The Dapper Mongoose — Restaurant in Scotland

We’ve been meaning to try The Dapper Mongoose since it opened last month as it’s right across from our flat and we’re now gutted we didn’t try it sooner.

We ordered the chicken liver parfait, which came with an amazing garlic butter and warm freshly baked sourdough 💖 the venison with a delicious marmalade topped with hazelnuts, the hanger steak, the Parmesan truffle chips (without a doubt, the best chips I have ever had; perfect and crisp on the outside but fluffy on the inside) and the special bao bun of the day; burger bao. All followed by a dessert to share - the salted caramel tart (wish I’d ordered one each!!).

Every single dish that came out just got better and better, the venison was honestly the most tender and delicious I’ve ever had, cooked to perfection and the marmalade and hazelnuts were a delicious accompaniment.

We had booked for 7pm and left around 8.15pm and I’m so glad to say that the place was full from the minute we went in and by the time we left, the bar area was also full. Really hoping that this is a great sign considering it’s a Friday night in January when everyone is feeling the pinch after Christmas and/or is pledging their new healthy eating/dry January! I’d love nothing more than to be able to have some mezze and wine here for a long time to come and personally will be resolving to support more local businesses this year if eating out.

I would highly recommend anyone to give it a try - there’s something on that menu for everyone and the guys who work there are exceptionally helpful and knowledgeable on the dishes and products. Their fish dishes are all definitely locally and freshly sourced as some dishes has been swapped out for alternative fish which reaffirms that they’re sourcing quality fish fresh daily.

If nothing on the menu takes your fancy, they do a fabulous espresso martini...

Staff was very nice and know the menu and ingredients very well. Food was cooked professionally and every plate is decorated with care. Review for each menu: 1. Haddock - nice portion and well cooked. I find it a bit bland, but my partner loved it. 2. Duck leg - SOFTEST duck leg I’ve ever had. The skin just slid right off and the meat was juicy and tender, but not falling apart like it’s overcooked. 3. Scallop - at first I thought £6.5 for one scallop was a bit pricy, but turns out it was so worth it. I’m a big fan of scallops and have been disappointed a lot by other places, but not here. The scallop was fresh and just perfectly cooked - not rubbery and burnt and not uncooked inside. The sauce and cucumber bits goes so nicely with it. 4. Chicken karage - my absolute favorite from this place. Chicken was super tender and not coated in thick batter. There was a lot of meat on the chicken bites. The soy sauce dip with egg yolk was unexpected, but goes so nicely with the chicken. 5. Sourdough with chicken liver parfait and butter with bacon and hazelnut bits - the bread was warm and had crusty and slightly salty side and was delicious. I love the butter with the bacon bits which adds a savory and lightly salted taste to it. The hazelnut bits are not hard or uncomfortable to chew as I expected. Butter was thick and creamy and didn’t melt at all. Overall, I would definitely be back to try out the rest of...

Decided to give this place a try, due to the positive reviews but was unfortunately a very uncomfortable experience. Soon after walking in, we were asked by Christina if we, “had a voucher”, which is something I’ve never experienced before in any other establishment (many, a lot nicer than this place). However, we assumed it was just restaurant policy and continued placing our order. Whilst we were waiting for our cocktails, multiple tables filled up and we realised that no one else was asked the same question, which felt very insulting and condescending.

I understand that different establishments can have different policies tailored to their own needs, however, excluding certain customers is extremely bad practice and outright absurd. Furthermore, this is located in Shawlands, which is full of many great places with exceptional customer service (Henry’s being one of them). Other than that, there are many great high-tier restaurants in Glasgow (Gauco, Chaophraya, Amore), which in addition to their phenomenal food, have remarkable customer service.

Therefore, this was unfortunately an extremely disappointing, uncomfortable and...