Dim sum, tapas, heck - party buffets with plates of tiny little sausages and cheese and pineapple on a stick… there’s just something about food served in lots of little dishes that turns just about any dining experience into some sort of wonderful exciting feast – whether that be a picnic in your local park or (a more winter friendly option) sharing a selection of tasty dishes in your new favourite city centre chow down retreat.
Glasgow is full of such wonderful little places and spaces – Kuta on Bath Street being my latest find. Nestled in the basement of hairy fairy fabulous Taylor Ferguson (hairdresser to the likes of Billy Connelly and Lulu apparently – he admits it on his website and everything!) Kuta is a haven of fabulous fusion food, seductive lighting, unexpected baroque touches and the most delicious dark rum beastie referred to reverently as ‘The Kraken’ – once sipped, never forgotten.
It was a quiet Sunday evening when I met up with one of my oldest friends for an evening of catch up and Christmas shopping cool down. We were seated immediately and offered up information on personal favourites, specials and vital advice on how ‘seafoody’ the seafood dish was (we’re both quite new to this fishy business).
And while the steak and burger options sounded appetising (both spicy and served with sweet potato chips) we decided to get our very own table picnic on, opting to share two 3 bowl starters (£7.95 per three) from the list of small dishes, and one 3 bowl main from the large dishes selection (£12.95 per three).
top left - right: chicken satay skewers, chicken and noodle tom yum soup, vegetable spring rolls
bottom left - right: duck spring rolls, breaded okra, shellfish tempura**
So came the starters – hot little bowls of duck and vegetable spring rolls with plum dipping sauce (crispy and stuffed full of goodness – especially the duck which was rich and spicy), chicken satay skewers with the lightest most moreish satay sauce I’ve ever tasted, chicken and noodle tom yum soup (lots of noodles – lots of thai style creamy spicy soup), breaded okra with chilli and garlic mayonnaise (crispy, crunchy flowery things – who knew?) and the dreaded mixed shellfish tempura – mussels, oysters, king prawns and scallops – and colour me happy, I’m a shellfish convert (although I may demand them in such a light tempura batter going forward, could be tricky but I’m committed to the cause.)
It may sound like a lot of food, and heck I’m not going to lie – there was plenty on our platter(s) but everything was light, tasty and bite size good. The 3 bowl main is a similar pick what you fancy menu and served on a lazy susan style tray that lets you spin and share with your dining companion(s).
Clockwise: spiced honey glazed pork belly with coconut steamed rice, butter chicken with rice noodles and mixed peppers and Malaysian style vegetables with coriander rice**
We were recommended the butter chicken (served with rice noodles and mixed peppers) and could happily recommend this on – tiny little pieces of melt in your mouth chicken in a delicious dark glaze with well seasoned noodles that guarantee to send your fork into a spinning frenzy – think Asian lady and the tramp and you’ve got the perfect sharing dish. We also shared the spiced honey glazed pork belly with coconut steamed rice. The pork belly was charred to perfection and the rice slightly sticky and oh so wonderful. Our final bowl was of Malaysian style vegetables with coriander rice. My partner in eating is a spice fiend so we asked for a little extra heat with these which was delivered in this deliciously hot treat. Fusion fabulous!
The Captain's Rest cocktail - The Kraken lurks within!**
And if your evening is more pre-club merriment with drinks a plenty then Kuta also has an impressive cocktail menu and stylish bar area - one of the select elite to stock Caribbean dark rum The Kraken.
Named after a sea beast of myth and legend because of the inky dark tentacles it coats its captive glass with, The Kraken is strong, enriched with exotic spices including cinnamon, ginger and enticingly good. It adds a kick to coke (if asking for some KrakenCoke doesn’t terrify you too much in a Glasgow bar) but we decided to test our seafaring legs by sampling it in the form of The Captain’s Rest – mixed with Chambord black raspberry liquor, apricot brand, apple juice, cranberry juice, lemon juice and gomme syrup. Gommenomnomnom.
Kuta is run by Alan Tomkins (of Glasgow’s Urban Bar & Brasserie, Vroni’s Wine Bar, Vodka Wodka, Bolly Mardy’s and Blue Dog) and is situated in the basement of 104 Bath Street, the space once occupied by Tapela.
The Kraken has an RRP of £22.99 for a 70cl bottle, and is available nationally in good off-licenses and supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and Peckham’s delicatessen.
