GLASGOW: MERCHANT CITY
The smart part
Jay Richardson heads to the land built by tobacco barons
and finds it reassurineg expensive.
LATE NIGHT, EARLY MORNING
Tiger Tiger '21) Glasstoi’d Street. 563-1888. is still somei.'.ihe-re to he seen hehind a grant pane of glass. hut this hai (:Iup restaurant hyhi'id should he applauded for atte'npting to eii‘piaee eontinental eate eultui‘e. As *.'.':th The Corinthian i‘it)‘ lag-rant Street. 13:32 110%. that hig. (:iassi, fan of a pala//o. progressive iieeneing a1.:>'.'.'s ‘oi dunking. daiieing and (I()ll‘.€}lSétII(}li till (Sarn. ei‘suiing that .'.'hen 2-1 hour opening ei.'eiituai?j, sei‘ds Sai.<:"‘.=ehal| Street into flames. diii‘kers or: the other side o" the shake ti'iei fie-ads. smiie ai‘d eo'ittntie to I‘na ena eha iesp()iisihl'~,. lJiiEe-ss thei.“.e aiiearry :ieeainped te Favela illie Italia" (lent-re. ‘i' tJe'in Street. of)? 35505».
kniek knaeks ae'. as a haekdrop for [)th and hands to
i.-.ifi~::-"e the cigar Lounge. >ai'ii fronds and l atin
infiiet dirty. :ieeiasst‘: sa‘sa. reggae and dirt) on a highiy
energised (trout/d.
MODERN ENCOUNTERS
WITH THE ANCIENT
Named after the god of wine and intox'eation. Bacchus l8f) (‘ilassfo'd Street. 5/? 0080i reopened
this year as a de-eent styie pai‘. IVf)"ll)I". 53(3'Yli'itl those
after a hit of Roman dehaife'ien, park to Arta ’13, 19 Walls Street. 5:5)? 2101 i. a one fiiiie cheese riiarkef turned ostentatious haiouue iahyi‘ii‘th. (tiaiiiiiied ‘.'.’li" statues. elegant staireas-tss and the steady ixii“ of
hiologiea' eloeks tiekiiig.
SOUNDS OF THE CITY
Doing something a tittle hit different t'i'o'ii other Merehant ()ity haunts is Red Lizard ~15: :1 i' Be?! Street. :35? 3:339 ‘.'.’lII‘. its floek i.'.'all_paper‘. iiioese heads. heat up Chesterfield sofas and loii'igey 'iiusie. going to shov.’ that mix and inatel‘ ‘.'.'()"I<fl. itist as we“ as top to toe. McChuill’s i-Zfi High Street. fit? 213,5),- niay not enioy the reputat:on ‘t oi‘ee did as a n‘usie venue. HI. there aie still live hands l ivday.
Satiirdai.’ ai‘d Sunday endiess drinks promotions and
a fine display of \ll‘Iétfifi viiiyi on the '.'.'a'l:;. Aerpss from
the IVtiitiiizirkttt. Blackfriars ifif‘i Beli Street, 5:57
€993“ is a Iittle more down to earth thai‘. surrounding
The Corinthian
::'ti. ‘.'.’lII siiirpt‘,
is“ it. 6
Red Liza ’4’"
estat)Iishinents. put it's hardly down at heel. a i.-.ieleoiiiiiig. traditional pub v/ith live JEi// and blues on weekends and eoniedy on Sundays. Iraditioi‘ial folk. 'll€}£il“.‘.’I‘=I(‘:. eai‘ otter‘ he heard at Babbity Bowster iitS Blaekfriars Street. 5):")? seam and from its beer garden i" the weather permits. there's an exeellent range of heers too. though for the true treeeherman. The Beer Café :Merehant Sgiiare. 8? Candleriggs. s5)? 9815» was steeking an impressive ~1/ varieties on. 'as! inspection. with, the Freneh [)esperados and the Duteh Shag among the more intriguinng named.
ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF RUMOURS By day. Bar Gandolfi {6:1 Alpion Street. 446% is a great eafe to iiiisspend an afternoon in. By night. the uphe' floor offers IIIIIO more than perehing space by the pumps. {iIr()‘.'.’l'it) the gossip eominiinity to enjoy three eonvers;itioiis at once while surreptitiously
sipping on a g'ass of something egually fruity. With its
sister venue the Polo Lounge (8-1 Wilson Street. 5:33 1291.. Delmonicas i68 Virginaa Street. 5555? .1803i is
one of the most popular gay destinations in the eity and the sheer invention of their gui/ nights and karaoke evenings puts the maiority of hreeders' hars to shame. Bar 91 itil (landleriggs. 5):")? 1391 ii is an unpretentious operation in this line, popular with young professionals hut sans gimmiekry siiifply a niee. eosy piih to kiek haek and relax in.
BEST BARSIZOOo
ONE FOR THE ROAD
Don't stop till you've had enough
Buddha
I For far too long. those fun-stealing Calvinists who make the rules w0uld have us Out on our ears when we'd barely started stumbling. Luckily that policy is changing. with a growing number of bars providing alcohol-fuelled merriment till the wee small hours. Many are dressy affairs With door charges. but there are exceptions.
Take Bar Bloc (1 17 Bath Street. 574 6066). The styling of this underground den has echoes of a former Soviet republic. Yet the opening hours (3am Fri—Sat. {‘2 after midnight) and funky music policy prove this one is a staunch liberal. The monster of a venue that is Frankenstein’s t92 West George Street. 331 At t t) keeps punters Supplied until 3am on a nightly basis. The ambience is about what yOu'd expect from a theme bar, but hey. there's room to raise a glass and enough shots and pitchers to keep anyone quiet. On Sauchiehall Street. Firewater (319 Sauchiehall Street. 354 0350) is all about hard liquor and loud. IOle. loud rock'n'roll to make your ears bleed until the sun comes up (or until it closes at 3am). If that sounds a bit raucous. chill 0th in the laid back surroundings of Buddha (408 Sauchiehall Street. 332 2010 l until midnight. Get in early to avoid the bad karma of an entrance fee though.
There are fewer options in the West End. but that doesn't mean you have to go thirsty. After dark is the new time of worship at Oran Mor (see Glasgow West End). the converted church at the top of Byres Road where service continues till 2am. Here you have the choice of whether to progress into the adioming club venue or keep propping up the bar. And let's not forget that enduring institution. the sooal club formerly known as Woodside. It's been renamed The Woody (329 North Woodside Road. 337 1.643). prGSLimably to appeal to a y0unger crowd. and the upstairs bar remains a smoky den of iniquity. full of pool tables and eccentrics with grand tales to tell. (Chris Bradley)
Denise Mina Author
I'm teetotal hut. in keeping With my drinking days. still prefer old men's puhs. Big breweries are taking everwrhere over and giving them all faeelifts. Sadly. like- women over :10 in l A. they all look identieal now. but Glasgow's Grove Bat and the Aragon. where I was a member of a gui/ team for three years. still retain their character.
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