FOOD & DRINK RECENT OPENINGS
SUPPORTED BY
A RIGHT ROASTING
A sandwich bar on Finnieston’s fringes is proving that all you really need is an oven, some imagination and a steady supply of top-quality cuts, as Jay Thundercliffe discovers
S andwiches are getting serious. In these days of gourmet creations, street food trends and exotic alternatives, a handful of breakfast rolls and plodding panini no longer cuts the (home-made) mustard. Roast, the latest specialist to appear in Glasgow, has adopted the tagline ‘Serves You Right’. It’s a pleasing pun that serves both as a reflection on the state of the modern takeout and to declare the shop’s pleasant neighbourly demeanour. In her first solo venture, Lynn Girasoli is dishing out the humble piece – though not so humble here – from a compact shop ringed by thin perching bars and a dozen or so stools and chairs. Breakfast items are a step up, made with quality pork products, but centre stage here belongs to the oven and the compact, compelling range of roasts created within. Counter coldcuts are all home-cooked, but many customers don’t see past the special roast of the day. While there’s only one at a time at present, occasionally two, the favourites should all rub shoulders soon – so decision time: the slow-cooked pulled pork or beef brisket done overnight, the Philly steak and cheese, piri piri chicken or a messy but mesmerising Moroccan lamb.
ROAST
1299 Argyle Street, West End G3 8TL 0141 334 1413, facebook.com/roastglasgow
Daily roast special: £4.50
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 THE BUFF LOW CAFÉ BARS & PUBS
welcomed by locals. Besides selling plenty of fancy dry goods, they also do sandwiches on bread from Glasgow bakehouses Tapa and Bavarian, homemade tarts, quiches, lasagnes, frittatas and sausage rolls, olives and greek salads and sugary indulgences from coffee and walnut cake to tip-top tifi n.
THE MERCHANT BARS & PUBS
THE MELVILLE BARS & PUBS
9–25 William Street, West End, EH3 7NG, 0131 225 1358, themelvillebar.com, £9.95 (set lunch) / £16 (dinner) Another transformation from traditional boozer into a modern neighbourhood bar, the Melville’s revamp has generated a fair amount of positive buzz, with a range of ages and characters attracted by an impressive list
42 Bath Lane, City Centre, G2 4SQ, 0141 248 1777, facebook.com/TheBuffLowCafe, £10 (dinner) Secreted down a typically undulating City Centre backlane, the Buff Low Café is another feather for the Butterl y and the Pig who now have so much going on in this building that it’s becoming a leisure complex. It’s less quirky than the conjoined basement bar-bistro, with a whiff of 1920s prohibition in essentially a sports bar – low-lit and compact with a big screen and occasional live bands. The upgraded offerings include plenty of cocktails, Blue Moon on tap, and dining options featuring US-themed small plates including Buffalo- or Kentucky-styled chicken, chilli ‘dawgs’ and ribs. 34–136 West George Street, City Centre, G2 2HG, themerchantglasgow.co.uk, £11 (lunch / dinner) Chain pubs can get so old, beat-up and worn-out that another newer, shinier one comes along to take over. So it was with Yates’s, previous occupant of this busy site. Owners the Stoneacre Pub Company – under whose giant umbrella shelters Yates’s, plus Missoula across the road, plus hundreds of other UK pubs – has given the place a serious facelift. While it oozes a generic pub vibe, it is a pleasant set-up with various booths, nooks and distinct areas across its expansive two l oors. Food is cheap but decent enough to offer good value, from burgers and bar classics to curry nights and grills.
GRAY’S KITCHEN DELI & SANDWICH BAR
05 Crow Road, West End, G11 7BU, 0141 562 9493, £4 (lunch)
Edinburgh FATMA LEBANESE
If the increasingly upscale strip of shops and cafés on the Crow Road near Jordanhill is any rel ection of the way the neighbourhood is going, it’s little wonder that Gray’s Kitchen – a mother-daughter run deli-kitchen, specialising in organic, ethically and locally sourced savouries and sweets – has been warmly
2 Commercial Street, Leith, EH6 6LX, 0131 554 4000, fatma.co.uk, £8.95 (set lunch) / £17 (dinner) The city’s second speciality Lebanese restaurant promises a back-to-basics approach using traditional methods and fresh preparation. It’s certainly apparent in the clean, sharp, zesty l avours of the food served. Tabbouleh salad is a vibrant blast of citrus and parsley, while freshly fried falafels with creamy sesame dressing are deftly seasoned. Other options include toasted l atbreads stuffed with sweetly spiced lamb or a refreshing house salad featuring avocado, tomato and pomegranate. The warm effect of décor is enhanced by service from a gregarious front-of-house team.
of cocktails, wines and beers. Input from The Atholl Hotel’s head chef Michael Mathieson is rel ected in some elegant dishes that are several notches above pub grub. Soup is delivered in a jug and served
at the table, an assiette of pork comes stuffed with a tarragon mouse, while desserts include poached pear accompanied by olive oil and pistachio cake.
WOODLAND CREATURES BARS & PUBS
60–262 Leith Walk, Leith, EH6 5EL, 0131 629 5509, £10.50 (lunch/dinner) While the enigmatic grey façade might bamboozle diehards of previous occupant Balfour’s, the competition for quirkiness in this neck of the woodlands has taken another step forward. Exhibit A: an outdoor beer grotto reached through a wardrobe. Although the titular beasts are thin on the ground, perhaps due to the dog-friendly nature of the pub, it does boast plenty of woodwork, including a rough-hewn bar, atop which lurks a fantastic selection of beers. There’s also a refreshingly well-priced and tasty menu, with two courses for around a tenner. All in all, despite its potential to be an achingly bohemian hangout, it has a surprisingly diverse appeal.
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 38 THE LIST 16 May–13 Jun 2013