Hello, Irene here! Welcome to my first blog post as co-writer of Noble Nourishment. 🙂
Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited to “Lock Stock and Two Smoking Platters” at the Raven in Glasgow City Centre to sample their “slow smoked” menu, and what a night it was.
We were welcomed by one of the lovely hosts, Stuart, who subsequently offered us a glass of Prosecco (beer was also offered) and off we went to choose one of the many tables in “The Nest” area upstairs, which was just beautiful:
 
 
Once settled and sipping happily on our bubbles, Victoria – another host – filled us in on what to expect throughout the rest of the evening: one starter platter, one main platter, and finally a dessert platter. She then gave us a fistful of Raven “Cash”, which allowed for one drink of choice per token (I was advised that one bottle of wine did not equate to one drink… damn! Hehe).
Excited was not the word; I was salivating by this point at the thought of the starter platter: Flour tortillas coated in cheese with jalepenos, sour cream and guacamole, and a portion of spicy chicken wings on the side, and to accompany the wings and tortillas, homemade sauces were on offer including blue cheese dip (extremely cheesy; not for the faint hearted), honey mustard, smokey BBQÂ (A MUST TRY), hot chilli and many more. Behold the sensational starter:
  
The flour tortillas were heavenly; so light and fluffy, and the chicken wings resulted in a proper mmmm moment. The meat fell right off the bone. Both the wings and tortillas were extremely well cooked. A kitchen roll is placed on a board between all the sauces. Genius if you ask me, and very much required.
We then took a breather and ordered a few Hendricks G&T’s (which the barman added cucumber to – much to my delight as a Hendricks fan) and awaited our main platter: baby back ribs, pulled pork, smoked chicken, home cooked chips, sweet potato chips and 2 buttery corn on the cobs, SLURP. I was more than ready for this after such a scrumptious starter. Witness the magnificent main:
This was a delight. So much meaty goodness. The pulled pork was my favourite, hands down, and I’m not even a big fan of pork, usually! It was so tender and flavoursome. The ribs, sigh, the flavours really packed a punch and again the meat just fell off the bone. The smoked chicken was really tasty too, it was succulent and perfectly cooked (sense a theme here?). Halfway through inhaling this platter, we were presented with a surprise dish: homemade macaroni cheese! I thought “can I manage this, really?!” But one whiff of the spectacular aroma from the macaroni cheese quickly reassured me that yes, yes I could manage it.
Utter. Cheesy. Joy. It wasn’t too thick or runny, it was simply sublime.
There was nothing left on the platter or in the bowl. Nothing. I was struggling to breathe by this point, I had succumbed to my greed. So what else was there to do but order some more drinks whilst awaiting dessert? We were informed the dessert would be a little while so as we waited, we ordered some Havana Club 7 year old rum and some beers. The range of Beers on offer is very impressive. Blue Moon, Estrella and Erdinger were the choices of the evening for my other half, and Erdinger was his favourite, and comes highly recommended. The range of spirits is extremely impressive also. If I wasn’t working the next day…
  
It was time…
Dessert was placed in front of us: mini doughnuts, pecan pie, a large cookie and some ice cream, all homemade. This was SO worth the wait! Here are the terrific treats:
This was a personal highlight, as I have sweet teeth, not just a sweet tooth. I can’t get enough of baked goods and doughy delights. The doughnuts were incredibly soft and in no way greasy. The pecan pie was a taste sensation, I NEED to try and recreate it. The ice cream was light and delicious, and the cookie was faultless. All in all a perfect little combination. I was sad there weren’t 5 more platefuls going spare for me to devour.
So, the night had come to an end. We were stuffed, slightly inebriated and very satisfied.
The Raven has got it spot on. The menu, both food and drink, is really impressive and the prices are good for Glasgow City Centre. The venue has a cool, laid back ambience; perfect for after work drinks, a romantic date, a night out with pals, or dinner with the family. The music was a mix of soul and some old school indie. The staff were fantastic, attentive, very polite and informative. Finally, the location is great, near the top of Renfield Street, only a 5 minute walk from central station.
My final verdict? Fantastic. I wouldn’t hesitate to go back and I have been raving about it ever since.
Irene Noble