Memorable
meals to choose from Glasgow‘s most chic venues: child-friendly restaurants. and where to catch your burgers. all within comfortable
1
reach of M2 'fest events.
Prices in brackets. unless otherwise stated. arethe approximate cost ota three-course evening meal fortwo. including a bottle of house wine.
Numbers aftereach entry correspond to Maytest venues (see Venue Map).
Upmarket
IAmberRoyaleSRr» Argyle Street. 221 255“. last ( )rdcrs l l.3tlpm. (‘losed Sun. listremely glamorousand upmarket baggy blinds. shadcsot ' muted pink and l complimentary prawn ' crackers with your . cocktails. Businessy
clielttelc.dtletolsteepishl l pricesand its neighbour. the Holiday lnn. blit the loodgiyest‘ew ntcattitlgto l
the ( ‘hlticsc at t of beautiful presentation. I (t35l l.‘\. I Kensingtons lot l)arnley Street. 424 3on2 .\lon 'l’hurs noon 2pm and o3“ ‘l.3(lpin; l-‘ri Sat last orders ltlpm. (‘osy and intimate. traditionally decorated witli plenty of painlirigsanddrapes.‘l'hc I l
a la car te menu changes regularly and there is also a pi'i\-li\e which is tietttelldotls\altle. .\‘ot recommended tor a riotous assembly . bill the
l
l tood.eg llcshscalood. i indiyidnallarnband E apricot pics. is of the highest quality. (£35) l IThe Colonial :5 l ligll i Street. 55: 1023. l ('otlslde red by some to be ' the best of llte Notiyellish i yogtle in ( ilasgow. Altliotigli the superb presentation and attention to freshness are all there. you don‘t lcayc feeling the despcl ate need for a black pudding supper asa desert. The food is memorable. imaginative
64 The List 13 - 26 May 1988
special meal. (£45) 3‘). 4H.
and served in generous
portions. .\'ot cheap. btit £3(;.£3()) 13~ Seafood i
worth the odd shudder at the cheque for a truly
4]. I The Buttery (i52 Argyle ' Street. 22! 8188. Beautiful surroundings in the heart ofsunny Anderston. Innovative menu which works very well most oftlie time. but occasionally veers towards tlte pretentious along with a tendency towards the hushed and reverent school of w'aitressing. Btlsiness account prices — not an ainbienec which encourages renditions of ‘Stand by your man'. (£50) I}. . .
I North Rotunda 2S'l‘unnel Street. 2il4 1328. French restaurant: Mon-Sat noon---2..‘~(lpin and
7-7 l 1pm; Italian restaurant: Mon—Sat noon-- 2.30pm and
5- l lpm. ()n the ('lydc. once derelict. now
lovingly restored to Glasgow car-dealer chic. llousing two bars; one wine. one cocktail. and two restaurants — a very good Italian and a fantastically expensive lircnch it'sdestinedtobc a hit among business account Sli('(" patrons.
41.43.
(French £80; Italian
I ll Pescatore 148 Woodlands Road. 333 923‘). Last orders I lpm. Closed Sun . As the name suggests. seafood a speciality. Fortes: unusual fish simply presented skewered monkfish. scampi wrapped in bacon. Failures: cream sauces 5P!" liilsltitllliIISltli (too much bechamel. not enough cream) Busy and l cosy. with a mixed clienletc. (£30) 37.
I The Hogano Restaurant ll lixchange Place. 248 4tl55..\1on~-'l‘hurs noon~2.3llpm and
7- lilprn. The service and atmosphere in this famous seafood restaurant make it the place for a special night out. All dishes are delicious. and the vegetarian menu. while small. is unusual. Attentive staff and a good wine list. Booking necessary. (£25 in diner. £50 in restaurant) 3‘). 40.
I Pavarotti'svt (‘ambridge Street. 332 9713. Mon- Fri noon~2.3(lpm.
5.3()- 1 1pm; Sat
5.3(L-l l .3tlpm. Tiny and cosy. dim lights and checked tablecloths. with
BACK LIST
a menu offering no great surprises apart from the best roast tallies in low it. 'l'asty daily seafood selection. l’opular witll Scottish ‘I'clcy ision and Scottish opera types. (£le £3”) 31 . 3o.
Winebars
I BarLuxemburg Pitt Street. 332 llll..\lon Sat llamv 3pm and
b.3ll llpm. A spacious bar decorated almost as sumptuoust as much ot its clientele. the Luxemburg caters for all upmarket drinking tastes and offers a suprisingly cheap lunchtime menu. though scry ice is sometimes poor and the music seldom matches the giant y ideo screen. ( liar £lll. restaurant £2“) 2.8. l l.
I Cale Gandolti (v4 Albion Street. 552 fiSl3. last orders 1 1.30pm. ('loscd Sun. ()by iously not new bill a new menu? The (iandolfi has pulled the plug on its old w holcmeal quiche iriiage and replaced it with a sharp. longuc-in-cheek l‘ranco-Scoltish one. Recommended are L‘iit)tl\ bunsstuftcd with profoundly garlicky dauphinoisc potatoes. and
One of the more agreeable manifestations of American culture reached Scotland last November in the shape of Shenanigans, the Sauchiehall Street bar/diner modelled on a successful Stateside chain. Four years of planning and a huge budget for interior design went into the place, and the result is robust and stylish without being embarrassingly plush. The inside is made from hardwood, finished with-solid brass, original US poster plaques, specialty commissioned stained-glass Iampshades and a wealth of bric-a-brac to rival the Barras. The tables are well spaced, the loo-n bar is sectioned off in the centre, there are full facilities for the disabled, a non-smoking area and air- conditioning.
Forget the red dungarees and have-a- nice-day gimmickry of Macdonalds: the
polite friendliness ot the staff here stems from a rigorous training in PR and service techniques, and extends to Happy Birthday routines and special arrangements for parties.
The menu is varied and imaginative, altering around eighty dishes - many at them Creole, Cajun or Mexican, Prices vary from $22-23 for a snack or starter to SIS—£8 for a main course. It’s not the cheapest meal in town but be warned: portions are very generous. The fainthearted may preter a stab at the very reasonable lunch menu, which otters reduced portions and prices. There's a special menu tor children, and all drinking tastes are catered for. (Andrew Burnet)
Shenanigans, 351/356 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, 041 332 8205. Mon—Sat Ham—midnight; Sun 11am—11pm.
l —
they've wisely retained their wonderful caramel shorlcake. l’ow er breakfastc rs cart choose from oeiitscn cocotte with ham or cheese. or a reliableold croissant.and the taint-hearted cart try the delicious scented dry l’ortugucse .‘yluscal l’almela. to counteract the garlic. ( £l5 i 3". ll). 4 l . 43. I Circle Bistro Sumo King Street. .552 (P34, l.ast orders larii. Airy arid tastefully decorated bistro in the foyer"? ) hyped Merchant (‘ily ()ltcrs daily bar menu willi a la carte ay ailablc in the evenings. teaturing mussels l’roy enealc. trout with almonds and more. (its Zili.‘~3.4n..‘~3.
I The Blue Note 'l'hc llr‘iggait.(‘lyde Street. 552le". Mon Sat
‘lam midnightzSun
noon midnight; l‘ri late licence till laril. At the
w cckend this busy. ine\pensi\ e cafe bar can offer youanothcr post-theatre dose of li\ c entertainment. with acts like \Vildeat's l).l\c Anderson or the larger-than-lite blues singer Madeleine McDonald. ( £13)
Indian
I The Asha 415 Sauchiehall Street. 332 499b, Mon Sat
2.3llpin and
3H 1 1.3llpszun
.‘sil l l.3llpm. Originally a purely vegetarian restaurant. now serving a yariety ot innovatiye meat dishes. A heavin
5. 5.
disguised entrance leads to a none-too-loy ely interior. bill the quality of the food and the courtesy of the staff more than compensate for any decorative shortcomings. (£l4) lb. 25.38,
IThe Bajdoot it 13
l ly ndland Street. 334 tltlh’4. .\'oon 2pmand 5pm midnight incSun. ()ne oftlie new breedol glossy Indians ruched blilids and lots of pink. Adventurous regional specialities: try the spiced prawnsonpoori little deep-tried puffs of Indian bread. arid the epic mushroom bhaii. .\'o-smoking section. (£2lll
IThe Shalimar33 25 (iibson Street. 33‘) 0453. .\'oon midnight inc Still. The t‘ugrim‘r‘t'rlff reckon this to be among the most authentic in the city. ()ne of the few places to feature Bombay Duck. that poisoriotisly anti- social little prcserved fish. lingagingly eccentric staff. (£l(i)
IThe Ashoka ins lilderslie Street.22l 17M. Noon-midnight inc Sun. Art amazingly smooth operation <orderstaken
ney er a hitch nor a hiccup. lhe dishes are alw ay'sof .in e\cellent standard. alllioiigli many of them seem to'be a particularly lurid shade of red. low lightinghelps. (US)
KID CONSCIOUS
I Inn on the Green 33 (ileetthead Street. (ilasgow (iieen. 554tllh5. .\lon \\'ed noon 2.3llpm. " ‘l.3llpm: ’l hurs Sat noon 2..‘~llpm.
" ltl.3(lpm. l‘amily orientated. “its‘ time warp restaurant lotsot pine - in the desert of the liast lind. 'l‘riily mountainous portionsol well cooked. solid food »lto tlottyellisii pretensions witlt adain list of specials. Also extremer obligirig: one yery fussy tr'ienddidn‘t like tltc fairly extensive selection of potatoes. and had his more than exacting t‘eqtltrelitettts (lightly sauteed. touch of garlic ctclchcertully' and promptly attended to. (£25)
I Pierrots lisquire l louse. l4lS—i ( it‘ettt \Vestern Road. Anniesland(toss. 334‘l4‘)l. .\lon 'l‘hurs noon 2.30pm; l'ri. Sat noon (lpm. l-.\ticmely child-friendly cate diner. 'l he menu announces ‘(liildren very welcomc'. As w ell as reasonably priced layouritcs such as burgers.pi/./as evcriegg. bcansand chips children under tell. when accompanied by an adult. can hay e a main course completely free. 'l‘hey also feature "file Kids (‘agc‘ play pens and toys to keep your enchantingoffspring out ot your hair. (£l5l‘). 2H. 2“.
Burger Bars
I Ad Lib i ll Hope Street. 221 SW]. Mon Sat
noon Cam: Sun
(rpm lamfl‘heoldest sury iving bastion of the burger in ( ilasgow almost an institution. ()pen till the wee small hours. (HMS. I“.
I Cul-de-Sac 46 Ashton lane. 334 474‘).
Mon Wed
noon 1 1.3(lpm; Thurs-Sat
noon midnight; Sun noon llpm. Although basically a crcpcric. their burgers are about the best in towit -au poivrc especially. Advisablc to book at weekends. (£18) 19.21. 2o.
I Back Alley S Ruthven Lane. 334 7105. Mon—Fri noori-~2.3tlpm: 5pm—midnight: Sat noon—midnight; Sun 5pm-midnight. .‘s'o pretensions »— simply a burger bar. Fast food. fast friendly service. and a jolly West [ind studenty atmosphere. (£15) t). to. 2t). 2 l.