At around 2.55pm on Thursday 26 February, the first dish was served before the first service at Eleven Fifty Five, Finnieston’s newest restaurant. Smoked and glazed chicken wings sitting below a colourful and zingy collection of carrot, green beans and tarragon with a shallot dressing. “Deceptively simple” chef-owner Peter McKenna declared, before disappearing back into the kitchen. It was two hours before the new project from the team who made The Gannet one of the city’s favourite restaurants for over a decade. They were preparing for a new chapter. It starts with the first dish that leaves the pass in the kitchen, then keeps going.
It’s worth remembering that The Gannet opened in what had been a derelict tenement building on a moribund stretch of Argyle Street that was only beginning to show signs of life. Finnieston and the surrounding streets have seen a remarkable renaissance in the last 15 years with independent hospitality businesses creating a new approach to Glasgow hospitality. Eleven Fifty Five moves forward with a new outlook to maintain that momentum.
Start with oysters served with a Vietnamese dressing. Tear off a chunk of the milk bread, baked inhouse, and lather it in butter. Enjoy an XMuse vodka martini with an olive. Order beef tartare with caramalised bone marrow, parsley and sourdough crisps. Follow with braised lamb, crisp sweetbreads and poached spring vegetables. For dessert, a praline, caramel and dark chocolate bar with Guinness ice cream. Afterwards, an Irish coffee with Kinahans Irish Whiskey. That should give you an idea of the direction this new restaurant is going.
1155 Argyle St, Finnieston G3 8TB
5. Eleven Fifty Five
The 52 cover restaurant has undergone a significant renovation, drawing inspiration from cosy Irish snugs, years of travel and the style of Parisian bistrots. The furniture has been made by local carpenters and the space upholstered with forest green tones. | Paul Trainer
6. Eleven Fifty Five
Peter says the menu involves riffs on what you would classically association with a bistro: “I will do it differently because the way I look at food, I look at my experience to date, and when you're putting a plate of food together, it's like a prism. You take all your experience, what you're into, and then you feed it through and own what it is, the way that your mind works. Everything has been amped up to the eighth degree. It's going to be singing." | Paul Trainer