BAOKLIST
:— Southern tang
Beatrice Colin developed a taste for Brazilian food at The Living Room.
With a groovy interior by Graven Images and Ti morous Beasties. a huge range of flavoured vodkas and a seductive cocktail menu. The Living Room has recently opened at the bottom of Byres Road. Another project by club and bar impresario. Colin Barr. this place is predictany unpredictable.
From Brazil, the chef Eliana Rodditis. has concocted a food menu of exciting and exotic dishes at reasonable prices. It includes such culinary highlights as Frango com Polenta. a stew of chicken. tomatoes. peppers and fresh herbs served with polenta. and Ens0pado com Legumes. a vegetable casserole accompanied with rice and greens fried with butter and onion. Both pn'ced £3.50. they come served in huge cast iron dishes.
Because of the sheer size of the country. Brazilian food has a multitude of influences such as German. Portuguese and South American. With dishes as diverse as schnitzel and nachos. it means a great range of flavours and ingredients.
Eliana settled in Scotland three years ago. She now tn'es out various recipes on her Scottish husband and has discovered that some dishes take a while to get used to. ‘I‘ve chosen
dishes which appeal to the West of Scotland taste.’ she says. ‘I do a lot of chicken as well as seafood and vegetarian food. I intend to bring new dishes in gradually. first as daily specials and then when people get used to them. they will be included on the menu.’ Other highlights on the menu are Nachos Jambalaya. a Mexican starter. and Salada Syria. a Brazilian- style bulgar wheat dish.
One of the ingredients Eliana regularly aims to use is Cassava. a type of meal used in Brazilian cooking. ‘It
is used to thicken stews and is a staple in Brazil. Eventually I want to use it more often as well as ingredients like black beans and coconut milk to really capture the flavours of South America.‘ The puddings are straightforward and include apple pie. creme caramel and Pave dc Chocolate. a chocolate pudding made from cream and cinnamon. “Puddings in Brazil are very sweet and are full of sugar.’ she says. ‘I think they would be too sweet for Glaswegians. I've got some friends in Brazil looking for new recipes but we’ve kept them
simple for the time being.‘ With exotic daily specials and a three course lunch menu from £4—£5. The Living Room is worth a detour.
The Living Room. 5/9 Byres Road. Glasgow. 339 851/.
FLAVOUR OF THE FORTNIGHT
THE LIVING ROOM
MARIUSIO A BAlllAltA (MUSSELS Ill COCONUT MILK)
A spicy seafood dish which captures the taste of the flew World.
3 lbs of fresh mussels
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp of ginger
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsps of chopped spring onion 1 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp fresh coriander
1 tin of coconut milk
Cook the mussels in two pints of water with a pinch of salt and two tablespoons of lemon juice or white wine. Shell them and put to one side. Keep the cooking liquid. Fry the onions, garlic and ginger. Add the coconut milk and the stock. Cook gently for ten minutes with the herbs and half of the mussels. Then add the rest of the mussels and season with salt and pepper. to give a real Brazilian bite, add one teaspoon of fresh chilli pepper at the final stage. Serve with garlic bread.
The Living Room, 5/9 Bytes Road, Glasgow, 39 8511.
Film Theatre may not
‘ The Edinburgh Wine Bar.
meringues garnished with redcurrants . . . All cakes.
lunchtime BLT — smoked
mussels. oysters. very
Glasgow
I Fund liaising Dinner Hilton Hotel. 204 5555. If you fancy a superb meal on the evening of Sun 12 Sept. the Glasgow Hilton is the place to go. Head chef Ferrier Richardson will be sharing his utensils with some of the brightest lights in Scottish cooking. including Bruce Sangster. Bill Gibb and Brian Graham. all of whom are members of the team which will be representing Scotland at the Culinary Olympics in Singapore this April. Last time round. our team came home clutching a bunch of trophies. despite a comparatively tiny budget. The profits from this meal. as well as the proceeds of a raffle to be hosted by Andy Cameron. will go towards the trip. Dig deep for the £30 fixed menu price and you will have a dinner to remember and have done your bit for Scottish cooking. For tickets and further details. phone the Hilton.
I Cafe Cosmo GF’I‘. Rose Street. 332 6535. Glasgow
appear to have chosen the most original of names for its cafe bar. but as the original l930s Mr Cosmo logo in the foyer testifies. it has deep roots. Cosmo‘s. as the OFT was originally known. was one of the first alternative cinemas in the UK. and the naming of the cafe is something of a tribute. The bar has been open since February I992. but it has only recently begun serving food. Now you can have a pre-fllm sandwich. or choose from a range of hot pasta and vegetable dishes prepared on the premises. assorted tapas. Danish pastries and cakes. Also. be prepared for flights of fancy from the kitchen in line with current screen themes — at the moment it’s the Latin American Film Festival that’s making its presence felt with an augmented selection of tapas. Open Mon—Sat noon—I 1pm; Sun 5—l lpm. food served noon—7.30pm. and later during the aforementioned festival.
Edinburgh
I Cellar lo 2 I I0 Hanover Street. 220 I208.
as we are still allowed to call it. has been through a good few transformations in recent years. but latterly this once convivial haunt became sadly dilapidated and eventually closed altogether. Now. thanks to Nigel MacI.ardie of Cellar No I fame. it is open again. and if the Chambers Street original is anything to go by. with an extensive and carefully chosen array of bottles. Old aficionados who have not yet returned will be relieved to learn that. ‘careful restoration and refurbishment’ notwithstanding. the Edinburgh Wine Bar looks much as it ever did - understated. with the entrance staircase plastered with Fringe posters.
I Jamais Brulée 28. St Stephen Street. 225 I242. A new and extremely enticing patisserie specializing in French tarts. None of your exquisite Florentin mousse gateaux here. but mouthwatering home- made looking golden- glazed plum and almond numbers. frangipani. chocolate-filled pastries.
and a range ofjams. are prepared by hand by French trained Jo Jo Gore who has also done time in some of London‘s most celebrated hotel kitchens. Individual portion-sized cakes and slices cost around fill each. and whole gateaux can be yours for around £7.
I Out of the Blue 25a Thistle Street. 226 6548. Herewith announcing a delicious alternative to the
scallops and salad in a warm pitta bread parcel. Enterprising Shetland shellfish farmer Alastair Macphail has set up this seafood shop cum smokery cum takeaway in an attempt to siphon some of his island’s wonderful produce away from the Spain-bound juggernauts and on to the Scottish market. Juicy scallops. fresh and smoked. are his speciality. but he also sells fresh and smoked
trout. cod and haddock. Having the only smokehouse in the city centre. Macphail is also the person to contact should you find yourself with a fat fish at the end of your line. He will willingly hang it in his smart new smoker and transform it into something even more delicious.
reasonably priced salmon.
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LUNCH — 12—2.30pm EVENINGS — 6—11pm (last orders 10.30pm)
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The List l0—23 September I993 81