Play with the city - glasgow

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.

It can be found on bus stops, train stations, on bathroom walls and on the outside of your front door. No I’m not talking about smeared human excrement; I’m talking about Street Art… also known in my vocabulary as; drum roll please- Graffiti.

Scotland saw its first ever “high profile” Street Art exhibition last Saturday and Sunday (6th and & 7th December) being organised by Fusion. The ticketed exhibition incorporated live art creations as well as having art pieces that were for sale. It was organised as part of a major fundraising campaign to raise funds for the well known charity, The Prince’s Trust. “Yeah” always good to do your bit!

Taking place at SWG3 Studio Warehouse in Glasgow, the exhibition showcased the work of some of the UK’s top street artists including Elph, Smug and Gazmac as well as some young emerging talent who work within the media of spray art, illustration, stencil, photo realism, and character depictions. I was there with my Gok Wan looky-likey mate Jonny and a host load of other trendy art critics.

The Street art was amazing and I found some things that really went together. I’m not talking Bread and Butter, toast and Jam. Tequila and weeklong hangovers etc. It would appear that cute boys in skinny white jeans, checked lumberjack shirts and spray cans are also a good partnership. Both turning out some spray can style on the streets and working hard to create some of the hottest Art works in Glasgow’s factory galleries.

The DJ played works till 1pm along with a bar full of red bull and vodka. It was a top night and a big event for Glasgow.

Along with fluttering my eyelashes and pushing the best lines, I never even got a snog from Sam Bates AKA Smug… gutted.

Hopefully Fusion will host another event so I can wear my wonder bra, let’s hope!