From the team behind Glasgow mainstay Ox and Finch and Scottish Southeast Asian-inspired chain Ka Pao comes Margo, a new venture focussing on modern Scottish dishes featuring seasonal produce.
The renowned Scottish restaurant group Scoop aims for something ‘bigger and bolder’ in Margo, a natural evolution from their decade-old fusion favourite Ox and Finch, set in an industrial-chic space with terracotta tiling giving it a warm touch. Here, there will be a renewed emphasis on making produce from scratch in-house - the kitchen team will be baking bread as well as butchering their own meat and making fresh pasta.
The menu, headed up by Scoop veteran and Glasgow native Robin Aitken, features exciting takes on Scottish cuisine merging the finest local seafood and meat with imaginative fusion flavours, and will evolve with the seasons to reflect the finest in local produce. Highlights include smoked haddock with manchego and saffron to start, followed by beetroot with goat’s curd and cocoa tortelloni or more substantial dishes like skate wing with kumquat kosho, trout roe and green peppercorns. There are also some lavish, more traditional feasting-style plates for special occasions, such as half Creedy Carver duck with liver parfait, marmalade, and toast.
Dessert features similar imaginative versions of the classics, such as lemon and sorrel posset, or blackberry and fennel meringue. The wine list is ambitious, with both classic fine wines and natural and biodynamic varieties from smaller producers, and the cocktail list has been designed in-house to pair with Aitken’s food. Frozen martinis are a signature here, and the ubiquitous classics have been reinvigorated using techniques such as fat-washing and carbonation.
For fans of Ox and Finch and visitors to Glasgow keen on innovative cuisine that avoids cliche, you can’t go wrong with Margo.