Someone asked me if I could recommend anywhere good on Glasgow's south side to buy cheese, now that Wholefoods in Giffnock has closed.
I was stumped, but surely it can't be long before this lack is addressed, given the surge of progressive food activity south of the Clyde. Cafe Strange Brew in Shawlands was first to pop up on my radar, and then strengthening the indie restaurant scene along came Julie's Kopitiam: proper Malaysian home cooking.
There was the short-lived Bakery 47, a roaring success, but they moved on to new things. Of course Locavore could always be relied on for a decent sourdough, but now this doughty and useful local food operation can only improve with its move to spacious premises on Victoria Road.
So it's all go in these environs – maybe a cheesemonger will follow – but the latest addition to catch my eye is Gnom in Strathbungo. The minute I walk in, I feel a strong urge to stay. It's not a big space, yet its height provides a brain-calming spaciousness, an inspiring example of how you can do up a place stylishly with a minimum of cash. One art gallery-grey wall has a striking abstract mural that hints at Mexican art, its detail echoed on a nearby pillar.
Another displays a sprawling antique coffee percolator. Parallel lengths of painted wooden dowelling act as shelves for words composed in Scrabble letters. Another wall in ornamental brick is partially covered in indigo-painted pegboard, which in turn supports copper piping for shelves stacked with cookbooks and plants.
The menu has this marshalled eclecticism underpinned by good taste. Whoever runs this kitchen has a very sound palate. Dishes may be relaxed, informal, but there's no sloppiness, despite low prices. Fontina fondue reminds me of the celebrated Borough Market toastie, deconstructed and rethought.
Sourdough bread, oily and toasted with a beautifully blacked crust, supports char-grilled spring onions, slit longways, topped with a dripping emulsion of the titular cheese, slivers of grilled fig, and fine discs of sweet, mild shallots.
Pressed ham hock, potato rosti, and piccalilli? That might sound pedestrian but the actuality isn't. How, I wonder, do you get ham to be so moist inside such a crisp, mahogany-brown exterior? It never occurred to me to bake a rosti in a muffin tin. Result? Crunchy topping, Irish potato cake-style centre. And this clean-cut, turmeric-bright pickle of carrot, cauliflower, and courgette, "naked", that is, without the customary floury sauce, elevates and refines this dish way above the usual café level.
Smoked haddock kedgeree shows the same light touch. Once again it reminds me of somewhere else, this time of Betty's of Harrogate's famous rendition of this classic, with the soft grains of rice enveloped in a lemony, mildly spicy cream. But the fish is superior, bronze like a kipper, burnished, as if it's been marinated in a Japanese way, the egg is poached to perfection, while crisped-up kale, a scattering of capers, and a dusting of mild curry powder once again raise the overall dish way above comfort food standard.
Pork bao – not generally my thing – are neat, beautifully presented, as dainty as this snack is ever going to be. The pork, with its compelling black-brown, soy-glazed rim dissolves in the mouth and has more than enough inherent flavour to stand up to Gochujang, the Korean child paste. An immaculate fried egg, small and contained, sits neatly in the bun's doughy maw.
I'm not hugely tempted by Gnom's cakes. The majority say "vegan" in brackets after the description, a word that flags up the likely presence of margarine (ghastly) or oil (usually cheap and ultra-refined) instead of trusted butter. But I'm more than consoled by the desserts, a delightful coconut milk rice pudding that comes with sharp-sweet griddled pineapple, lime and mint syrup, and abundant toasted flaked almonds, and a fabulous French toast ice cream sandwich: hot fleshy toast melting frozen lemon sherbet ice cream, topped with fresh blueberry compote, white sesame seed brittle, all this fabulousness ringed by blobs of tart lime curd.
You can keep your vegan brownie, thanks. They're ten a penny in cafés these days, whereas the rest of the food here at Gnom is pretty special.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here