Play with the city - glasgow

I love Bunker, it is one of my locals and one that I go to often.

On entering Bunker, on the middle of Glasgow’s bar-heavy Bath Street, you find a great contemporary venue, still fresh from last year’s makeover, with comfortable seating (there are plenty of cosy booths) and cool lighting that seems to cast an attractive glow over everything. There are huge sunken tables with poles (yip dancing style) in the middle of them.

Bunker has a good range of DJs over the weekend, playing a boogie-tastic mix of indie and pop – perfect for stopping by before heading to a club. Although, to be honest, since it’s open until 2am at weekends you don’t have to leave the place!

Saturday night saw DJ Toast drop some bum spanking and groin grinding indie bits and rock picks. i went with some of my dance loving mates and had an absolute ball. The champagne was by the bucket full as it was my birthday the night before and we were all out to celebrate!

Thanks to everyone who came out and made the night a blast and for my cake, I just wish one of us would have remembered our bloody cameras!!

So the streets of Glasgow were full of leprechauns, pots of gold and shamrocks …. Bars were full of green headed Guinness’s and waiting staff with ginger hair and mushtaches. The Dubliners and Pouges was the favorite choice of music and well, everywhere I went; everyone was pissed!

St Paddy’s in Glasgow is an excuse for a bar crawl like no other- To have a drink and sing- song in every Irish pub before you either; forget who you are out with, forget your name or eventually pass out in a drunken but very Irish slobber of Guinness dribble.

Everyone turns Irish on St Paddy’s day… it’s law. If you don’t find yourself fishing in your wardrobe for that scabby green cardigan to wear, something is wrong with you. And after two or three drinks your not talking in an Irish accent, I would go see a specialist; preferably one with a big green hat and pointy shoes on.

For those of you who love a bit of dress up before you go out (see if you can get any free drinks) have a wee lookie at this site http://www.freekidscrafts.com/st_patricks_day_crafts-t119.html you are guaranteed to something to warm your cockles and get out there in green!!

So where to go? There is loads of irish pubs to go in Glasgow. My fav two would have to be Jinty McGuinty’s. This is a small yet worthwhile pub to visit when spending time in the West End of Glasgow, located perfectly around the corner from the Hillhead St. Underground, Jinty’s in on Glasgow’s famous Ashton Lane. I can undoubtedly say that this is amongst my favoured places in Glasgow. Pop in here for a fab pint of Guinness and a wee bit o the crack and then wander up and down the lovely cobbled lane to enjoy the general ambiance of this Glasgow back street! Often some live music plays and you will always find an interesting local to chat away to.

O’neills Irish bar on Queen Street in Glasgow is another on the pub crawl hit list. This is a legend in the Glasgow. A great place during the day or evening but especially good on St Paddy’s. No complaints but I cant actually remember being in the place… so I’ll stop there.

So if you cant make it over to Ireland to celebrate it’s favourite green saint, plant yourself in one of Glasgow’s Irish bars, raise your pint of Guinness over your head and sing with the best of them.

Most people who enjoy a meal out on a regular basis have an opinion on which are the best places to go. But ‘best’ can mean different things to different people – ranging from wallet-busting fine dining venues, to places that just ooze character, or simple unadorned eateries. But all have at least one thing in common- good food.

A new restaurant that’s popped up and causing a stir in Glasgow is Peters on Hyndland Road, we were there to treat a workmate who is leaving us for early retirement… the cheesy burger!

Split into two parts, a cosy front bar with groups of tables, and booths in the back. The environment is suitable for a quiet cocktails as it is a three- course meal; and either will put a smile on your face. The standards are high and the service is friendly, all good for a night out eating and drinking with work buddies.

The decor is not expected of,lo the building- booths, pillars and brickwork- with nice classic touches. The food is great. Daily specials make the most out of the fresh ingredients- such as an amazing Salmon and Haddock fish cake with sweet chili sauce. Or how about a mains of Pan roast breast of chicken with borlotti beans and plum tomato ragout or for something a bit more richer the Saddle of venison, parsnip puree and honey , served with roast vegetables and beetroot jus.

You can get a lunch/ pre theatre in the restaurant costing from £10.92 for two courses or £12.95 for three! Food like this, priced like this puts a smile on the face, even in the midst of a recession!

None of our table went for a desert, simply because we were so stuffed by the starters and mains (a few of us leaving lots of the mains of our plates) however I did put a ‘tick’ to one certain desert that I am definitely going to try next time I give Peters a visit. Mixed Berrie parfait with orange tuille, yum yum yum.

Peter is the new kid on the block and it’s risky being there with so many of it’s neighbours shutting down because; dare I say it- the credit crunch. But I think Peters will do well and if not, I hope they keep me in mind when they are getting rid of their stock of  Cristal Champagne.

Ok… So I am fluttering my long luscious eye lashes to all you out there with Alkaline Trio tickets… as I cant go.

The gig was so in demand, tickets sold out on day one (hang on till I get a handkerchief to dry my tears) I can only guess how amazing the night is going to be, the atmosphere buzzing with the crowed and the band playing their wee hearts out to a packet out gig as the Green Day-approved morbid punk trio return for their first Glasgow date in years!

So here I am; crossing my wee fingers and praying to the big man up stairs that someone takes pity on me and decides to ditch their best mate and invite me instead to go see Alkaline Trio with them on the 10th of February at the ABC in Glasgow.

You Know I love you, don’t you!

What’s to do a Monday night instead of picking that fluffy stuff from between your toes? How about going to the 02 Academy in Glasgow to see Bloc Party and Wet Paint putting on a ‘must not miss’ night!

Wet paint are heading Bloc Party on Monday the 26th of January at the 02 Academy, if you haven’t been there- think of a living room with a bar in the middle, a bit of a dance floor and plenty of mates and cheap beer singing together the words of songs we don’t even know!

Looking forward to it… The Cat in the Hat says I am!

I can’t count how many bands have been chewed up and spat out into something beautiful by King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, but hopefully I am going to witness the birth of one of them!

Chiodos, are playing Monday 2nd February. Are they any good? I’ve no idea- watch this space. Do they look a bit fruity? Hell Yeah!

Found in Partick just off Glasgow’s West End, I can easily argue that The Rio Cafe serves the best coffee in Glasgow… I mean Scotland… ok The Planet!

Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a night time tipple The Rio Cafe caters to a mixed crowd of students, young families, wealthy couples and scaffy shoegazers.  The Cafe brings together the kind of global- home cooked food (yes there is such a thing)  and drink influences you would expect to find in any city eatery, but in a low- key, unadorned environment.

With its retro stylings and traditional exterior, the Rio – part pub, part café – has a great 1950s vibe.

The cafe itself reminds me of my Grandmothers house back in the eighties. Flock wallpaper, brown lamp shades and strange pictures of freaky kids with big heads and wide eyes hanging on the walls.

The menu ranges from- eggs Benedict to pie, beans and chips. My favorite would have to be the fish cakes with mango sauce and the winning Rio salad. Drinks go from the child friendly milkshakes to the adult cheeky,  Jack Daniels.

The Rio holds a range of events at night such as cabaret nights, poker events and jazz sessions. The poker nights are a great laugh and there is a chance to win a ‘poker seat’ down in London and in Las Vegas.

But, and it’s a big but… The Rio Cafe is at its best on a Sunday morning. Then you can seek solidarity with all the other hungover Glaswegians’ soothing our sore heads with a pile of news papers and a cup of the finest coffee in town!

The ever most trendy ‘The Loft’ is holding a girly girls night out the 29th of January 2009.

I will be there with a few of my frilly mates enjoying a complementary glass of fizz, relaxing with all sorts of therapeutic treatments and accessories. Later that night we catch the Fashion Show featuring all the trends from all the hippest shops.   The film ‘Sex In the City’ will also be showing, just next door in the Grosvenor Cinema at 11pm.

Why do I have that song ‘it’s raining men’ in my head?

This Glasgow restaurant occupies the roof space of the Grosvenor Cinema so you can eat, drink and socialise like a movie star before visiting the cinema just next door.

The nights have drawn in, television specials have started and there is a distinct smell of mulled wine in the air. Hmmm… must be Christmas. So when you’re feeling the chill and your stomach is shouting on you to fill it with something  lovely, where should you go?

My ever expanding waist line would like to thank with a gold star sticker, The Bothy restaurant for adding a few more notches on my belt. Situated just off Byers Rd in the fashionable West End of Glasgow. The Bothy is a Scottish restaurant that attracts the tourists as much as the locals, as a result the restaurant tends to be bustling and loud with conversation and laughs from a well mixed crowd.

Now when I say Scottish I don’t mean deep fryed Mars bars and Irn Bru, The Bothy has a menu that serves the modren classics but with a little bit extra. Mains ranging from marinated crispy pork belly with black pudding, roasted root vegetables and spiced apple compot to a massive plate of Linguini wild mushrooms, cairnesmore wafer, roasted garlic and basil… belly is rumbling now.

The Bothy combines modern design with traditional touches creating a look somewhere between a country hotel sitting room and a trendy city centre wine bar.  Mixing leather couches with thick pile cushions, warm teak tables with sleek modern table wear. Guilded famed pictures hung on expensive flock wallpaper and a glass and walnut bar framing the bottles and the waiters wearing kilts behind it. The Bothy is a must for anyone wanting to impress on a first date.

What to eat- For a starter I always go for the traditional. Haggis, neeps and tatties served with a whiskey sauce. There is a vegetarian haggis option for those sandle wearers out there.

What to drink- Has to be a Bombay with cranberry.

What not to miss- You can never miss a desert even if you couldn’t finish your mains, there is always space for a pudding… no argument. Try the Cranachan with Raspberries and Glayvaent. It is basically a giant glass of cream. Cream; and you guessed it even more cream with a few raspberries thrown in there for luck. If this doesnt make you feel like a pig rolling in mud, nothing will.

The Bothy offers a few eating options within its restaurant. If you want to hold a dinner party but not have the dishes at the end of the night then you can hire out the private dinning room. This is perfect for that special dinner, coporate meal or for your very own private affair. Its free to hire and can hold 22 people.  But if you want to hold a very private meal, you can hire The Snug. As the name suggests, it’s a place not to be shared with your hairy bummed mates but with that special someone in your life. The Snug can hold up to 8 guests but it is known better as “The Ring Room” ;as many a gentleman has proposed to their good lady in there!

If you’re ever swayed to eat anywhere other than the Bothy, just think… men in kilts serving your every whim… mind made up?

Sweet.

If you could see my poor feet—a blistered, corned, scarred mess of impenetrable calluses—you would wonder what the fnck is wrong with the brain of the girl attached to them for subjecting herself to the torture of a pair of five-inch heels that were as expensive as they are uncomfortable. But it’s not my fault—blame the line I stood waiting in to enter one of Glasgows trendiest night clubs November.
Situated in Princes Square; November has an atmosphere where all the kids are hipper-than-hip, ice cool indie babes, with immaculate style, and an impeccable taste in music. An ails of being a café/restaurant during the day turning into a wine bar and cocktail party at night. With a shoulder rubbing crowd, and DJ’s on the dance floor November equates itself to being one of the top venues to party in within Glasgow’s City centre.
November buzzes vibe with its young fans and its resident and guest DJs well into the early hours of the morning. Closing at 1am it allows minimal standing time at the taxi rank outside as you nurse your feet after a hard night of dancing with five- inch heels on and a stylish cocktail in hand.