Food is helpful for dealing with minor trauma.
On the way to Buckโs Bar, I bumped into an old school friend. Although weโve been together for decades, he was introduced to my other half for the first time.
โSo, how did you two meet, since youโre obviously considerably younger?โ he said, deadpan, to my husband, who is two years older than me.
Post-conversation, I was fizzing. He was utterly glowing.
We had to eat, and unpick this whole debacle.
It was straight to this new restaurant, which has three branches in Glasgow, with the original opening on West Regent Street back in 2016.
Despite an established presence, they had never really been on my radar, until I spoke to Lorna McNee, of Michelin-starred restaurant, Cail Bruich. She wanted Buckโs โfried chicken with buffalo sauceโ to be her last supper.
What an endorsement, and I thought that this could be my beauโs final meal too, if he repeated the words โconsiderably youngerโ one more time.
At least his true age became evident when he squinted at the tiny print on the menu.
The decor is authentically US dive bar-esque andย lighting is provided by redย neon signsย that say โsex, birds and rock โnโ rollโ and โletโs get buckโd upโ. I sat on an AC/DC cushion, and checked out the Kiss mural, before heading to the chicksโ toilets, which are plastered in Debbie Harry pictures. (The bucksโ loos have Elvis on the walls)
The soundtrack included The Ramones, Bon Jovi, and that ilk.
Food is served from midday to midnight, with last orders at a very late 10pm, and the focus is chicken, with buttermilk fried burgers, waffles and wings.
All the young dudes seem to love the poultry genre and, even though thereโs already a Nandoโs on the corner, thereโs obviously enough custom to go round.
My toyboy went for the Nashville hot style chicken (ยฃ14), which was listed beside the words โwarning, seriously addictive!โ. You can choose your heat, with options including Double XX, but he chose the least spicy, since heโs trying to take care of his youthful skin and didnโt want to turn too pink.
It featured three battered chicken escalopes dipped into chilli oil and doused inย hot sauce, then served on a single piece of white bread asย an open sandwich. The carb couldโve been fresher and we wouldโve liked more of the three slices of gherkin on top, but the chook was marvellous.
Mind you, it was napalm hot. His nose was running, and he said his mouth felt like the inside of a chiminea. If you can go any hotter, I have total respect for your asbestos palate.
My soft and meaty โkung pow! chicken wingsโ (ยฃ6.50 for four) also had a doubleย capsicum rating, but they felt much milder, perhaps because of the soothingย blanket of transparent sweet and sour sauce.
I also had a side of crispy popcorn chicken with salt and chilli (ยฃ6.90), which consisted of crumbed baubles of meat, a topping of chopped spring onions and blanched chillies, and a creamy garlic dip on the side. That was probably quite enough chicken. It felt like weโd eaten an entire coopโs worth.
Thankfully, tere were also potatoes, with a side of serviceable skinny fries (ยฃ3.90) and another of five fluffy hash browns (ยฃ5) that came with a Sriracha ketchup.
After all that heat, our cocktails went down twice as fast as they normally do.
Since Iโm a fan of The Runaways, Iโd chosen the Cherry Bomb Sour (ยฃ9), which was like a slushie, but with Amaretto, lemon juice, cherry syrup and a frothy top of egg white. Junior had chosen the longer drink, with a Blondie (ยฃ9) - a fruity mixture of tequila, coconut rum, pineapple, grenadine and lime.
We wentย forย these instead of pudding, though there are options including a Nutella waffle (ยฃ8.50) and red velvetย cakeย (ยฃ6.50), if your taste buds havenโt been anesthetized.
The fried chicken fans are going to love this place.
Iโm not sure if itโs my bag, but Iโm probably not the demographic theyโre aiming for.
Almost everyone else at Buckโs appeared to be in their twenties.ย ย Iโm maybe a bit too old, especially since Iโm now considered a cougar.
