FIOI & IRINK
fca‘i‘éu‘n
j Andrew Radford’s fledgling culinary ; empire is set to expand once more .' with the opening of Café Hub in the heart of The Hub, Edinburgh's Festival centre. Decorated in a I jaunty shade of yellow, Café Hub ; aims to continue the culinary concepts which Radford and his team have used so successfully at The Atrium and blue bar cafe. Having worked at blue bar café, Steve Hall is to manage Cafe Hub. ‘The original idea at The Atrium was to spend as much as we could afford . on good quality ingredients and then not to mess around with them , too much,’ he explains. 'blue developed that idea within the framework of a cafe and bar. Café Hub will just take those ideas further. We will serve everything
from a cup of tea to a full-blown meal. We want to make it accessible
-
to everybody.’
For those of an adventurously cosmopolitan bent, Cafe Hub has the use of two terraces. The east
facing terrace catches the sun in the morning, making it
a pleasant spot for breakfast or morning coffee, while
customers on the south facing terrace will be able to
take advantage of the sun from lunchtime and through the afternoon. Year round al fresco munching will always be an unlikely proposition in Scotland but exterior heaters will prolong the outdoor dining season.
The café is open 8am-11pm and head chef Nick Bryan operates three different menus. The morning menu manages to be both healthy and decadent with muesli and natural yoghurt lining up on the side of the angels while the banana pancakes and coffee syrup offer a more sinful start to the day. The savoury side of the menu comprises old favourites with a twist. Bacon and egg rolls become Ayrshire ham and poached egg bagels
Manager Steve Hall and head chef Nick Bryan mellow in the yellow
while the bacon sarnies come with flat mushrooms.
The main cafe menu is divided into the increasingly familiar small and large plates with soups, sandwiches, salads and hot dishes making up the select range. The terrace menu is a scaled down version of the main one. It’s all pretty reasonably priced with a plate of pasta noodles, parma ham and black olives going for £4.75 while a grilled rump, potato scones and roast shallots is the most expensive item on the menu at £7.70.
Drinkers will be pleased to hear that Hall promises a decent wine list with attractive bottles for around a
Spit or swallow
It’s all in the best possible taste. With summer in full swmg, it's only
natural that every young Supper’s
tenner and that he is intent on producing proper
cocktails as opposed to the more usual jugs of vaguely alcoholic juice. (Jonathan Trew) I Cafe Hub, Castlehill, Royal Mile, 0737 473 2075.
Five bars
where you can drink late.
Ashton Lane While definitely not an invitation to party till dawn, relaxing the licensing hours to allow the bars of Ashton Lane to stay open until midnight during the week is a step in the right direction. 'lt’s like a weekend night every night of the week here,’ commented one ecstatic barman.
I Brel, Cul de Sac, linty McGinty’s and The Ubiquitous chip: Ashton Lane, Glasgow
Negociants Edinburgh is blessed with
116 THE lIST 24 Jun—8 Jul 1999
How late it was, how late: Favorite
a wide variety of late night liquor heavens. Some are charming, most are scabby dives. Negociants, on the other hand, is positively ciVilised. Table service, a great beer menu and a 3am closing time make this an oasis of early morning cheer. The fact that it's all seated can seem like the best thing since oxygen if the hour is late and the legs are weary.
I Negociants, 45—47 Lothian Street, Edinburgh, 0737 225 6373.
Legends Something of a rough diamond, Legends stands on the site of the Phoenix, the Casbar and, if
memory serves correctly, The Cavern.
with water
All names which will loom large in the
befuddled collective amnesia of Edinburgh’s habitual late night barflies. The action tends to congregate around the two pool tables. The open fire is particularly welcome on bitter Winter early mornings.
I Legends, Cowgate, Edinburgh, 0737 225 8382.
Favorit A cross between a deli, a diner and a bar, Favorit manages to pull off
thoughts should start to turn to the miraculous thirst-quenching qualities of lager. Golden of colour, fresh of taste and perky With the effervescence of countless bubbles, it reinVigorates and makes you burp in equal measure. Tiger Beer There IS nothing outspoken about this pale, 5% ABV lager from Singapore although it's won countless awards including the 98/99 World's Best Lager gong at the Brewmg Industry International Awards bash. Lightly hoppy With a mellow flavour, it doesn't really make itself felt until after it’s swallowed and the nicely zingy finish
i
kicks in. A good seSSion beer rather than one to linger over.
THE FIRST PILSNIR ON EARTH
Pilsner Urquell This IS a bonzer beer . that boasts big buckets of flavour. Brewed in the Czech Republic Since 1842, its deep, gold colour is matched
by its keen, sharp taste and refreshingly bitter finish. Made only ialt and hops and with a relatively Civilised ABV of 4.4%, it’s tempting to think that this little
number Will leave the enthu5iastic
: drinker with a clear head in the
' morning. In fact, respect IS due. Nectar when accompanying a ploughman’s :lunch.
the rare feat of being as trendy as it is
friendly. Hefty sandwiches keep the
munchies at bay while draught lagers '
and bottled beers Will whet the whistle. Look out for a new branch on Leven Street in mid-July.
I Favorit, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, 0737 220 6880.
13th Note Club While technically a club, the admission fees at this Clyde Street joint are often less than the price of a half pint. Students and all of Glasgow's music scene make up the customer core. It’s closed on Monday nights but open till three every other night. Little short of miraculous given Glasgow’s Victorian opening hours.
I 73th Note Club, 260 Clyde Street, Glasgow, 0747 243 2777.
auqueus‘en
Budvar Not to be confused with the watery American lager, Budvar is
another Czech-brewed beer that
whistles its cheery way down the thirsty thrapple like a postman who's just thwarted a belligerent pooch. The
: most lively of this issue's offerings, it's a
light gold in colour and has the aroma
f of freshly mown grass. No, really. A
fine quaffing beer. (Jonathan Trew)