Cupcakes for You, Glasgow

Having started out as a cake shop, Cupcakes for You is now a quaint, vintage tearoom that is like a throwback to the 1940's.

Situated on Dumbarton Road it will soon be temporarily closing in order to expand the premises to meet the demand.

And it's no surprise why.

One of my lovely 'besties', Kirsteen, kindly offered to take me to afternoon tea and after not long returning from a fortnight in rural Ghana living on noodles, sweet bread and powdered milk, how could I resist?

Before I even tasted the cakes I instantly loved the place. It is very small, squeezing in three tables at most, but yet there is so much to look at when you arrive. There is a wireless, a gramophone, fine china to eat and drink from and also books about what Glasgow looked like back in the day which I always love.
               

Another thing I love is you are surrounded by cakes and I mean literally surrounded as there are lots of little cupcakes dotted around the shop. 

After being warmly welcomed we were shown to our table and our afternoon tea quickly arrived. There was a good selection of sandwiches ranging from beef, egg, ham and tuna as well as some sausage rolls but more importantly there was a great mix of amazing looking treats.

                                       

The first one I jumped for and reluctantly halved was the crispy cake. Anyone who knows me also knows I have a weird obsession with these and this one did not disappoint with chewy oats, flakes and chunks of chocolate throughout. 

I'd say the meringue was my favourite though; surely nothing can beat it when there is a chewy center and raspberry coulis on top. The lemon cupcake was definitely a close second but if I'm honest everything tasted great. I even scoffed a piece of gingerbread which I'm not usually a fan of.

It's safe to say after all this we were burst and I deliberated with myself whether it was socially acceptable to undo the tie belt around my waist... Kirst had wisely opted for a loose top, she's clearly been in this predicament before.

                      

But we were told there was still more to come (!) in the form of scones straight out the oven. Purely down to feeling my dress was about to rip in two I could only manage half.

Cupcakes for You was definitely good value for money, not just because Kirst paid! The food was a delight and the voucher deal we had was £20 per couple which included bottomless tea and a glass of fizz. I  like that the tearoom also makes cakes to takeaway as well as for events and weddings. Looking online I also see the gramophone and the crockery are available to hire out which is a great idea for anyone looking to host a vintage themed party.

It was by far a Sunday well spent; listening to old songs on the wireless, being provided with excellence service from Wendi, eating some lovely homebaked treats and drinking strong, warm tea... without powdered milk (Hooray!).

Cupcakes for You

1251 Dumbarton Road

Whiteinch

Glasgow

G14 9UU

07983 553 738

Opening Hours:

Tue - Sun: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

@cupcakes4youx

facebook.com/cupcakes4you

Las Iguanas, Glasgow

Blondie always seems to know when a new restaurant in town is going to open (probably before the owners do themselves) so when she mentioned a new South American style restaurant would be opening we knew the lassies had to have a much needed get together and go.

When we arrived at Las Iguanas it was fairly quiet but I am sure on a busy night it would have a great atmosphere. With the interior you can tell it is part of a franchise but I still really liked it. 

Wee Lorz and I ordered the Cana Royale which is Magnifica cachaça, raspberry liqueur & elderflower, topped with Cava. The waitress warned us on two occasions the drinks were quite strong and suggesting that for this reason we might not enjoy them. This was met with a confused look from myself and wee Lorz and I'm sure it comes as no surprise to most that we could have happily had a second.

I definitely can't fault the staff on their friendliness as well as their willingness to help Blondie with her coriander allergy. However the time to take orders was a little too long and no one wants to be sitting across from wee Lorz when she's hungry... "I'm going to eat the table!"

We finally got to order our food and Blondie decided on the cayenne chicken and avocado torta. Myself and wee Lorz went for the cayenne coated fried chicken flatbread served with salad or fries.. I nearly made the mistake of ordering chips until I realised you could get curly fries (!). Luckily we didn't have to wait too much longer for all of this to arrive on our table.

The chicken had a lovely crispy coating with a nice kick from the cumin and mustard that it is tossed in and the creamy cayenne mayonnaise in the flatbread was a delight; so much so we ordered more to dip our curly fries into. We definitely made light work of the curly fries as well since you can't really go wrong with them.

There was a of eating in this meal, we were told the lunch portions are the same size as the a la carte, but I still felt it was on the pricey side. Especially when so many places in town offer good lunchtime deals. I would always rather have a cheaper, lighter option that doesn't make me want to put my head on my desk and have a quick, sneaky snooze. Most of the cocktails are reduced to £5 on the lunch menu but again I don't feel is that much of a steal since I expect to pay roughly that amount regardless of the time. 

I'm not sure if this restaurant is the first place that would spring to my mind for South American food, right now that place is still held for Viva Brazil on Bothwell Street and Las Iguanas stood out to me as more of a Mexican cuisine.  However you know you've been given a decent meal when the smallest of the three lassies literally wipes her plate clean and the remnants of mine...

                                       

Las Iguanas

16-20 West Nile Street

Glasgow G1 2PW

0141 248 5705

Opening Hours:

Monday- Thursday 12.00 - 23.00 Friday & Saturday 12.00-23.30 Sunday 12.00 - 22.30

@lasiguanasglag

facebook.com/iguanasglasgow

Lola and Livvys, Glasgow Cafe and Deli

Under Glasgow Central Station bridge is not the first place that springs to mind when you think of eating out for lunch. Which is why it came as a bit of a surprise to find the hidden gem that is Lola and Livvy's in exactly that spot. With a cute, vintage bike sitting outside it's a wonder how I'd never noticed the cafe before or picked up the lovely smell of Italian coffee coming through its open door (especially in comparison to some other odours that lurk around there).

                              

The cafe is run by the very friendly and ever present Edwardo who chats to his customers without it being over the top. Even though there is a menu he explained in a bit more detail about what was on offer and had me sold on the homemade spicy tomato soup with the freshly baked mozzarella, chorizo and pesto focaccia. It was an absolute delight and something I think is missing from Glasgow's lunch time menu - homemade food. 

                               

Other things on offer include baked potatoes, paninis and sandwiches with a variety of fillings. There are also three freshly made hot dishes, including one vegetarian option, and these tend to change daily ranging from chicken ragu to courgette pasta.

As you can tell I cannot rate Lola and Livvy's highly enough so much so I may have accidentally ate part of a brown paper bag trying to tuck into a takeaway focaccia... just a tiny bit! However the only thing I would say is the cakes tend to be the same (carrot cake is never my first option no matter how good it looks) and I also think they are missing out on a trick by not updating their Facebook page or Twitter account. I'm sure Blondie will back me up on this! 

But check it out, it's a lovely, little cafe and finally gives all of us Glaswegians a reason to venture under the bridge. 

_________________

Lola and Livvy's

254 Argyle Street Glasgow G2 8D

0141 258 0161

Open Weekdays 7.30am-7pm, Saturdays 9am-5pm

@lolaandlivvys 

facebook.com/lolaandlivvys

Meet the Lassies

We are three Scottish (well one Scomerican) lassies who work in new media in the public sector & love to lunch. Whether we're making the most of our one hour lunch eating out around Glasgow, baking treats for the office or creating the inaugural salad club we never skip lunch. So who are we?

Wee Lorz:

The smallest member of the team, with the biggest food obsession. She likes to talk a lot about what she's been eating, is about to eat or what she wants to make to eat. In her absolute element when she gets to spend a day in the kitchen cooking up a storm, with a glass of wine of course. Loves Middle Eastern, Mexican and Italian, finished off with a double espresso!

Blondie:

Even though she's lived in the UK for over 9 years she still cooks and bakes using American measurements. Her favourite foods include Cincinnati style chili, square sausage and anything watermelon flavoured. She hates oranges and coriander  but the latter only because she's allergic. She also blogs over as Transatlantic Blonde. While these twisted chips with cheese and ranch were amazing she's now trying to eat healthier.

Stephie:

She has an unhealthy obsession with corn on the corb, cereal without milk and breakfast tea but not at all once. Although she is trying to eat healthily her least favourite lunch is soup... or salad and she has a sweet tooth that can't be ignored.  Stay posted for some baking recipes as she started to bake recently, her biggest success being orange and white chocolate cake (the 4th attempt).

We will always be honest, always accept free cocktails and always share not just our successes but our fails as well. After all that amazing recipe on Pinterest isn't so amazing if it doesn't work in real life!