Brett restaurant review: Expansive fine dining
A buzz of excitement exudes from the menu of this elegant space
Paying £68 for three courses is not unreasonable these days although there are myriad ways that the bill can rise at Brett, be it snacks, extra courses, wine-matching or caviar add-ons. It’s worth it though; seven years after opening and fresh from a refit in March, Brett has evolved from wine bar to open-fire restaurant and is as good as ever. Quiet anticipation builds as checks go in and are called out (whispered actually) to the team in full view of diners. ‘That’s ours coming now’, you’ll find yourself whispering in response.
A chicken wing is a snack in name only, the fatty crispness giving way to a deep, enriching mousseline of haggis, while an elderflower jelly adds just enough brightness at the end. A coil of wheaty, chewy linguine is topped with a fat anchovy in a bed of 24 month-aged parmesan foam that does everything parmesan ought to in the airiest way imaginable, so all three components get their moment. It’s bold and delicious. Monkfish, another rockstar ingredient, comes in a sweet, earthy broth where brown butter and Jerusalem artichoke interplay, but it’s a leftfield spike of finger lime that really makes things soar.
Everything sounds exciting on the page, in a ‘how is that going to work?’ sort of way. Jersey royals, peas and broad beans always get on well, but Brett takes them from garden to sea in perhaps the best dish of all, via a masterfully thin hollandaise with pepper dulse and celeriac. The refresh has made it a more pleasant space to dine, with everything (especially the seats) at a better level. The palette is softer and the kitchen is now the focal point for food underpinned by precision, purpose and cooking that’s as full-blooded as it is elegant.
Brett, 321 Great Western Road, Glasgow; average price £68 for three courses.