The Glasgow Veggie Diaries: TRUST at 111 by Nico

New to The Glasgow Veggie Diaries? This series is where you’ll find me sharing the most awesome meat-free food options around town, so whether you or a member of your posse are vegetarian, feel free to use this as your official guide to who is doing it right!

You can also catch up with all of my previous Glasgow Veggie Diaries entries here.

Recently, I went along to the launch of TRUST: the new menu at 111 by Nico and, confession time - I’ve been daydreaming about some of the dishes ever since! Despite having dined at Six by Nico a few times over the last year for special occasions, this was my first trip to chef Nico’s other restaurant and it really did share the same imagination and attention to detail in the dishes.

Before I tell you a little bit about what I ate, I wanted to tell you guys about the TRUST menu concept and what sets it apart from some of the other dining experiences in the city. TRUST at 111 by Nico invites guests to select from the five course tasting menu based on one ingredient only - such as ricotta, asparagus, crab, etc, then leave it in the hands of the chefs to create their meal. This is where the idea of trust comes in - to quote Wayne Campbell, so it’s not just a clever name!

The chef then decides on the courses and how the ingredients will be used, making each visit completely unique. I was very intrigued and, as I’m the kind of gal who loves surprises, excited to experience it for myself.

After being seated at 111 by Nico, I was handed a separate vegetarian menu to make my selections from. I always find this a nice touch, as it shows that the same level of care and preparation has been put into meat-free dining options. It also meant that I still had CHOICES, rather than having to accept one token veggie option.

I don’t want to go too deep into every dish that was served, especially as the ingredients might be used in a different way if you visit (or, the ingredients may change altogether - there is a switch up due on the first of each month!), but I’d still like to give you guys a bit of an overview. The first course that I tried was the Ajo Blanco - which was gorgeous, creamy gazpacho made with white garlic, almonds and even grapes (sounds strange until you try it, believe me!). It was just a little amuse bouche (ooh la la!) but I secretly wished for a bigger portion!

Even if the dish itself is different each time, what I can confirm is that the ingredients will be local, fresh and seasonal (and delicious!). Some of the other courses I picked out were based on the following hints: ricotta, spelt, duck egg and peach. The most creative of all was possibly the organic duck egg, which was inside a pillow of ravioli - bursting open with a satisfying ooze when I sliced into it.

Each course was beautifully presented and there’s an option to add paired drinks to your experience. Appreciation for good wine is utterly wasted on me, BUT I adored the food and could see other diners delighted with their accompanying drinks!

In summary, I think TRUST at 111 by Nico is a worth checking out for three reasons: the unique dining experience (I loved not knowing exactly what my dish would consist of, or what it might look like), the quality & presentation of the food (Nico and his team are highly experienced - a concept like this wouldn’t work otherwise, right?) and finally, the value for money (the five course tasting menu is £25 per person). Also, the vegetarian options were some of the best that I’ve had in the city and have been naturally incorporated into the TRUST dining experience.

You can find out more about 111 by Nico and the new TRUST menu here!

 

 

 

I was invited to preview the menu at the launch event as a guest of 111 by Nico & SKAPA, but all opinions and 90s movie references are mine.