My G76 reviews Clark & Sons - My G76 - October 2010

This month myself and my other half were out for a rare Friday night out without the kids so where better to try than the newly opened Clark & Sons right here in Clarkston?

For those of you that haven't been in Clark & Sons, the venue has been transformed into a stylish and contemporary bar and restaurant, which will appeal to all ages and tastes. The decor has been expertly designed with this in mind. Elegance and comfort are perfectly balanced and the atmosphere is welcoming while exuding charm.

The restaurant has the wonderful sofa seating that I find immediately relaxes you and we sat down to choose food and wine. The wine list is extensive and obviously chosen with expertise. We went for an Australian chardonnay and perused our menus. The food in Clark & Sons is probably best described, like the venue itself, as modern and well designed but without being too pretentious. With starters such as picos blue, pear and pine nut salad and crisp confit chicken leg with a warm borlotti bean salad and chermoula, that choice was interesting and innovative without being too over the top. My partner went for the saute tiger prawns with roasted pepper, vine tomatoes, chilli, garlic and lemon. The prawns were delicious with the perfect balance of sweetness from the tomatoes, heat from the chilli and sour from the lemon. A great start. I opted for the asparagus, parma ham and piquillo peppers with broad beans, pecorino and mint. This was a fantastic start to the meal. It was a fresh tangy dish that seemed to cleanse your palate while satisfying your hunger. The parma ham and piquillo peppers a wonderful way of getting your taste buds zinging and ready for more!

It should be noted that, as well as the starter menu, Clark & Sons also have a choice of single and sharing platters. With choices such as bruscheta of marinated antipasti with creamed goat's cheese and olive tapenade and a selection of smoked and cured Scottish fish with pickles, oatcakes and lemon. A great addition to any menu.

For the main courses my partner went for the smoked haddock and sweet pea risotto which came with a soft poached egg. The risotto was delicious with the wonderful salty smoked flavour of the haddock coming through in each mouthful, a wonderful balance to the sweetness of the peas. For me the risotto could have been slightly more creamy, but all in all, a delicious mean and my husband definately agreed as it wasn;t on the plate for all that long!

For my main course, I went for the Pan fried Sea Bass with potatoes, artichokes and rosemary with a tomato and herb dressing. Again it was spot on. The sea bass was perfectly cooked and the combination of potatoes, artichokes and rosemary in the tomato and herb dressing gave the dish a lovely earthy but slightly sweet taste which suited the fish perfectly.

To finish my partner went for the sticky toffee parfait with a warm butterscotch sauce. The parfait was light and creamy while maintaining the right amount of sweet, stickiness from the toffee and butterscotch sauce. A delightful pudding and slightly more innovative than the standard sticky toffee puddings on most menus which came with thick vanilla custard. Again it was a great choice. The crumble had the right balance of sweetness and tart from the fruit, and was topped with ample crumble. Soaked in a delicious custard, the pudding was perfect for a cold autumn evening.

After our meal we sat and relaxed and finished off our wine. There was no rush from staff to move into the bar a fact that has to be noted that the staff were very attentive without disturbing our meal too much. A sign of experienced staff.

So yes, for food or a drink, Clark & Sons I would highly recommend.

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