KEVIN KNIGHT
BACK LIST
When tlte weather smiles on us. we berttoan the
fact there are so few places we cart wine and dirte
in the opett air. apart front the usttal picttic. Those '
that exist suffer from the irtflux of scores of
like-minded people.
Partly to blartte are Scotland's cccerttric licensing laws wlticlt prohibit the casttal ttse of garderts or paventents for drirtking. and require the licertce to cover the exact area ttscd. crazy paving arid all. l-‘ortunately' this reduces the problems of lager louts sittirtg on the kerb or spread-eagled irt the car park. as happens south
ofthe border.
However. with a little forward planning artd armed with a copy of our selection. compiled by Sally Stewart and Lucy Bailev. a pleasant time can be passed weather attd insects permitting.
I Lock 27 I tuner-mt Road.‘)5SllS53. .‘vlon Sat llam« l lprtt; Sun l3.3llr-1pm.o..‘vtl llprtt. Food served rtoort Spm (summer hours cortting into force soon ). lixtrernely popularort high days arid ltoliday s due to its location on the l-‘orth & (‘lyde (’anal whilst being relatively easy to get to. The menu includes delicacies such as Japanese l’raw us or Sltark steaks and more down to earth fare. w itlt daily specials.
I The Stables ( ilasgow Bridge. (ilasgow Road. Kirkintilloch. 737 (illS'S’. Bar: Mon- Sat noon-midnight: Sttrt noon-3.30pm. (Fl lpm. Barfood: Mon Sat noon~-3.3llpm. (v9pm. (irill: Mon-Sat l3.3tl—3.3llpm.
5.3(L7. 15pm. Sittirtgon the bartks of the sante canal but iii the midst of tltc country. The Stables is the ideal spot to soak tip the sunshine arid forget the congestion. Apart front sitting on the tow path artd enjoying the good bar food. the grill offers steaks. fish arid
GLASGOW
7 other dishes iii a rttorc forntal atmosphere.
I Bird and Bees liaster (’orton Road. (‘auscwayhead. Stirling. (l7ts'bb33S-1. Mon-Sat llam— lpm; Sun
noon 3pm.
(v.30 midnight. Bar lunches attd suppers served noon —3.3llpm.
5- l lpnt. sandwiches available all day. There is also a rcstaurartt. The closest you tteed to get to the continent. this pub offers botlt food and drink outside with the bortusof being a home frortt home to the Scottish l’etanque Association (French boules to you ). Members rttect every Tuesday and alternate Wednesdays in the open air. They're a friendly lot so you may ertd up playing yourself. ()ne 'jeu' and you're hooked as they say irt France.
I O'Henry's 445 (ireat Western Road. 33‘) 1375. Mon Sat Warn 1 1pm; Sttrt l lartt -l lpm. Food served until 7.30pm. With views out over the River Kelvin. ()‘l lenry'soffers
tlte contrast of its riverside
'terrace‘ for those who prefer the great outdoors. or its cool vaulted interior.
5 CAPITAL
i L’Odeon, The Oasis. The Pelican.
served all day with a selection of salads. cold cuts artd sandw iches at lunchtime.
IWickets Hotel 53 l-‘ortrose Street. 3.3-1 933-1. Bar: .‘ylon Sat
llartt llpnt; Sttrt
13.3” 3pm.(i.3ll llpm. Restaurant: Mon Sat noon 3.3llpm.
0.3”» lll.3llpm; Sun
noon 3.3llpm.
0.3” 9.30pm. from its location on l’ar‘tickhill. the \Vickcrs commands a fine vicvv ov er \Vest of Scotland's cricket ground. a pleasant prospect. Both bar artd restaurant offer the option of eatirtg arid drinking on the terrace. The bar sct'v cs from a substantial menu w ltilst the restaurant offers botlt a la car‘te or table d'hotc (£13.95 ) withtltc accent on their fish dishes.
I Gairdner's Airms 233 Paisley Road. 430 1373. Mon Sat 1 lartt llprtt. food served noon «bpm. .»\ popular little
establishment with a sizeable private garden for sunny days attd evenings. l-‘ood is homemade. with the selection changing daily artd rttaitt courses for around £34“.
I The Babbity Bowster
lb lSBlackfriars Strch. 553 5055. Mon Sal
llartt midnight; Sttrt 1330 3.30pm.
b.3ll llprtt. Bar food
scrv ed until 9pm. liabbity's has perhaps the smallest ‘bicrgartert' in the city . btit whcnyou consider the dearth of such small pay ed places it bccorttcs art important piece of real estate. Their bar food remains intagittativc artd good value with a fixed menu artd plat dti your from the menu. live music too!
EDINBURGH
I WaterfrontWine Bar lc Dock l’lacc. l.eith. 554
7437'. The first place to spring to mind when the
sun comes ottt artd now a
BARS
The latest incarnation of the
Whitbread-owned site on George IV Bridge (most recently Kitty O’Shea‘s) is L’Odeon—an all-day, late-night boozer with frenchy aspirations in the form of crepes for lunch, cajun music and a wine list. The atmosphere in this large space could be improved by turning down the spotlights and maybe hiring a pianist to fingerthe piano in the corner ‘ (which members of the public are encouraged to play—risky policy, this?) The lunch menu looks tempting, and fairly priced at £1 All—£3 fora main course, and the wine list has 14 generic wines (eg ‘claret‘, ‘Iiebfraumilch', ‘sauvignon'). Most of the clientele seemed to be drinking draught Stella. Food in the evenings would I most welcome—there's plenty otspace to designate an eating area. All in all the new managers are succeeding in their efforts to create a relaxed and friendly ambience in what has previously proved a difficult location. Another new bar that does serve food in the evenings is just around the
this small baris
The Pe tcan
odd; the rock 'n’
{ cheri
v yep-H,
shed institution. Invest iii a taxi so that everyorte cart sample the wine list. attd tttake art indulgent evening of it iii the conservatory. Wine U» -£S a bottle artd something tempting (arid probably fishy ) to go with it won't rttirt you at. for cxarttplc. £3 £3 for a starter. £5 fora mairtcoursc. lfit'srcally roasting. sit outside attd order something offthc barbecue.
I Negociants 4S 4.7 l.otltian Street. 335 (L313. Intrepid diners ltave been spotted otttside Negociantson ltot day's artdbalrtty nights- it's obviously the place to be seen. ifortly by passing motorists. lrt fact l.othian Street probably fades irtto the background after a cottplc of those weird foreign beers. l‘ood excellent as ever.
I PearTree 3t» yy‘cst Nicholson Street. 067 7790. Mon~ \Vcd
llant llpm.'l‘lturs Sat
corner— ‘The Oasis' in the new improved Victoria Street. The heart of
its original Wurlitzer
juke-box, with an excellent selection of pop classics and other more up-to-date material, and pretty coloured bubbles going round the edge. The music can be loud — it's a ‘rock 'n‘ roll bar’ — but nevertoo loud, and the atmosphere is upbeat and convivial. Rock ’n' roll food ; seems to be burgers mostly, which is
rollers I know eatall
sorts olweird things. Go there forthe music, friendly barstaff, orthe novelty ofdraughtWarsteiner.
The newly touted Pelican (named
? after a well-known designer dive in
. London?) in the Cowgate turns out to be what was once The Gilded Balloon,
. now a bar right through ratherthan the
bar/restaurant arrangement of its
pervious incarnation, somewhat
below fortimes)
be noon—2.30pm.
day.
smartened up and serving food. (What used to be the restaurant next door is now just a bar). The food was rather more interesting to read about than to consume. The atmosphere was great for a single diner—just enough light to read by, and a happy choice of house wine (bythe glass) — and I would have . felt equally at ease had I been the only one of a group to feel peckish. Their late-night/early morning breakfasts are rapidly attracting a following (see
among the
up-all-night party crowd. (Lucy Bailey) L'Odeon, 49/50 George W Bridge, 220 4950. Mon—Wed 9.30am—midnight; Thurs to 1am; Fri/Sat to 2am; Sun 12.30—11pm. Meals served
The Oasis, 7 Victoria Street, 226 5260. Mon—Sat loam-midnight (soon to open > on Sundays as well). Food served all
The Pelican, 209 The Cowgate, 225 5413. Mon—Thurs 11am—1am; Fri & Sat 11am—5am; Sun 11am—11pm.
Edinburgh
iiatu—i inmpni. Sun noon—3pm. (v—l lpm. Studenty' pub with large walled beer garden (well. beer courtyard) which rapidly fills tip when the sun shines. (iood value ltot artd cold bar lttrtcltes from noon to 3pm. eg ltot dish f; l .8”. salad portion 40p artd lots of differettt sorts of beer. They ttsed to have live music occasionally . bttt no longer. w lticlt is a shartte. I Tilted Wig l 3 ("timberland Street. 556 (Lilli). Mon Sat llant llprtt. closed Sundays. The small beer garden round the side of this busy. sliglttly snooty bar is usually in shade artd so pleasarttly cool on a hot day. Smoke-free and frequented by friendly localcats. Bar rnealsat lunchtime. cg steak artd kidney pic £3. attd a barbecue contemplated for the ttear future. I Green Tree 183—184 ('owgate. 335 139-1. Mon Sat noon lartt. Sttn (v.30 llprtt. Rather dour looking pub with a courtyard attached ~— does sunlight really reach the (‘owgatei’ butgettirtg quite lively at weekends. (‘heap pub snacks available at lunchtime. Bclhavcn. Murphy‘s. Beamish etc todrink. I Flottersfone Inn Milton Bridge. l’cnicttick. 73717. Mon Hi I l.3llam 3.30pm. 5 llpnt. Sat 1 1.3llam -l lpm. Sttrt 13.30 »1 lprtt (drinks with food only between 3.30 and b.3llpm). The fifteen rttirtttte drive from central lidinburgh is worth it to rcaclt this pub artd restaurant with a real (ie green ) beer garden rtext to the river. Bar food is available all day toeat outside. alternatively reserve a table irt the restaurant arid take a short walk irt the twilight up the trail to the reservoir artd back before dirtrtcr (rontartticeft‘.’). liarmeals £3 £5. restaurant f; l 3 for three course a la carte. plus vv ine. (Wine front the restaurant list is available iii the bar). Alloa beer. I Raeburn House Hotel 112 Raebttrrt Place. 333 3348. Mort-Sat l lam—midnight. Sun l3.3llpm—midnight (from late May). Iixceptionally friendly service. arid the only beer garden irt trendy Stockbridge. The major refurbishment will be firtisltcd by the end ofMay (it's open throughout). when ‘coffee-shop style food. cg stuffed croissants artd salad. will be available all day". They alsodo Sunday breakfasts up to l3.3tlpm (in the Hotel. before the bar opens) arid Sunday lunches thereafter.
68 The List 19 May — 1 June 198‘)