thing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be? Anyway, fries on the side were pretty standard but overall it was a good plate of food.
I managed to snarfle a little of the chicken pesto and chorizo salad, thin slices of lightly fried chorizo were delicious but the chicken was a little dry. The pesto worked well though.
The décor is pretty modern/​neutral, oddly enough I was expecting a lot more velvet! The staff were friendly and efficient, and while it did take us a wee while to get our bill, it didn’t detract from the experience.
Even with good food, reasonable (city centre) prices and service, and a good selection of drinks, I fear the success of Velvet Appetite will be based on their location over anything else, but I’d definitely suggest you seek them out.

High praise indeed but I really liked this place.
We stopped in at the newly opened Velvet Appetite for a bite to eat on our way to the Hydro so were slightly clock watching. From the outside its not much to look at, but we were immediately greeted with a friendly welcome when we walked through the door.
The downstairs area has some high benches and tables, which I suspect are mainly intended for during the day, but we were directed to the upstairs bistro area.
The woman serving us was super friendly and helpful, asking us where we preferred to sit, bringing us a jug of ice cold water with lemon while we browsed the menu.
The menu outside listed a variety of sandwiches /​toastie style offerings which weren’t on the menus we were given. We asked our lovely waitress who said she’d bring us the other menus and that we could have whatever we fancy.
I’m not sure if there’s really daytime/​evening options but it wasn’t a problem either way.
There was a great selection to choose from including burgers, salads, wraps, toasties,
etc. I wanted a sort of sandwichy option and was told I could choose from bagels, toasts, ciabattas etc customised to my desire.
I opted for an egg salad wholemeal toastie which came with the cutest little pot of tortillas, salad and a sweet dip (I think it was chilli), which seemed like an unusual choice but was truly delicious to dunk my sandwich in. Now a toastie might not seem like the most stringent criteria to judge a place, but honestly it was just so tasty.
My mum opted for the chicken burger with fries and salad. Being a bit of a chip lover/​expert, she proclaimed them the «best skinny chips» shes had!
Unfortunately, our food did take a little longer than we expected to come, meaning we had no time for desserts, but its given me a good excuse to make a return visit sometime soon. I’m not sure who owns the place — (I suspect it might be a family venture), but the quality food, friendly staff and service are everything you want in a place and I’m sure it will go from strength to strength.

I went in here for a coffee with my son and daughter, whilst we waited for my husband to join us.
The staff were friendly and helpful and we decided to stay for something to eat.
The prices were reasonable for the city centre and there was quite a varied menu.
I had the Cajun chicken salad which was lovely. My husband had the same dish, my son had a pizza, which was very nice and my daughter had smoked salmon salad which she too enjoyed.
I would recommend this place and would certainly go back.

Velvet Appetite is a cross between a deli-​café and a restaurant. — I imagine it’d be just perfect for a lunchtime soup or a sandwich with it’s chalkboard menus and laid-​back, relaxed vibe. Equally so, our dinner here was just what we needed.
We stopped by for some tea and coffee but after stealing several glances of the menu, we had our hearts set on dinner. I opted for the smoked salmon salad. The salmon was delicious and fresh and the salad was a nice mix of peppers, tomatoes and salad leaves with some light dressing. It would have been nice if there was a little something extra through the salad (like some olives/​courgette/​aubergine) and the garnish could have been a little punchier as to bring out the flavours. Nonetheless, I was after something light and refreshing and this certainly did the trick!
My parents both chose the cajun chicken salad and it looked so very delicious. I’d definitely recommend that based on their ‘mmm’s and the fact that it looked so fresh and generously seasoned. Definitely my choice next time! My brother’s margherita pizza also looked great. He’s a fussy one and always goes for the same thing when we eat out. — He certainly wasn’t disappointed this time round.
All in all, service was sincere, friendly and fast and we thoroughly enjoyed dinner at Velvet Appetite. It made for a really affordable meal too! We were sat downstairs, and to our left and outside, there were ongoing building works. Not the brightest of views but it would be unfair to discredit VA for that. I’m sure they’ll be complete soon! Velvet Appetite’s upstairs bar and dining area is large and spacious; I do hope that it’s put to use soon as it’s a great space.
What an unexpectedly delicious spontaneous dinner after popping in ‘just for tea!’