Mr Foodie Modou ventures south the Clyde
Modou Diagne, chef of 111 by Modou, now has a new restaurant in Glasgow’s southside. Studio Modou has opened at 142 Nithsdale Road in Pollokshields, where Six By Nico used to be and we were invited along to try the first sharing menu, priced at £39 per person with four paired wines for an additional £25. Unfortunately Emma couldn’t make it so I was on my own and had no one to share with but that meant I got to eat the full meal myself. 😀
Menu
You can order an aperitif and snacks to start but I thought there was enough food and drink for one, so onto the…
First courses
The intro was actually five courses which arrived together, and was paired with a Cabert sparkling rose Prosecco DOC, this had a really frothy mousse with an earthy aroma, strawberry taste, and was really refreshing.
(left) Beef tartare, oyster emulsion, mustard crumb
It looked like an oyster and tasted like an oyster but wasn’t an oyster. On top of the edible ‘shell’ was a delicate beef tartare with a light mustard flavour.
(right) Whipped ricotta, rosemary honey, black olive and rye cracker
Sweet and savoury flavours combine. Smooth ricotta, good crunch from the textured cracker. Small but punchy olives.
Mushroom veloute, truffle
Strong truffle aroma and a really, really smooth texture. Mushroom isn’t my favourite flavour but when it’s done like this I could eat a big bowl of it.
(left) Cacio e Pepe arancini egg yolk jam
Great texture, perfect consistency, flavoursome and moreish rice ball with prominent black pepper.
(right) Salt cod brandade, roast garlic aioli
Pleasantly salty, good crisp crunch and a soft interior.
Second courses
Like the first courses, The Session, made up of three larger dishes, all arrived at the same time. This time paired with an Italian white, Avoglia Fiano IGT from Puglia.
creamy aromas. Dry, acidic lemon flavour but seemed a bit boozy tasting.
BBQ lamb belly, Jerusalem artichoke, winter kale
Succulent lamb, Jerusalem artichoke always welcome, especially in winter plus crispy fried kale for texture and crunch, and a tangy jus.
Torched smoked salmon, heritage beetroot, roasted hazelnuts
A chunk of smoked salmon, fresh beetroot with a light taste and colour, great nutty flavour and pleasantly oily.
Parisian gnocchi, Trapanese pesto, smoked bacon, winter squash.
I wasn’t aware that Parisian gnocchi was a thing, but Trapanese pesto is a lighter, more rustic Sicilian pesto. The gnocchis were cute and dainty, and there was lots of Maillaird flavour from the bacon.
Main course
N’Duja & preserved lemon poussin, haricot bean and herb cassoulet, salsa verde
Hispi cabbage, black garlic, aged cheddar.
A roasted poussin with beautiful savoury Maillard flavours. Plenty of ‘meat’ and a dish that even managed to make a cabbage leaf super tasty!
It was paired with Morin Langaran Perdu Rose, a wine that is exclusive to the Nico group, it’s a blend of Syrah and Cinsault from the Languedoc region of France. The aroma was a wee bit minty and herby. It was very dry with a refreshing strawberry taste.
Dessert
Exotic fruit, yoghurt sorbet, lime espuma, crumble.
This was paired with Luis Felipe Edward late harvest Viognier-Sauvignon from Colchagua, Chile. I’d never had this wine before and then twice in the space of a week as we also enjoyed this with dessert at The Kenmuir Arms just a few days before.
Bright golden coloured with aromas of honey, lychee and apricot, and a super sweet taste.
Verdict
Studio Modou was amazingly good, especially considering the price. Although we’d eaten at 111 by Modou before, and knew what to expect I was still pleasantly surprised to see that every course was a winner. Everything tasted great, nothing was disappointing, and there as a good variety of dishes to enjoy. The only thing that could be an issue is that some of the dishes were on the salty side but I always prefer this to being under seasoned.
Where
Studio Modou, 142 Nithsdale Rd, Glasgow, G41 5RB
Opening Hours of Studio Modou
Mon: 4:30pm-late
Tue: Closed
Wed: 4:30pm-late
Thu: 12pm-late
Fri: 12pm-late
Sat: 12pm-late
Sun: 12pm-late
