Restaurant review: Barolo Grill, Glasgow

Fabulousness. I think that Edinburgers are a bit shy about this word – as if it might diminish our Miss Jean Brodieness, so we prefer to ghettoise our bedazzle in a long thin strip (which, for the purposes of this review, we’ll call “George Street”). While, in contrast, I’d say that Glasgow has pockets of it sewn across the whole city, like sequins.

This new Italian restaurant, Barolo Grill, which was formerly L’Ariosto, and is part of the Di Maggio’s group – who also own Cafe Andaluz and Amarone – is one such example of this.

Although it’s situated on a very un-bling row of pubs, dry-cleaners and travel agents, this eatery is still unashamedly fab inside, with black glass chandeliers, leather booths the colour of American-tan tights, swirly frosted glass partitions, and Sinatra’s That’s Life on the stereo.

The lengthy menu has been designed with something for even the fussiest of eaters, with grills, salads, seafood, pasta and pizza – the whole kit and caboodle.

It looks like proper blow-out food, so I paced myself with the caprino con pera, or goats cheese and pear salad (£5.95), while my dining partner, Rolf fancied the involtini alla Piemontese (£6.45).

The latter were crispy filo pastry tubes, which had been specially designed for those who no longer have any need for arteries. They were deep-fried, glossy with oil, and stuffed with sausage meat, which was dotted with fennel seeds and finely chopped porcini mushrooms.

It was very hard not to like, as it brazenly ticked all the troughing buttons – hot and steamy, meaty and fatty, tick tick tick belch tick. The accompanying pot of baby-pink mayonnaise (aka “sunblush tomato dressing”) was, according to Rolf, more like the Thousand Island stuff, and, although rather retro, just served to accentuate this dish’s naughtiness.

I’m thinking of putting him on the cabbage soup diet.

My antipasti course was slightly less lardy. There was a 3in-thick coaster of pale toasted cheese, which was perched atop lamb’s lettuce leaves and underneath a few slivers of pear and a circular shard of “almond brittle”. Unfortunately, the latter tasted purely of granulated sugar, and I wasn’t keen on the ice-cream-flavoured strawberry vinaigrette, which was swirled onto the plate.

Next, I just had to experience one of the main courses from the list of Barolo grill specials.

In contrast to pigs in blankets, the salsiccia picante Toscana grigliata (£12.95) were giant hairy hogs in four-season sleeping bags. This trio of thick, meaty and rustic red chilli-spiked sausages were utterly smothered in a thick covering of yellow fontina cheese. On the side was a large mound of pleasantly sticky celeriac mash and a dinky copper pot of compulsive “black truffle sauce”, which could be described as eau-de-funghi.

It was a dish that scratched a very hungry itch.

For his main, Rolf had gone for the papperdelle alla carbonara con granchio (£12.45). This was a whorl of (fresh, he said) pasta ribbons, which was coated in a light creamy sauce that was dotted with fat nibs of pancetta and chopped parsley. If my dining partner had any criticism, it was that the ratio of the crab meat ingredient was pretty low, compared to the overwhelming pig-related contingent. Good, though.

Dolci didn’t disappoint. A torta di lamponi (£5.25), or raspberry tartlet, featured crisp pastry that was filled with tart fruit and a caramel-topped brulee. And, although we couldn’t taste the wine in the semifreddo di marsala e pinoli (£5.45), we liked this tower of cool, vanilla semifreddo, which was topped by a blackberry compote that was the colour of liquorice.

So it’s a shame that my cappuccino (£2.45) was a bit weak and ashy, as if to remind me that this place is part of a restaurant group.

Still, Barolo Grill does its thing well, with dishes that pretend to be very sophisticated, but are really just an excuse to guzzle good quality party food.

Don’t expect to be dazzled, but you will leave Barolo Grill feeling fabulously full.

Barolo Grill

92-94 Mitchell Street, Glasgow (0141-221 0971, www.barologrill.co.uk)

How much?

Lunch for two, without drinks, £45.50