TheTron
The List readers have voted it as having the best bar in Glasgow for the last three years in a row and, even without the recent £4.8 million refurbishments, it wouldn't be too surprising if The Tron topped our polls again next year.
One of the first projects to gain Lottery funding, The Tron, the third oldest building in Glasgow apparently, has been stripped to its ancient bones and rebuilt with rather a lithe new body. The bar on Chisholm Street boasts a svelte mix of polished wood, Eames and Jacobsen furniture, a huge panoramic front window and the sexiest black slate trimmings. Sleek without being clinical, the new look exudes style without falling victim to it.
The menu is similarly modish, taking in cod and sweet potato fritters with chilli jam and creme fraiche, lamb burgers, caesar salads and bucatini with lemon, oil, basil and fresh parmesan. All the main dishes are around a fiver.
Needless to say, those who don’t require food to have a good time will delight in the well stocked bar, the cocktail list and the generous happy hour which runs
Mon-Sat 5—7pm.
Meanwhile, over in The Tron restaurant, there have been a few, less radical changes to the decor. The warm, cosy wood fittings are still much in evidence but, due to a subtle rearrangement of the features, there's a bit
more space for everybody.
The menus exhibit the particular interests of each of the three chefs who cite the Mediterranean, Asia and modern British cooking as contributing factors to their culinary styles. On the plate this translates as tequila-
Suruchi
ll‘e Suruth restaurant :n l_dii‘.burgh is (eteprating l)l\.‘.'till, the lndit it New Yea" and festival of lights, \".’Iilt a series of spet all events during November Sir-1.43." to a \r'v'estern Christmas, [)n‘vau L”: Ir‘dia is marked by .llui'n:r‘at ".g every house ‘.'\.'iil‘. Lights, eating spe(iai meals and laying on entei'tarnrnent Suruthi :s entering into the spirit of things by hosting Div/alt I‘|(jlil‘s eat in Monday, Iuesday and Ihursday foi a month
from / soon} sharp or: ea(h of these
124 THE LIST s 19 no. 1998
The Tron Bar: innovative food with innovative design
cured salmon on potato and jalapeno pancakes with blood orange salsa; duck spring rolls with a pear and ginger compote and Catalan chicken with chorizo on a
succotash fritter with a smoked paprika cream. It‘s a
kind of around the world in eight plates or less.
The restaurant reopens on Sat 7 Nov with a dinner/performance from Horse followed by a similar evening’s entertainment from jazz cats Nigel Clark and
the Hot Club with guest Rob Hall on Tue 10 Nov. Dinner
'5 732 i flit";
Kathak dancing is one of the added attractions at Suruchi
n;ghts there Will be one sitting for a three (ourse meal of spetial Diwali dishes from different regions or India
lit the six years that Suiuthi has beei‘. open, the proprietor Herman Rodi‘igues has alvvays produred menus that have bee". a little bit rneie adventurous than n‘aiiy other Indian restaurants While still servmg the staple favourites of the Indo-Brit palate, the Suiiithi's menu also boa‘ts dishes that are furthei off the beaten path Dishes like then (hitken shakuti made \‘a'llll (oronut, poppy seeds,
mainstream
starts at 7pm and the performances start at 9.30pm. Get booking. (Jonathan Trew) i'r'ie iron Irieatre, Barand Restaurant, 63’ l'rongate, 0/41
nutmeg and red (nallzes we as .".()‘.(" as their samosa stuffed \.\.':th potatoes, l)()ti‘.(‘(]t'd.’t<li(‘ seeds and ."dISiI‘S
The dishes on the [)n‘ual festivaé menu are similarly inventive Making the best of the Io<aI produte, there's salmon cooked vvith blatk pepper, ginger, mixed spires and (otonut as well as a dish (alled kantbhi nurial \‘.'lii(ll features fresh ntushroon‘s, sweetrorn, (otonut and (oriander and originates from the foothills of the Himalayas
F()ll()\.‘.’III(j on from the food, there is an “itriguing display of Kathak \‘.'lII(lI is North Indian (lassital name All in all, :t makes for a very different and enjoyable evening Ihe (ost is f. I4 95 per head and plates aie booking up last
Intidentally, Rodrigues has had Suruthi's menu tianslated into Stots Ihe (lI!( ken kebab stai‘teis are desti‘ibed as 'sortsie' while the (lllllI gailit (hi(kei‘. is 'stovit thitken in a noat saute o tlillll an garlit, stiomt m fresh (happit (oiiandei (fey hoat an nippie Ye maun be a Bi'aveheait for this yin else it'II pit yer gas at a peep ' So there you go tlonathan Iiewi
Suit/r Iii, Ma Nito/soii Street,
ft/i/ibu‘lgli, 5‘56 658 )
Bonafs
'My aim here is to arhieve a Michelin star by the end of I999 By only using guaIity Stottish produ(e, \vhe'e every- thing is made here in our kI'.(l‘("t and is cooked and served by our gual ty staff, I believe Obfdli’tittt] a Midieltvi star is well Within our rea(I\ '
HaVing worked at the Savoy (it‘d the Caledonian, to say that Dotig'as Bonar knows his way about a k-tr'e‘ is liiKO saying that Caz/a is fond of a shandy Along With his Wife Annabel Bo'ia", the (ouple have taken over the site of the former L'Auberge restaurai‘t on Edinburgh's St Mary Street and aim to make at the first pla<e in Edinburgh to gain one of the prestigious Mrthelin awards
WhiIe Douglas is k=ng of the oven range :n the kit(hei‘, Annabel Is in (harge of the front of house a"d, judging by the servzre at a retent |aun<h evening, she has very high standards in mind Teams of (ratk servmg staff swept out of the kitthens and set and (leared pIa(es \‘.I'.l‘- the same (f‘eery effitiemy \‘.Iil‘ \.‘\.hi(h most diners ( leared their plates
The menus make more than a passing nod to Fren(h influen(es \whzle also taking I.'I ideas and flavours from the taider ixlediteira'iean area In keeping \\'Iili the Bonars' target of earning a Mithelin star, the (()tI‘.p().'I("Ii parts of the d'shes are of the best quality and many of the dishes use 'uxtlry ~"(jl‘(‘(l.(‘t‘i$
Antong the starters, a (reamed smoked salmon (appuurno with (aviar nesties side by side \.\.':th a terrne of foie gras, sueetbreads and guinea fowl, vrhi'e among tne nan (ourses s.n:p|e dishes suth as blatkened salmon n gorse (rowned mt“ a poarhed egg (ompete With more elaborate fillets of Srotth beef t".th (hantei'elles, topped With a hagg.s (l't(l blar k pudding toi'tellini
A lunrh and early menu offers t\.*.o (ourses at {.12 55 and three for £1495 In the evening there is a ‘ul3 a la (arte menu along with the ()l)i!()l‘ to (hoose (ertain dishes fioin the 'nena at £24.95 for three (ourses
In it's time, I'Auberge was knotty" as one of the finest restaurants ="
Edinburgh, Bonar’s is aiming ‘o' the same atrolade iJonathan Irewi
Bonar’s, .56 58 St Mary Street, Edinburgh, 556 5888
Annabel and Douglas Bonar mount their Michelin campaign