Café Mao Glasgow

Went to Café Mao last night with a bunch of work colleagues. My first visit to this supposedly hip and trendy Fusion restaurant with the slightly inappropriate name.

Why inappropriate? Mao Zedong was a ruthless dictator responsible for some of the most dreadful atrocities of the 20th century. The Great Leap Forward, the man made famines, the Cultural Revolution…. Millions dead at the hands of Mao.

Would you go to Café Hitler for some German Jewish cuisine? Or a hotpot at the Pol Pot?

Anyway back to Café Mao. It is in a corner site in the trendy Merchant City area of the city. Oversize Warhol prints of the Chairman adorn the walls of the restaurant filled with a young hip crowd. The kitchen is open plan but the extractor fan seemed to be struggling and so atmosphere was rather smoky when it got busy later in the evening.

There is a good choice of Chinese and Japanese beers and a nice bar area where drinks and cocktail were enjoyed before being seated. As there were more than 10 of us, we opted of the Set Menu priced at £15 and £19 for 2 and 3 courses respectively.

I started with the Spiced Salted Ribs with plum sauce. It was neither spicy or salty but they were ribs. Soup of the day was chicken and black bean soup which looked distinctly dull and oily.

Main course was Chilli Lime Beef with Rice. Although the beef was tender, this dish was disappointing. I had expected a Thai inspired light, spicy and fragrant dish but this was a thick stodgy soy based sauce with only a hint of lime and very little spice.

I passed on the offer of dessert which was a choice of chocolate pudding, orange cheese cake or frozen yogurt. Not particularly fusion or inspiring.

Would Mao have approved? I think not. He preferred young girls to fusion cooking,

My Rating: 4/10