EAT&DR|NK
A year in the life
in the run-up to publication of our next Eating & Drinking Guide. James Smart has a look at three restaurants that have opened in the last year.
On the up (clockwise from left): John Quigley of Red Onion; Gursel Bahar of Hanedan, and Mahlon Bentley of Coyaba
iquor is easy to make money
on.‘ says restaurateur and
sometime TV chel' John Quigley' from the bright mezzanine of his latest (ilasgow venture. Red Onion. ‘You buy it and then you sell it. An Alsatian could do it. liood is more complicated.‘ We all know that restaurants‘ first years are tough. According to the National Restaurant Association. 40‘? of new establishments close within their first year. Some sunnier‘ recent American research shows a tigure of (10‘? alter three years. which is less frightening but can still hardly instil much confidence in new businesses — or their bank managers.
Yet amidst all this doom and gloom. many prosper. As a snapshot ol’ Glasgow and lidinburgh's eateries shows. there is a bright side — you just have to lind people who are willing to come. That. according to Quigley. was the problem with his last. eponymous restaurant. ‘We never got lunchtime trade.~ he explains. ‘Maybe it was too austere. People came and enjoyed their meal and said nice things. and then didn‘t come back.‘
Red Onion. for all its smart lines and posh weekend menu (when specials might include truffles. veal and monktish) is rather less austere. Quigley notes. with some pride. that his bacon rolls are cheaper than their Greggs equivalent. 'lt‘s
pitched into the middle market. Diners can go tip or down -- they can eat a steak sandwich or lobster. There's lots of old—lashioned cooking. I‘ve got a smaller crew and the emphasis is on big liavours.‘
Red Union. which opened in November. is based on ()uigley‘s cooking and his wile (iillian's commercial nose. and is now doing a bustling trade. Coyaba. a l‘riendly Jamaican restaurant near lidinburgh l'niversity. has just celebrated its first birthday. thanks to even more of a family l‘ormula. (‘hel‘ Mahlori Bentley had always cooked l‘or his partner l.i/./.ie .Mead. as well as her children listher‘. Michael and Emily. He began catering for events like Messenger. the Bongo (‘lub‘s dub reggae night. and then the laiiiily decided to open tip a business. buying the vacant site on Buccleuch Street in January and opening up in March last year. serving tip wholesome. liliing dishes such as goat curry and saltlisli. ‘\\'c thought. “Oh yeah. this‘ll be a fun thing to do." says listher with some amusement. ‘Me. [.i/ and Mahlon. living together and getting a restaurant running in eight weeks. Temperatures were high.‘
Now all live l‘amily members work in what is the orin Jamaican restaurant in Scotland. There have. of course. been problems. ‘\\'e‘ve
‘WE'VE BOUGHT OUT ALL THE GOATS IN SCOTLAND'
bought otit all the goats in Scotland] says listher. ‘\\'e cleared out the larm in Inverness that was our lirst supplier. then we cleared otit the (‘ar'inichael estate. \\'e have to get ours trom \oi'tliumbria now.-
lt seems to have been tun too. "It‘s a lovely social thing. We diseoyercd a big Jamaican community that we neyer knew existed in lidinburgh. and they come along. It's delinitely not just a sit down restaurant.’ she continues. wandering past a large drinks selection that includes t‘ortilied wine—based Jamaican loye potions. '\\'e do all get quite into the party spir‘it.‘
A similar appreciation ol‘ the value ol entertainment can be lound in Hanedan. a Turkish restaurant on lidinburgh‘s Southside. which
opened last June. and whose nieuu contains translations ol eyeiyday phrases ineludiiig ‘\l.iy I borrow your bieyele pinup." ‘\\ hy not li.i\e
a sense ol liiii says owner and ehel (iursel Haliai. ‘l’eople eoiue to a restaurant to sit down and laugh it they‘ve had a liaid working day they want to iela\ It‘s not a language school.
Hahar. howeyei. is serious about his l’ood. llis iiupiessi\e kebabs. iuoussakas and huiuous have made llanedan an ineieasiugly well regarded cslaltllslltllelil. ltolll .is a local pit stop and a restaurant worth travelling to. Helor'e lll<>\ll|_‘_' to ludinlitii‘gli with his Seottish wile. Haliar' worked loi 'leienee ('ouiaii in l.ondon loi nine years. loi his linal year. he eouiluued this with working in a llll'klsll restaurant. honing his skills.
.-\ecor'ding to liahai'. llanedan‘s simple. white iiiteiioi straight li'oiu (‘ouran ‘I looked at
the way his ineuus were desigiiedf he says. '.-\tltl the decor trio llI .ill his restaurants. you will see the glory ol siinplieity. l try to provide quality at a good piiee espensiye main course is 9.5. N Keeping the restaurant elean .iiid slltlplc helps lllc keel» [tilt t's luv... This combination ol pragiuaiisiu
lll_\ llltlsl
and idealism seeins eoiuiuon to all three newcomers. ('er'taiuly. it‘s helped them get lui'thei than many start-ups manage. But who needs statistics when you'ye got a lull belly ’ Coyaba, 113 Buccleuch Street, Edinburgh, 0131 662 9111; Hanedan, 41 West Preston Street, Edinburgh, 0131 667 4242; Red Onion, 247 West Campbell Street, Glasgow, 0141 221 6000
' :' "- ’. THE LIST 115