Tusco restaurant review: A strong and varied menu
The new addition to Glasgow’s culinary scene is a low-lit marvel offering a variety of small plates
Tusco occupies a Glasgow address with a rich culinary history. In 1989, Two Fat Ladies started off serving exciting seafood here at 88 Dumbarton Road (hence the name), then Eighty-Eight picked up the mantle with enjoyable European and global small plates. New owners Hinba, who began life roasting in Oban, now have a few coffee shops around town as well as Ziques in Hyndland. They also owned the neighbouring coffee shop for a few years, which co-existed with Eighty-Eight, before they took over the lot, retaining staff and rebranding.
A makeover has created a low-lit moody bistro with dark terracotta walls, brown panelling and earthy green banquettes, while the linked café becomes a cocktail bar on weekend nights. The teeny kitchen is front-of-house, letting passers-by ogle the chefs, while diners jump at occasional fumbled pan clangs. The menu homes in on the former bistro’s Italian leanings, jettisoning the rest. It’s the usual small-plates affair, two or three per person, which’ll be a blowout for most folk. Gaps between arrivals can be noticeable which is ok: the kitchen is super-tiny after all, plus diners get to dwell and savour.
Everything is enjoyable, with nicely balanced combinations. Seafood is a strength: refreshing salmon crudo is diligently diced with citrus-punchy rhubarb and chilli, while lovely sea bream, crisp skin-on, tenderly flakes with a bisque sauce and hearty potato terrine layered with nduja. The spicy sausage pops up again with mascarpone over charred hispi cabbage, while bavette steak is accomplished; tender and blushing in a rich, savoury, buttery sauce with smoky almonds and chicory. A few cocktails appear on the main menu: a Negroni or Spritz as aperitif, and digestifs including the inimitable Frangelico. Puds are minimal, with an orange panna cotta or a tiramisu that is more homely than fancy pasticceria.
Tusco, 88 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow; average price £30 for two courses.