CCA Café

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• What are these?

• Average price 2 courses:
   £11 (lunch)
   £13 (evening meal)
• House wine: £11.75 per bottle

• High point: Laid-back atmosphere, even when very busy
• Low point: The high point isn't an attribute when it extends to the staff
• Food served: Tue-Thu 10.30am-7.30pm; Fri/Sat 10.30am-9pm. Closed Sun/Mon
• Bar open: Tue noon-11pm; Wed/Thu noon-midnight; Fri/Sat noon-1am. Closed Sun/Mon
• Private dining: Up to 40 covers
• Open since: 2001
• Also offers: Childrens portions, Childrens high chairs, Wheelchair access, Take away, Pre-theatre menu

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops.

This review is from the 2007 edition.

To 'schmooze' is to chat in a friendly and persuasive manner in order to forge influential connections, and the CCA feels full of such conversation. A fly on the wall could, on a daily basis, observe the cream of Glasgow's art cognoscenti buzzing from one wooden bench table to another in the café's modish environs. An atmosphere of collective familiarity affords a sweet sense of community to what could easily double as just another art space. The menu - mostly a mix of Mediterranean-infused salads and sophisticated sandwiches - is punctuated by a few dishes that subtly lull you into a sense of homely comfort. An evocative, autumnal butternut pumpkin risotto with caramelised onions and gooey parmesan is comfort food with a thoughtful twist. The seafood chowder qualifies as what your grandmother might call a 'hearty bowl of soup'. It's a mellow, creamy broth absolutely brimming over with the fruits of the sea. Daily dinner specials such as Aberdeen Angus steak with peppercorn sauce and a wild mushroom-topped puff pastry take the sandwich and salad-driven menu from day to evening. Worthy of special note are the antipasti plates, which are good at any time, although the inclusion of Scottish smoked salmon seems slightly incongruous to what is otherwise a deliciously olive oil-slicked selection.