Bothy At The Byre – A Dinner Lady review by Kirsty Strickland

The Dinner Lady – Eating in East Kilbride

 

‘’Organise a romantic dinner , somewhere close by…’’

This was the mission I set my other half last week, which he wisely chose to accept.  Being a creature of habit and a fan of the adage ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ he decided upon our local haunt, The Byre. However, in the interests of spontaneity, we strayed from our usual ‘Ground Floor, 3^rd Table From The Right’ arrangement. Instead, I was taken to the dizzy new heights of The Bothy at the Byre, a whole floor up from the scene of our usual gastronomic guzzling.

It has often been said that The Dinner Lady is a very difficult woman to please, but on this occasion I was very pleasantly surprised. The interior of Bothy at the Byre reminded me of a glamorous granny that I once saw coming out of The Dollan Aqua Centre. She was adorned in an array of fabrics and patterns, and her lobes were being stretched by impossibly large glass earrings, but somehow, just the design at the Byre, it worked.

Being part of the Anti-Atkins brigade, we started with warm breads. These were accompanied by a selection of oil, balsamic and something green and garlicky, which was, quite frankly, delicious.  Lasagne was next, an old favourite that as Garfield himself will tell you, is very difficult to get right. The Dinner Lady suggests that a perfect Lasagne consists of thus; 2 thick layers of beefy (not tomatoey) mince, sandwiched between 5 layers of seasoned pasta, topped off by a gluttonous layer of béchamel sauce and a generous helping of oozy, bubbling cheese.  I am happy to report that Bothy in The Byre met those requirements and my only complaint would be that the waiter was a bit stingy with the parmesan shavings. Although that wasn’t really his fault, there wasn’t much left after the other half had his helping. We opted to forgo dessert on this occasion, 3 courses on a weekday would just be a too cruel on our purse strings (and waist lines.)

Our visit to Bothy at the Byre had been pleasurable, with thoroughly satisfying fare, a relaxing ambiance and staff who were easy-going and happy to help. We will be visiting again soon, and more than likely indulging in dessert. It will save us from stopping off at McDonalds for a Crunchie Mcflurry on the way home like we did on that occasion.  Greedy? Perhaps. Worth the heartburn? I think so.