FOOD & DRINK RECENT OPENINGS
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The Finnieston Pop-Up’s name change signals a more permanent home, as David Kirkwood discovers
T he ‘Finnieston Pop-up’ has decided to stay around. Having proved a popular addition to this vibrant stretch of the West End, what was going to be a 90-day guest residency is now part of the permanent collection, with the new, more enduring and rather long name of 1116 Argyle Street, Finnieston. The DIY ethic remains, though. Unique cocktails are created, and wiped off the blackboard after three months, never to exist again. There’s only one bottled (Moretti) and one draft (Heineken) beer – available in increasingly popular two-third pint ‘schooner’ glasses. Music comes from mix tapes that owner (and former DJ) Daniel Welsh and his staff make up and play through an old cassette deck. With the tunes and the darkness and the cool demeanour, you really could be in Barcelona or Madrid. Indeed, the tapas menu is designed by the same chefs as nearby Spanish restaurant (and stablemate) Fino. A smoked bull slider tastes like the delicious place between piggy smokiness and steak’s meaty texture, chorizo ‘lollipops’ have a good depth of flavour, and the bravas have a crispy, well-seasoned exterior. Prices are small, the emphasis on bite-size portions to accompany drinks and chat in true Iberic style.
1116 ARGYLE STREET, FINNIESTON 1116 Argyle Street, West End, G3 8TD, 0141 334 0761
Ave. Price Two-Course Meal: £12 (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 WILD CABARET & WICKED LOUNGE ARTS VENUE & BAR 18 Candleriggs, Merchant City, 0141 552 6165, wildcabaret.com, £17 (lunch) / £24.50 (set dinner)
Glasgow’s second dedicated cabaret bar to appear in recent years goes the full distance, with a black velvet and gold interior. This is the raucous underbelly of the thriving cabaret scene, but grown up a little and
with a hunger for more finely crafted food such as bar snack sausage rolls with wild mushroom and truffle. Meanwhile, a concise evening menu features corn-fed chicken and Shetland salmon with duck egg, displaying imaginative, locally focused cooking, and getting towards higher-end prices. A separate restaurant and cabaret area has shows for diners, while live bands appear in the Wicked Lounge, the place for post- cabaret carousing and cocktails.
LA BOCA SPANISH 189 Hope Street, City Centre, 0141 237 7575, labocaglasgow.com, £12 (lunch / dinner) After years living in Spain, owner Steve Gilmour returned home with the aim of bringing authentic tapas with him. Decorated simply with blue tiles and eye- catching prints of matadors, the restaurant shows great promise and potential. Dishes such as traditional pork and tomato stew and fried aubergine with sugar cane
honey are well thought out and deftly prepared, and also offer good value. There is a good balance of meat, seafood and vegetable dishes as well as those from the grill. With great tapas on offer for between £2.50 and £6, these will satisfy without breaking the bank.
LAS IGUANAS LATIN AMERICAN 16-20 West Nile Street, City Centre, 0141 248 5705, iguanas.co.uk, £11 (set lunch) / £17 (dinner) The latest Glasgow outpost of Las Iguanas had already created sufficient buzz to fill up midweek soon after arriving – and with room for 200 diners, it’s a big place. There are over 30 restaurants in the chain and the concept is clearly working. It’s a kind of pan-Latin mix of spicy food, powerful cocktails and appealing interior design. Tacos with crisply battered fish and sweet chilli sauce may not be particularly authentic, but provide an ideal foil for sharp margaritas and caipirinhas. A flexible menu includes burgers and salads, a ‘sharing tray’ and (mostly Tex-Mex style) tapas that lend themselves to light snacking.
Edinburgh CREDO BISTROS & BRASSERIES 46 Queen Charlotte Street, Leith, 0131 629 1411, credorestaurant.co.uk, £11.50 (set lunch / set dinner) Even the most stubborn fan of La Mula Obstinata should be placated by its recent transformation into Credo. In its peculiarly charming three-level room – all painted brickwork, murals and exposed girders – the venture that has emerged from the blocks has a thoroughbred’s grace. At £15 for three courses at dinner, you might be forgiven for suspecting that a few corners are being cut, but from the surprise arrival of a potato and leek velouté right through to the shared platter of near-perfect puddings it is clear that good value here does not mean any compromise in quality.
THE CRAFTERS BARN BARS & PUBS 9 North Bank Street, Old Town, 0131 225 9030, crafters-barn.co.uk, £8.95 (set lunch) / £15 (dinner) Taking over this bright spot atop the Mound in April 2014, Byron Holland and his partner bring an eclectic mix of European influences to the capital. Made-to-
share small plates have a beery emphasis, from Belgian fish stew in a creamy beer sauce to Iberico chorizo infused with blonde beer. Napolitana pizzas are handmade daily and there are kilo pots of Shetland mussels and
an admirable range of Scottish cheeses, all of which pair excellently with myriad Belgian beers. A concise list showcases some experimental mixology, with some interesting ingredients (homemade strawberry and Leffe jam), notable spirits (Edinburgh gin) and fabulous names making an appearance. Caipbeerinha, anyone?
THE BLUEBIRD CAFÉ CAFES 5 Canonmills, thebluebirdcafe-edinburgh.com, £9 (lunch) Inspired by the Bluebird Café in Nashville, Texas, where owner Kylie MacGregor has family, this small but beautifully formed café has an emphasis on warm, friendly service. Much of the produce is made on the premises, including cakes, up to ten scones per day and four daily soups. The Southern influence continues onto the main menu, with Tennessee buttermilk pancakes complementing bacon, bananas and maple syrup on sourdough toast, and nachos sitting alongside sandwich options strong on pastrami, jalapenos and homemade chilli. It’s hearty comfort food with an American spin, aspiring to be a home away from home for its regulars.
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 32 THE LIST 17 Apr–15 May 2014