BACK LIST
THE
DINNER PARTY
.lane Ellis guides you round eating in theatres. whilst (below) Marina O‘Loughlin samples a new Glasgow hostelry.
GLASGOW
It's odd that whilst (ilasgow has always had a tradition of theatregoing. popular theatregoing moreover. very little catering goes on in the theatres. ()fall ofthctn only the 'l'ron and the third liye (’entre make any serious attempt to pander to those oftts who might fancy a snack with ottr Sartre. last count those bars though?
0 Citizens‘ Theatre 1 ti) ( iorbals Street. 42‘) 01122. the illustrious ( it/ offers no food at all to audiences. The povvers-that-be must reckon that the heady fare on stage is enough. 'l‘hree bars. however.
0 The Pavilion Theatre 121 RL‘lillcltl Street. 332 18-16. the real peopch theatre boasts two bars. drinks only. and a kiosk for sweets. no less. Robert 1 1alpcrn probably renders customers too nattseotts to contemplate food.
0 Mitchell Theatre ( iranville Street. 221 3198. One bar and a daytime coffee bar feature such gastronomic ioys as pies and beans. baked potatoes. chili and ‘curry’. “by last daytime. I wonder'.’ l0.30am-4.30pm.
BARR’S BAR
At long last Colin Barr, doyen of the outrageously successful Fresh Club, sometime pop star and general sex symbol about town, has a hostelry to call his own.
Bar Luxembourg, Colin's foray into the permanent nightlife sector, stands underneath the old Cardinal Folly on Pitt Street, formerly the site of La Marelle. This, I hasten to add, isthe only connection between the two. Whereas La Marelle was loud and tacky to the point of garishness, Bar Luxembourg is continentally elegant- palms, pristine cream furnishings and a whole living tree where the kitsch fountain used to send everyone diving for the nearest powder room.
‘The ideas were basically my own,‘ says Colin, ‘I knew I wanted the feeling of openness, the sails from the ceiling and the huge video screen. George crystallized this for me and added his own features.’
The George in question is George Gray, a talented local designer responsible for some of the more outré pub interiors (Cul-de-Sac, Gilded Bahooni
0 Third Eye Centre 350 Sattchiehall Street. 332 7521. Bustling w'holefood cafe within the gallery-cutn-bookshop-cum-theatre. Sottp. vegetarian stews. salads and wliolegrain cakes and pastries etc. Again. it’s daytime only — 5pm closing. the theatres on at night. folks.
0 Theatre Royal 3s: 1 lope Street. 331 123-1. the home ofScottish ()pera manages to squash in fottr bars and no restaurant. l’re-performance sandwiches can be ordered in advance ifdesperate.
o Tron Theatre (T.‘\'1.l't)llgitlc‘. 55: 42(17. 'l'his is our only seat ofculturc to feed its patrons properly . the comfortable old bar serves a daily cltangingmenu sensibly-priced homemade sottps. vegetarian dishes. beef. chicken and fish (carbonades. l’roy encales. Stroganoffs). often accompanied by live music or cabaret. 'l‘he service is friendly. and by comparison. the ’l‘ron scores a resounding ten ottt of ten.
Noon 9pm.
'EDINBURGH
0 The Netherbow 4f? High Street. 550 057‘). An unlicensed sell service restaurant with the pleasant added attraction ofa walled courtyard for sunny weather.
{lilte food is straightl‘orw ard and qttite cheap. Main meals served at lunchtime only. the lunch Special is a bargain at £1.05 for lamb ('asscrole and Rice followed by Apple Pie and ( ‘ream. Also on offer
soup (illp. rolls from 55p. quiche and salad £1 .75. Plenty of scope for vegetarians with a wide range of salads. though perhaps a little unitnaginative.
'l’he rootn has a relaxed bttt faintly ‘worthy ' atmosphere. with a lot of pottery and ( ‘olin Baxter postcards
Attention to design detail is evident throughout, from the Spencer Railton staff uniforms to the menu, which is adventurous without being overblown. There’s a wee Californian influence here, I suspect, what with the ribs, warm salads, sourdough bread sandwiches, and a wide range of coffees. There's also the—ahem — Mega Brekkie (sic) at Sunday Brunchtime. Not vaguely mid-Atlantic
on display. ()pen Mon—Sat 10am—4pm and frotn 7pm before shows.
0 Cafe Kinnell, Traverse Theatre (irassmarket. ’l‘he 'l‘ravcrse Kinnell's already run a
highly successful cafe in Byzantium and a busy takeaway specialist coffees and teas shop further down \‘ictoria Street. the 'l'raverse Restaurant has recently been transformed from an uninspiring cafe to Rennie Mackintosh
black and cream with vaguely nouvelle food ranging from full meals to snacks.
they have iust started doing Brunch on Sunday morning from 10am. which hopefully will fill the gap left by the current closure of the ( iilded Balloon restaurant. llot food is served all day. a choice of three or fottr main courses always includes plenty for vegetarians and usually fish dishes ie (‘arrot and (iinger l-‘lan. tuna and 'l'omato '1‘agliatellc. Roulades of(‘heese and Fish. Smoked Salmon and ()uail [{gg chgeree all at about £2.50— £3.50. ()pen luc~ Sun l20am 10pm. Reservations (131 22o 2633, 0 Theatre Workshop 1 lamilton Place. 225 7942. A very basic functional licensed cafe. you could sit about all day here browsing through the magazine rack and studying the photographic exhibitions on the walls. there are few pretensions to elegance tea is served complete with tea-bag but the staff are quick and friendly and the prices are very low tca 20p. sottp 40p. roll 40p. pizza or quiche 50p. Main meals (vegetarian 1 £1 . l0. served when they have shows on. 1 1ome baked cakes and brownies from 25p. 'lihis is the place where you can happily fill tip knowing that the food is wholesome
this— black pudding, tattie scones et al to a live jazz accompaniment. Orfailing the live act there's always the satellite TV— movie premiere video stations, MTV etc.
Fashion notes spotted: Porsche keys, suntans, designertogs and, unfortunately, marbled denim and white court shoes. Sure it looks like Marbella, the post-modern version. I can bearthat.
ALAN oomosou
and you're not being ripped off. ()pen “lam—5.30pm and during performances.
o Filmhouse Lothian Road. 228 (\382. The restaurant described itself as providing anything from a ‘quick pre-film snack to a relaxed three course dinner.‘ We went in for a quick sample snack and ended up missing the film. If you‘re planning to eat before a film make sure you leave plenty of time for the banana cake. the same pleasant and comfortable room doubles as a self service counter and a restaurant for main meals with table service. which can be a bit confusing the spread is very impressive. mostly vegetarian and looking home tnade and fresh. Recommended: a delicious mousse ofcottage cheese and vegetables on a layer of hummus. with salad £2. 10'. Mushroom Stroganot‘lfl rice and salad. served to the table £3. 10. Also on offer were various meat dishes at around £3.50. It is altogether a very pleasant place to linger over a fttll meal or just a bowl of soup. whether you are interested in films or not. ()pen Mon—Sat Noon-10.45pm. llot meals served Noon-«2.30pm and 5.30—9.30pm.
o The Spoolroom, Dominion Cinema Newbaltle 'l'crrace. off Morningsidc Road. 447 2(to0f1'he Dominion (‘inema has been owned and rttn by the satne family since the thirties and the present manager not only chooses the programme and personally welcomes the audience. he also designed the new restaurant and selected the wine list ~ Dominion (‘laret or Dominion Blane £4.60. The restaurant is divided into a self-service licensed cafeteria and a restaurant with table service. The food cottld be compared to the films they show -< not exactly experimental and surprising — bttt reliably good value and unlikely to offend. 1n the tnain restaurant: Prawn ('ocktail £1.50; ()melettes with fries from £2 and Steak and fries £5.50; a number of vegetarian dishes. and puddings from ()5p. 1n the self-service section: ‘Domburgers‘ 4Sn: Bacon rolls 45p; Pot oftea 511D. “1’6"” H1””1"lll"”l Lunches Noon—2pm; livening meals served from opm. ('loses at 2pm on Mondays. 0 L‘Aperitif. The Lyceum ( irintllay Street. A very attractive small restaurant in deep pinks and navy. serving vaguely French food and also open for coffee. croissants and snacks. The menu is very extensive with plenty for the discerning vegetarian. Soups and starters frotn 90p—L2; :Main courses range from baked potatoes with unusual fillings such as Spinach and Bacon. £ 1 .80; and pasta dishes from £2.80—£3. Vegetarian tnain eottrse such as Lasagnc from £2.80 and Steak £4.80. We tried the veg Lasagne and '( irits ('hicken‘ (£3.80) which were very pleasantly presented bttt both a little bland with lots olwhite sauce. Minimum charge of £5 for tables booked in advance. ()pen llatn—l lptn Mon—Sat. Reservations: 031 22‘) 8on3.
The List 21 Aug— 3 Sept 45