Movie . smoothie
Colour, glamour and lots of film posters to decorate the walls - Bollywood should be a gift to the restaurateur looking for a handy theme. Henry Hepburn visited a new Glasgow venture.
he gaudy glamour of the Indian film
industry seems a parallel universe away
as you button up on a dreich Glasgow night and stride past Sauchiehall Street‘s greasy takeaways and booze-addled hordes down by (‘haring Cross. Yet. just on the other side of the motorway. hidden away on quiet lilderslie Street. is the intriguing prospect of the Bollywood Lounge. formerly the Observatory and Scaramouchc bars.
.\'eon signs buzz. plasma screens pump out hits from strutting Bollywood stars. and a flashy 'l‘om-(‘ruise-in-(‘or'kluil central bar bounces light off a hulking chandelier and shiny leather upholstery. Viewed from the outside it's a promising mix of kitsch and cool after crossing the urban gash of the M8. a bit like stumbling upon a Willy Wonka outlet in a grim industrial CSlillC.
Proprietor Tommy Jameel. a veteran of established curry houses like Kama Sutra and Ashton Lane‘s Ashoka and protege of Asian cuisine noteworthies (‘haran (iill and Balbir Singh Sumal. has ambitious aims for his latest venture. A dapper. infectioust enthusiastic chap who could have relied on his law degree were he not so determined to strike out as an independent restaurateur. he’s a little sniffy about late-night curry and lager gu/zlers. He wants his restaurant to be something altogether classicr. populated by well-heeled professionals more inclined to chink champagne flutes than shovel vindaloo down their throats.
Tommy makes no apologies for the long waits between courses. explaining that his dishes are carefully prepared stage by stage. spice by spice. and that nothing is pie-prepared. There are some dishes he insists are to be found nowhere else in the L'K. although. in truth. they don‘t veer too far from the heavy. bubbling sauces that define tried and trusted Scottish translations of subcontinental favourites.
NEON SIGNS BUZZ WHILE PLASMA SCREENS PUMP OUT HITS FROM ST RUTTING BOLLYWOOD STARS
Allo channa chatt is a rich. ruby-red mix of
chickpeas in tomato and tamarind with a pleasing edge of sweetness: tali macchli amristari. a less appealing starter. is deep-fried haddock with a spicy crunch but little sign of the advertised thyme. (‘hicken chettinad. a south Indian dish with tandoori meat. has a subtle lingering smokiness to lift it while chicken naga/iah. another speciality. is cooked with ultra-hot naga chillies. but they’re tempered by a chef who doesn‘t sacrifice the tingle of more
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THE BOLLYWOOD LOUNGE &
INDIAN RESTAURANT 138-140 Elderslie Street, Glasgow 0141 353 6931. Set two-course lunch £5.95;
average two-course evening meal £16.
delicate spices at the altar of macho heat.
Tommy has been unlucky in his timing. credit crunch and all. A place like this requires big crowds for the right atmosphere to kick in. and on quieter nights the chintl. and VIP seating look a little forlorn. But he remains admirably resolute in his vision: monthly Bollywood nights. during which it sounds like he wants to recreate the backstage atmosphere at an exclusive Mumbai film premiere. are starting up $001].
CINEMATASTIC .
Café Royal Oyster Bar
17a West Register Street, Edinburgh,
0131 556 4124
This venerable Victorian fish restaurant tucked oft Princes Street appeared in the 1981 Oscar-Winning Chariots of F/re. although despite the movie's Scottish connections it was used to represent a restaurant in London. A discreet brass plaque on the wall commemorates the movie moment.
10 THE LIST (it) Oct 11% Nov 2008
Calistoqa
93 St Leonard’s Street (0131 668 4207) and 70 Rose Street Lane North (0131 225 1233), Edinburgh, www.calistoga.co.uk
Integral to the Californian experience here — newly joined by a second. city centre location — are West Coast wrnes with a reasonable 57:") mark-up. All come from wine shop. Sideways. named after the 200/1 road movie best watched with a Pinot Noir to hand.
Lebowskis
1008 Argyle Street, Glasgow, 0141 564 1002, www.|ebowskis.co.uk
The Coen brothers' 1998 film norr The 8/9 Lebowsk/ has inspired cult books and festivals as well as this Finnreston bar and diner. the exterior of which bears the legend 'Not a Man. a Way of Life". Of course. there's a decent selection of white russians on offer.