Glasgow Restaurant Reservations

La Riviera, Dumbarton Road, Partick Cross.

Even looking at the menu in the window my mouth watered and I needed no other inducement to enter La Riviera. I had eaten there several years ago but sometimes there are changes and standards drop.

Being on a budget we decided on the pre-theatre menu but the choices were superb. It was still early evening and I couldn't see myself doing the full three courses so settled on a starter and a sweet for the set price of £7.95. Of course we had a bottle of the house wine and an extra side dish of chips, which upped the price a bit.

My main course was Trota al Thermidore, grilled fillet of trout in a sauce of garlic, mustard, onion, brandy and cream - totally delicious. I'm not a vegetable person but I enjoyed the accompaniments of buttered potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower in cheese sauce. My other half, a dedicated steak man, had the Steak Diane, sirloin steak in a red wine and brandy sauce made with mustard, tomatoes and cream. He enjoyed it so much he would have licked the plate but decorum forbade it.

We finished with desserts of Torta Italiano made up of sponge, chocolate and meringue for me, and hot apple pie with ice cream for him Because of the wine and an extra charge for steak the final bill came to around £36.00, still not expensive, but I couldn't fault the place and intend to go back soon.

The Milton Inn, Stirling Road, Dunbartonshire

This restaurant had been highly recommended but at first sight the decor was a bit of a disappointment and seemed slightly jaded. However our party of four was impressed with the extensive menu and we soon forgot the look of the place.

For my starter I picked the brochetta and found it delicious and my daughter was very happy with her choice of potato skins with a dip. Her partner pronounced his breaded mushrooms the best for a while but my husband's cream of mushroom soup was not so hot - literally.

As usual I opted for a fish dish and had the seared salmon on a bed of stir-fried vegetables with teriyaki sauce. Mouthwatering! The other fish eater had traditional fish and chips - the largest piece of breaded haddock we have ever seen, and he polished it off in jig time. The chips were just like mother makes, hot, crispy on the outside and floury inside.

Daughter settled for fajitas, again an appetising dish with a variety of fillings. So far so good, but it was too good to last for when hubby's sirloin steak came it was tough as old boots. Despite our urging him to send it back he chewed and chomped his way through it and it was only when the waitress came to ask how we enjoyed the meal that he was forced to admit it was tough. Who knows how it happened?

However the reaction was instant with the manager coming out in person to apologise, deduct a sum from the final bill and provide a round of free drinks. For the four starters and mains, a bottled of Cabernet Sauvignon, a few pints of beer for the men and a soft drink, the bill was well under seventy pounds. Despite the small problem with the steak we do intend to give it another chance and will go back. Anyone can make a mistake.