Restaurant Review: a grand opening and grander portions

There’s been a buzz about Shawlands since The Butterfly and the Pig announced it was flying south this month.

Maybe it was the promise of a new and improved Corona, an historic pub which had seen better days — or perhaps because it’s another marker for the southside’s cultural makeover.

Whatever the reason, the place was packed on Friday’s grand opening — proving there’s an appetite here for the bar’s particular brand of cosy kitsch.

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The Butterfly and the Pig name trades on vintage furnishings and mismatched cutlery, and it’s all very cute — although the menu, which takes a few tries to read in all its quirkiness, may be a step too far.

I tucked into the black pudding starter — described with: “Cilla Black is back in black in a pudding, with salad, apples, bacon and parmesan” — and, truthfully, there were a lorra lorra reasons to love it.

Crisp cubes of black pudding were wonderful paired with soft, sweet apples — brought together by a mound of greenery, salty parmesan and quail egg.

Across the table, my friend was tackling a mountain of doorstop toast, spears of mushroom and tarragon cream. Everything about this dish was big, not least the flavoursome sauce — the kind you could happily stick your face in, politeness be damned.

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We moved on to mains; hers, ample peaks of haggis, neeps and tatties and mine, a special of chorizo and chickpea stew with coley.

The haggis was doused in a potent whisky sauce (no skimping on measures here either) — a good, classic dish.

Mine was even better; rich, pulpy tomato laced with paprika from the crumbly sausage and a wedge of decent garlic bread. The fish was a touch dry, but flake it into the punchy casserole and you’re on to a winner.

The morning after, and memories of food at The Butterfly and the Pig were lingering on — not least because I received a tweet about my name being all over someone’s dinner (the fish and chips happened to be lovingly wrapped in your favourite local newspaper).

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A welcome addition to the burgeoning Shawlands cafe culture, this quirky bar more than makes the grade — if anything, the biggest fault on the plate (if you can call it that) is sheer generosity.

Rating: 8.5/10

The Butterfly and the Pig South

1039 Pollokshaws Road

Shawlands

G41 3YF

Tel: 0141 258 1811