BAGKLIST
BENAZIR
PALACE
Buffet Nights Tdndoori Restaurant
Mon (vegetarian
.only) £6.95 Tues, Wed £7.95
Commencing opm til late Booking recommended
27 Jock's Lodge. Edinburgh 031-661 0202
THE BAY TREE
the vegetarian café Open every day (except Monday) 10am-9pm All food is dairy and egg free. 403 Great Western Road, Kclvinbridgc, Glasgow. Tel: 041 334 5898 0 workers' co-operative
THE ORIGINAL THE B EST THE WILD ES'I“ T IIE BREAKFAST
CHANG E AT
FRIDAY AND SAT U R DAY NIGHTS UNTIL 5am... I l-I 7 ray-a.- I’Iam-
Ulatsgtns
(ii I 12‘) ll""
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Life after
Waterloo
Andrew Radford, the chef who made Waterloo Place one of Scotland’s best restaurants, is back. Catherine Fellows had an advance look round his new premises, Atrium.
When Waterloo Place restaurant suddenly closed just over a year ago, Edinburgh‘s gourmets were dismayed and incredulous: they had loved the place and shown their appreciation by going there regularly. And they were not the only ones. In its first few months of life it had become the haunt of the glitterati up for the Festival. hosted Sean Connery‘s birthday party and. for a Scottish restaurant. was given an astounding number of rave reviews in the London-based newspapers and magazines. lfa restaurant this successful could not survive, what hope was there for good food in Scotland? The closure of Waterloo Place may have been a shock to its customers. but it must have been devastating to the chef behind its success. Andrew Radford. Self-taught. he had proved himself on board the luxury train. the
Royal Scotsman. then in the kitchens of
Edinburgh's Howard Hotel and Waterloo Place looked like it was going to be his big break. But the truth was that all the hard-earned profits weren't sufficient given the owner's sea of debt. The good news is that Radford is back. independent this time. and in premises that promise to make him even more of a success. As from I June, the faithful customers who have been phoning Radford intermittently ever since Waterloo Place stopped trading can book a table at Atrium — or at least they can try. The first night was already fully booked when Radford was still dodging paint pots and pacifying plumbers.
‘Pacifying' may not be than adjective commonly associated with chefs. but Radford could hardly be less of :1 Marco Pierre White. It would be nice to believe that his success has had as much to do with his unassuming charm and unshakeable calm in the kitchen. as with his enthusiasm for cooking. Not long before Waterloo Place closed . l spent a day as a fly on the wall. as bread was baked. vegetables chopped into perfect julienne strips. and one after another perfect plateful garnished and handed to the waitresses. Even in the heat of mid-service, there was not so much as a raised voice, and I don‘t think it had anything to do with my presence.
Though Atrium will have the same kitchen team as its predecessor. and
'5 therefore be offering the same light. unfussy food, it could hardly be more different in appearance. lnstead ofthe
fabulously elegant Georgian interior of
Waterloo Place. expect a modern. almost futuristic space. defined by an undulating back wall which leans into the seating area. Radford has remodelled the rather stark retail units across from the Traverse box office in such a way as to exploit the feel of the new building but. by getting rid ofthe harsh verticals. to make it a comfortable. relaxing environment. He has chosen a warm. neutral ochre for the ‘distressed', textured walls. a dark stained wooden floor. and tables made from heavy hardwood railway sleepers balanced on steel pedestals. Two of the most distinctive features of the new restaurant are the large canvas awning that is stretched across the ceiling. and
the chandelier made from coils of rusty
wire. branches and twigs. and drops of turquoise glass. This latter supports conical oil burners made from amber
glass which are echoed by those standing on each of the tables.
The building itself was such an impressive part of the Waterloo Place experience, it seems Radford is right to have. invested so much thought in the decor of the new place but rather than feeling that Atrium will struggle to
He is confident that it will be better — closer to his ideal of an easy, laid-back eating place where people can pop in for a glass of wine or a pudding at any time.
equal the old atmosphere. he is confident that it will be better closer to his ideal of an easy. laid-back eating place where people can pop in for a glass of wine or a pudding at any time. but special enough for a celebration dinner. It has other advantages too: with over 900 business people installed upstairs in Saltire Court, he has a
78 The List 4—l7 June 1993