FOOD & DRINK RECENT OPENINGS
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GOLDEN ERA GLASGOW Finnieston strengthens its claim as the the coolest neighbourhood in Glasgow with the latest must-visit bar in the city, as Jay Thundercliffe discovers
O pened by Mal Spence, one of the city’s leading bartenders, this new cocktail bar and bistro has rescued a ramshackle building that housed a Kelvingrove Café back in the 1930s – to which the new place pays homage, including keeping the old sign over the shop. Harking back to its former days is fitting, the 30s being a glorious era for cocktails when many classics were invented – and you’ll certainly get a good drink here, made by diligent bartenders who hack away at bergs of ice behind the traditional bar. It’s contrived and gimmicky but there’s much to like, from the table-served bistro furnishings and good food to interesting music and a mixed crowd hubbubbing. Yet while we have much to thank America for in terms of mixed drinks, it’s less so with food, and the US-heavy menu with ribs and hush puppies feels an ill fit for the old-school brasserie vibe. Some of it, such as simple, succulent New York strip with moreish parmesan and truffle oil ‘rich chips’, does work, but the mixed sliders, though agreeable and perfect-looking, are still just burgers – which never look comfortable next to a martini glass.
KELVINGROVE CAFÉ
1163 Argyle Street, West End G3 8TB 0141 204 4762, kelvingrovecafe.com
Ave. price two-course meal: £6 (set lunch) / £18 (dinner)
The best of the new restaurant, café and bar openings in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Prices shown are for an average two-course meal for one.
Glasgow MASTER SUN’S HOT POT CHINESE
87 Cambridge Street, City Centre, G3 6RU, 0141 258 4179, £14 (lunch) / £14 (dinner) If you can’t see through the windows as you pass this Chinese restaurant on the fringes of Glasgow’s vaguely demarcated Chinatown, that’s because of the many hotpots bubbling away in the small, mezzanined diner. Master Sun’s is Glasgow’s i rst and only dedicated hotpot restaurant: for the uninitiated, think fondue – you pick the base stock and raw foods, then it’s up to you to cook it all, adding various sauces to create your own dishes. Available in vegetable, meat or buffet, it offers lots of fun dining for groups.
RISHI’S INDIAN AROMA INDIAN
61 Bath Street, City Centre, G2 2DG, 0141 332 2522, rishisglasgow.co.uk, £5.25–6.99 (set lunch) / £15 (dinner) Enticing smells waft from city centre newcomer Rishi’s Indian Aroma. Present in Aberdeen for the past four years, the emphasis is on South Indian specialities such as dosas, idlis and vadas but a vast menu includes thalis, chicken, lamb and prawn madras, korma, patia and rogan josh. With a modern and stylish décor of orange, cream and grey and a central location on busy Bath Street, Rishi’s offers weekday pre-theatre and lunch menus and free dosas on Mondays and Tuesdays.
THE NEW YORK KITCHEN NORTH AMERICAN 562 Dumbarton Road, West End, G11 6RH, 0141
334 9000, thenewyorkkitchen.com, £8.95 (set lunch) / £15 (dinner) Under the same ownership as next door’s Velvet Elvis, there aren’t many tables in the cutely decorated diner, and since opening, the Kitchen has seen locals pack the place thanks in part to its weekend brunch offering. This treads a line between home-grown and American classics; bagels mixing with full Scottish breakfasts. Burger fans won’t be disappointed – jaw- troubling creations topped with salad and cheese sit aside mountains of crisp fries. There are no desserts, but the eye-catching milkshakes more than compensate.
Edinburgh CASA ANGELINA CAFES/WEE PLACES 42 London Street, New Town, EH3 6LX, 0131 558 1002, £4.50 (lunch)
Pastry chef Marie Claire Semeraro has taken her passion for afternoon tea and created a destination vintage tea shop gem. Takeout cakes and coffee are to the front, but the real
star of this hideaway is the back room. Laid out in vintage style (even the uniforms), it provides a homely setting for afternoon teas starting with warm miniature turnovers, pugnacious bruschetta and shot glasses of artichoke and pearl barely salad, then buttery scones with jam made on the premises with a i nal crown of crisp fruit tarts, creamy banoffee cheesecake and punchy lemon curd éclairs.
MINTLEAF INDIAN/THAI FUSION 28 Bernard Street, Leith, EH6 6PP, 0131 555 5552, mintleafrestaurant.co.uk, £10 (lunch) / £15 (dinner)
Located in an old bank, Mintleaf’s décor is a l ash take on Indian traditional style where l ock wallpaper, plush sofa seating, large gilded mirrors and leopard print restrooms set the
tone for a look that is more cocktail bar than tandoori restaurant. While the menu is a little short on dishes which actually fuse Thai and Indian cooking styles, as the restaurant’s concept seems to promise, their Thai red curry is particularly accomplished, well-spiced and fragrant. Elsewhere the menu offers up dependable favourites from both sides of the spectrum, including Thai noodle dishes and all the go-to popular curries.
BONSAI BAR BISTRO JAPANESE 14 Broughton Street, EH1 3RH, 0131 557 5093, bonsaibarbistro.co.uk, £4.90 (set lunch) / £14 (dinner) This second branch has retained much of what makes its Southside sister restaurant so popular. The menu of tapas-style sharing plates is identical and there are even some familiar dishes on the specials board, including the much-loved crispy eel sushi rolls and breaded oysters served with a wild onion mayonnaise. Where the West Richmond Street branch is notable for its crowded, fraternal atmosphere, here the décor is minimal and the tables are arranged around the walls allowing for more intimate, though inevitably less cosy dining.
Independent write-ups on all the restaurants worth knowing about in Glasgow and Edinburgh are available on our online Eating & Drinking Guide at list.co.uk/food-and-drink 36 THE LIST 18 Apr–16 May 2013