Elite Event @ The Plum Tree!

Cheese, wine, meats, more cheese, bread, more meats and maybe some vegetables for my 5-​a-​day and what do we have? The Elite Event for The Plum Tree! Woo!
It was weird going to The Plum Tree as the last time I had been in it was still Berit’s & Brown… I never realised they’d gone. Oops. Bad me. But I hadn’t been in the heart of the Merchant City for quite some time.
I loved the fondue! Melty cheesey goodness… mmmm…the meats & various other antipasti vibe eats were also equally yummy. The wine was lovely and the company was FAB as ever! Met Briony for the first time (Woo!) and also some Edinburgh Unilocalers who were all jolly splendid indeed :-)
The ‘bring an LP’ thang didn’t really work seens as only 2 people actually bothered/​remembered! Haha! I voted for Rocco’s (based purely on the cool cover I must add seens as I’d never heard of the band) but unfortunately he didn’t win (You were robbed Rocco!!) A good time was had by all… plus I got some cool socks & a WATCH too! Yay! :-) Thanks again Briony.

A little late but better late than never. So this was the first official Unilocal Elite Event from the new Community Manager Briony C. It was a good choice of venue and The Plum Tree staff were lovely and very accommodating to us eager beaver Unilocalers.
This was to be a night of fondue and vinyl, I felt it was a trip back to the 70s. I should have put on the flares. Peace man!
Laid before us was the authentic fondue dishes filled with delicious gooey cheese. There was plenty of veg and meats to choose from to dip in. I maybe a bit boring but I really enjoyed the bread best. Keeping is simple!
Behind the fondue fun was a table filled with more nibblely goodness. Did anyone else think the butter was cheese? Doh! I managed a good spreading on my bread just in time. Hehe!
I actually didn’t have much as some of the food was a bit beyond me, maybe a bit too fancy. I was really all about the cheese. I did find the people who are into wine were treated immensely but unfortunately for us non drinkers of the night we had to pay for the soft drinks. I stuck to the tap water as I wasn’t flush with the cash that night.
I felt the vinyl part got a bit lost, I wasn’t sure what was happening and whose records were playing and when. It would have been nice to have a wee announcement especially to help out at the end when choosing a winner. I completely forgot about the vinyl. Bad me! I’ve got loads as well, but my busy bee lifestyle meant I didn’t have time. I think my toons would have kicked ass.
The best part for me was meeting the new Unilocalers, the Edinburgh Unilocalers and my old Unilocaler pals. I even had the privilege of holding the Unofficial Unilocal Edinburgh Mascot the Golden Cock. Cheers Mason R!
It was a good wee evening and well done to Briony C. for managing to pull together her first Unilocal Elite Event.

This was my very first «official» Unilocal Event I went to and even though I’m not an Elite, I managed to bag an invite from the lovely Briony.
Cheese, Wine, More Cheese, Pasta, Bread, Meat and More Cheese. What could you possibly not like about this?
The Plum Tree is a very relaxed casual environment which is very welcoming. Situated in a great spot in the heart of Merchant City, the food is faultless and the staff are extremely friendly.
We were offered Swiss Cheese Fondue with a great selection of crusty bread, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, salami, chorizo, gherkin and asparagus to dip. I made the most of the bread and potatoes. I was in cheesy heaven!
We also had deli platters full of pâté (venison was my favourite), sliced meat, bread (olive focaccia with home made pesto was TO DIE FOR!), pesto pasta, tuna pasta, chorizo quiche and I was that full I couldn’t eat anymore.
It was a great night and I’m looking forward to going back again soon for the fondue alone!

Great event, thanks Briony.
The Plum Tree put on a really excellent spread, and the place has a really nice vibe to it. Did I just use the word vibe?
Being vegan, I just had a few wee nibbles (they were so lovely and would have prepared something special for me if I’d wanted it but I wasn’t very hungry that night), but what I did have was really delicious — the olive focaccia was amazing — best I’ve ever had I’d say. I also had a some lovely creamy oatcakes and veg — asparagus and potatoes — just without the fondue! I was happy.
Beautiful wine too.
And a great heads up for this wee place — I’d never have found out about it otherwise.

Amazing event!
Food, vino, tunes and banter…
Thanks for the great times!

This was just awful. Cheese, meat, fondue and more cheese everywhere.
Naaaat. My idea of heaven! The Unilocalers were, as usual, warm and friendly and I had a great night — I felt like part of the group despite being a n00b.
The Plum Tree is an eating venue with a quirky difference. Their aim is to provide a casual, relaxing experience teamed up with good food. You can get a feel for the place as soon as you get in — it’s very bright and open, yet cosy with the shelves of beers, wines, coffee/​tea, etc. There is a very ‘make yourself at home’ vibe — you can get your food, request a record from their selection and chill. Lovely.
And talking of records: For this event we had to bring a record and the attendees voted for the winner. I won with my dad’s Hunky Dory Bowie album. Yessssss!
They put on a beautiful spread of their finest deli items. Assorted cheeses, cold and cured meats, breads, chorizo quiche, home made pâté and more. We all tucked in to the feast. Everything was so fresh and tasty — and as most of my followers know, this kinda picnic set up is right up my street! Also on the menu was fondue — to my delight and excitement!
The fondue was by far my favourite! They provided us with a generous platter of goodies to dip — crusty bread, new potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower, salami, chorizo, gherkin and asparagus. With two bubbling pots and two lots of dipping platters we were well fed.
All in, I had a great night. I fully intend to go back and demand a fondue platter to myself. I couldn’t step away from the melted cheese, it was too good! This is a lovely addition to the beautiful Merchant City.
Why did I give it 4 instead of 5 stars? Free wine, and no soft drinks. I paid £2 for a can of Diet Coke. £2!

I’ve been daftly busy over the past couple of weeks, which probably explains why I had this down as «fondue thing Unilocal» in my calendar. having established that this was actually an elite event and not a piece of performance art that I’d drunkenly agreed to, I hopped on over to one of my favourite wee bits of the merchant city for an evening of wine and molten cheesy goodness.
Being handed wine at the door is always good. Being handed wine when it’s from the lovely guys at Inverarity is even better… and getting to see so many lovely Unilocalers too!
Laid on by the Plum Tree were 2 pots of fondue and a good selection of dippable nuggets, plus a meats/​cheese/​pâté platter, including a great chicken liver pâté and a chili — infused venison (venison? i want to say venison. let’s say venison) pâté which were particular favourites of myself and the OH. Tasty tasty goodness.
I’ve actually never had fondue before, but I’m a Big Fan of the ol’ fromage, so it was a good guess that I was going to like it… and indeed I did. With big chunks of salami and potatoes as well as the traditional bread, and some veggies and pickles for those who are that way inclined (pickles are the food of the devil, just saying) there was plenty to go around — which is saying something, us Unilocalers are hungry folk.
There’s a great selection of beer and wine (I bought a chilean cab sav to take home), and a fondue pot + bottle of wine to sit in comes in at around £30 — I reckon we’ll be back.
The owner said that she didn’t want the place to be a restaurant, she wanted it to be something more laid back — and I think they’ve got it spot on.
Thanks to all for a great night!

Events like this and the Unilocalers in attendance always make the train journey home worthwhile! (Not that it takes much to call me back to my most favourite city of all!) And so it was that I hopped on the Stirling to Queen Street train after a horrific 8 hour shift and headed for The Plum Tree! Call me a bad ‘Weegie but I did require a wee bitty help from friendly locals when it came to getting there! (Hey, it’s been a while!) Greeted with a glass of white wine and a bunch of friendly faces, we were off! The Plum Tree did a really amazing job with the food! I’m a sucker for foccaccia! AND olives, mmm! And their pesto was so good! AND THE FONDUE. If it involves melted cheese or chocolate, I’m there! The food was all so fresh and delicious and I really loved the friendly deli vibe! I’m desperate to come back and try the platter for two! Thank you, Briony, for another brilliant event! And thank you, The Plum Tree! — I’ll be back soon!

Having visited the premises before in its past occupancy it was interesting to return to attend this Elite Event under the direction of Briony to see the new business and meet the new owner: it’s always good to meet up with known and not yet met fellow Unilocalers, and this event was no exception; good food, wine from our friends at Inverarity and cool music, the evening was another Unilocal success, very well done Briony.

You: «Hey Tanja, shall we order a whiskey for you? By the way, there is an Elite event planned on WED next week and we decided to go, wanna join?
Me: «Sorry, no idea how to do that. Have never joined a Glasgow event before!»
You: «No worries, pass me your phone» (fiddling with my phone)
Me: «Men, what are you doing?»
You: «I booked you in for the event of course; You are coming. No excuse!»
And here we go That’s where I ended up last WED. At a Glasgow Elite event on Wilson Street at the Plum Tree!
Sadly I drove and could not enjoy the lovely wines, like my other fellow Unilocalers. Still I made the best out of the situation and chatted to some lovely Glaswegian folk. There was no time to talk to all of them, but so far what I noticed was that they are «hip and funky»
As soon as I arrived and stepped through the main entrance Briony (our Glasgow CM) greeted me with a special smile and offered me wine as a welcome drink. Certainly I could not say no to that.
Well, I had a cheeky sip of the white wine and thought it was delicious. I think the white wine was called «Le Campuget Blanc» and matched the upcoming fondue perfectly.
The food was served on two tables in buffet style. Some people horded the fondue area where you could pick up either bread, salami, gherkin, vegetables or asparagus and dunk it into the fondue (cheese sauce). I loved the bread and cheese combination. Excellent!
The other table held more meat, like salami and pastrami as well as pasta salads, cheese variations, and olive bread. I know people really liked this type of bread, but I personally preferred the oat cakes.
Its unbelievable how fast the time passes by when having a good time, and last night this definitely was the case.
Thank you Briony and the owners of Plum Tree for such a lovely evening. Good food, drink and company. What else can you want. :-)

Wandered through the town on a surprisingly bright warm Wednesday evening. First stop was the Steps bar to catch up with Lizzie F and Angela B. It had been a while and for some reason we settled into this old man’s pub. I liked it but I was not too sure of the other’s opinion, and they picked it.
The walk around to the Plum Tree on Wilson was short and really nice. The sun was making Glasgow glow. The tenements and store fronts lit up and not having to deal with any Scottish gloom.
The place was pretty full and it looked great. Wine was on offer at the front, a veryy appreciated donation from the boys of GSC, I elected to pick one of the brilliant beers from the chillers in the back. I was asked what my DJ name should be and I offered «DJ Recalcitrant» but was given «DJ No» instead. At least the spelling was correct.
Jen and Rocco were there and enjoying the massive platter in the back. The fondue went fast. I was too busy chatting to the Portonian and the lovely Administrator. I knew that as soon as the Unilocal Elite venues shifted to the Merchant City, that these two would shuffle over from their nearby abode. It was wonderful to catch up with the regulars and the new folks.
The Plum Tree is a great little place with some stunning collection of foods and wines available in one place. It reminds me of a GSC version of a deli — complete with a turntable putting out cool tunes all day.
Some tables inside and a great arrangement of seating outside to take advantage of the Scottish Summer sun. Really great venue.
This place is perfect for the populace of the Merchant City. The denizens of this section of Glasgow are an older discerning group that understands quality and are willing to pay for it. Plum tree supplies those quality ingredients in abundance. I am sure that Andrew and Alison will be back exercising the power of the Merchant City Grey Pound.
The second event by the Brilliant Briony, who seems to be settling into a great stride. It was wonderful to see the Amazing Allie back and in his rightful place, behind the camera. Waiting for the photos come out and make me look fabulous.
Congratulations to the staff of the Plum Tree and the Briony Brigade for pulling off a great night.

What a fantastic way to be brought into the Unilocal community. Thanks to Briony for the invite into the group and the Plum Tree for an awesome evening of food and music.
It was great for me to finally meet the elite Unilocalers and get to know even more people, The night was a great success introducing myself and everyone to this fantastic venue which I will return too again soon. Extremely good staff all very friendly and knowledgeable.
The food was fantastic I can’t remember having fondue ever in the UK and it was a lovely up to date take with the meats, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes and even asparagus to accompany the old negative image of just bread. The cheese and meat platers were awesome, a great selection of cheeses and meats, accompanied by focaccia and pesto, sun-​dried tomatoes and olives.
The eclectic selection of music was great, from the staff selection to the Unilocal selection.
Again thank you for inviting me and I look forward to seeing everyone again soon.

As I was cycling to The Plum Tree this evening, I noticed something shiny along the towpath of the Forth and Clyde Canal. Curious, I turned my bike around and backtracked about 15 feet to find a pound coin just sitting on the ground! After looking around to make sure this wasn’t some sort of clever trap, I bent down to collect the coin and carried on toward The Plum Tree.
Once I arrived, things only got better. For starters, I was handed a glass of wine at the door (always a welcome gesture!) and then I met Briony for the first time — I only wish it had happened sooner. The place started filling up with lovely people and the table near the back started filling up with lovely food. After a few minutes of getting settled in, we were called over to taste the wonderful cheese fondue and the amazing table of Mediterranean delights.
The fondue was served alongside a fabulous selection of bite-​sized cold foods, like salami (mmmm!), pickles, bread, broccoli and cauliflower, and some amazing asparagus… the asparagus was actually so good, I ate it without any cheese! And the big table next to the fondue was covered with a gorgeous quiche, a selection of cheeses, two intriguing pates (the venison one was esp. good) and lots of olives and sun-​dried tomatoes. There was also an amazing «blink and you miss it» olive focaccia. I managed to get one heavenly slice, and I plan on coming back for more someday!
The company tonight was especially good… more of that, please! But seriously, I can’t remember a single Unilocal Elite Event where I chatted with so many people. Even though it was in a relatively small space, this event seemed to encourage movement and interaction. In past events, I have often been sat at one chair making chat with the two or three people in my immediate sphere and left without even saying hello to most of the other Unilocalers. Tonight was different.
So…an all-​around lovely event. I left in a great mood and I even found a pink rose on the canal towpath on my way home — no joke! This evening was full of wonderful surprises from start to finish.

Well, oddly, as I’m not out on the ran-​dan straight after a Unilocal event, I’d though I’d use my extra energy to big up the great wee event that was put on by our new (ish) CM, Briony C.
In fact this was my first Briony event as I’d somehow managed to avoid the others. It turns out I was meant to be away for work for this one too and our CM was getting strange complexes that I was dissing her. But the Unilocal Gods made sure my trip was cancelled and I was able to attend my first Elite Event of the year, hooray!
What can I say about the fantastic spread put on by The Plum Tree. Well in one word, MEGA! I have never seen leftover food at an event before, but, somehow the volume of grub on offer was simply unreal and a hungry hoard of Unilocalers couldn’t even polish up the stunning spread.
The food was indeed delish. Of special note was the homemade pates, the venison one in particular. The fondue, cheestastic. The cured meats and antipasti just quality!
The wine, provided by Inverarity was top notch and it was flowing more freely that water, happy days!
Cheers once again for a great night out!

This was a fantastic, welcoming event to come to in Glasgow! The Plum Tree is a fantastic wee gem and it was great for us to be able to take over the entire place with feasting on delicious treats and enjoying Unilocaly banter.
The staff were all extremely friendly and they put on a wonderful spread ranging from the gallant fondu pots and their dunkers (the chorizo was absolutely amazing, but even just the bread was great) to some of the most amazing olive focaccia bread as well as quiche and summery pasta salads. The wine from Inverarity One to One was also delicious, particularly the fruity deep red!
Although the event could have featured the super-​cool vinyls a tad more by announcing which one was playing when, I also really liked this added element of the event.
All in all, this was a fantastic elite event in Glasgow and the Glasgow elites were so super cool, fun and welcoming to those of us from Edinburgh who were thrilled to join in. Thanks ever so much to them and of course to Briony, the Plum Tree and Inverarity One to One for a great night and event!