Dram November 2016

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315

DRINKS RETAILING AND MARKETING

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McEWAN’S CELEBRATES ITS 160TH ANNIVERSARY

DRAM MAGAZINE November 2016 ISSN 1470-241X

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DRINKS RETAILING AND MARKETING

WELCOME I

t’s nice to see so much going on in the trade.

New bars opening, places being refurbished and generally a more upbeat feel. As we head into the last couple of months of the year I’m hoping it’s going to be a rewarding time for all concerned. This month we have a bumper issue - some 64 pages, but that includes a rarity for us, a look at what’s happening in the property market. Our Property Supplement runs from pages 25 to 39 and you can pull it out. This issue we also include our Winter Cocktail guide which offers some tasty tipples.

I caught up with Satty Singh at the families latest venue Tapas at Singh’s at Braehead, and also headed to Bellshill for a coffee with Frank Cogan and business partner Martin Mackay. See what they have to say on pages 32 and 34.

Our design features include Rahul and Bubbles Randev’s latest opening The Grove in Lenzie, Paul Sloan and Mario Gizzi’s Chaakoo Bombay Cafe, Baffo in Glasgow, Boozy Cow in Stirling and last but not least Cameron House. Whew! And to be honest there were quite a few others who perhaps we can cover next month.

That’s all for now.

November

2016

FEATURES

17 22 32 42

VODKA AN OVERVIEW

Lots of interesting facts about Vodka.

A DECADE OF SUCCESS! 10@10 The DRAM takes a look at busineeses a decade old.

A CLASSY JOINT IN BELLSHILL

Susan Young interviews Frank Cogan and Martin Mackay.

DESIGN FOCUS

Laura Smith and Annabelle Love check out Chaakoo, Boozy Cow, Baffo, The Grove and Cameron House.

REGULARS

Enjoy the read.

Susan Young Editor susan@mediaworldltd.com dramscotland.co.uk

@dramscotland

CONTENTS

/dram.scotland

4 9 41

NEWS

All the news on pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels.

BRAND NEWS

All the latest brand news.

SUE SAYS

Straight talking from our very own Editor.

DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 3

CONCEPT COCKTAIL BAR THE VOYAGE OF BUCK LANDS IN EDINBURGH The Voyage of Buck, a new, imaginative cocktail bar and restaurant from Red Teapot owners Martin Luney and Colin Church, has opened on William Street in Edinburgh’s West End, in place of Bert’s Bar. It joins a growing trend of concept bars in the city, alongside Badger & Co (based on Wind in the Willows) and Panda & Sons (a speakeasy cocktail bar hidden behind a barber’s shop frontage).

Voyage of Buck has its own fun backstory – the life of fictitious world Traveller William “Buck” Clarence and his travels to Paris, Taipei, Cairo, Havana, London and back home to Edinburgh during the early 1900s. This has inspired the restaurant and bar’s eclectic yet slick Edwardian-era décor which includes antique memorabilia from Buck’s travels. Its extensive cocktail menu also has a suite of drinks dedicated to each city Buck visited, for example the Spiced Rum Punch sharing cocktail is inspired by Planters Punch, the most popular drink in Havana during the mid 18th century. It has also introduced a seasonal winter cocktail menu and there are plans to host an Alternative Thanksgiving evening on 24 November, which Buck would no doubt approve of!

FOOD HUB BREATHES LIFE INTO CALTON

Ricky Scoular and Brian Traynor have opened a new seafood restaurant called a’Challtainn as part of their redevelopment project to turn the BAaD (Barras Art and Design centre) space in Calton, East Glasgow, into a new eating, drinking and event venue. a’Challtainn (Gaelic for Calton) is located on the ground floor of the building adjacent to Glasgow’s famous market place, The Barras. It comprises a 120-seat restaurant, internal courtyard and event space, a coffee shop, cocktail bar and beer garden. It has a permanent head chef and will serve a primarily seafood-based menu, with key ingredients sourced from the Fish Plaice in the nearby Saltmarket.

Scoular, who is also Operations Director at the Glasgow Sub Club and Traynor, who runs the Riverside Festival dance music event, are also known for their popular food pop-ups The Fish Plaice in Glasgow Green, Heverlee at Tontine Lane and the Gordon Street Lane. The permanent a’Challtainn concept will also host a variety of independent food vendors.

Have you Heard?

November will see Kained Holdings unveil its final refurbishment of the former Crosslands pub at 182 Queen Margaret Drive in Glasgow, which is being renamed Kelbourne Saint. The company also has plans for Mexican cantina-style venue at 1038 Argyle Street, replacing rock bar, Rockus.

TUK TUK PUT PUTS INTO GLASGOW Edinburgh-based Indian street food-style restaurant Tuk Tuk opens its second site this month in Glasgow at 426 Sauchiehall Street, in place of the Rehab bar. As well as serving classic Indian street food dishes like Bhel puri, Biryani and Daal makhni, Tuk Tuk Glasgow will introduce puri yoghurt bombs and a range of popular Indian drinks such as mint mambo and a range of lassis to its Glasgow menu. The restaurant will have a BYOB policy and will offer a takeaway and delivery service. Its modern and bright design is

by Edinburgh-based interior design agency Four-By-Two and features Indianinspired murals by artists Conzo Throb and Ciaran Glöbel. Rivzi Khaleque, CEO of Tuk Tuk, said, “We can’t wait to open our doors to Glasgow. We wanted to open our second site in Scotland, and Glasgow was the natural choice for expansion. It’s an exciting marketplace to enter with such a range of contemporary eateries.” Tuk Tuk first launched in Edinburgh in 2012.

Khaleque added, “We’d love to expand further and hope to have an English site within the next two to three years.”

4 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016

NEWS

Fergus McVicar and Rosie Healy have just opened Alchemilla at Finnieston. The new restaurant, which has a quirky Scandinavian feel, can seat around 60 people. Says Fergus, “Rosie is an old friend of mine. She was living in London and working at Ottolenghi, and she wanted to come back to Glasgow. This was an ideal opportunity to do something together. We are business partners and she obviously is looking after the food side, and has brought some other London chefs with her, while I am concentrating on the bar side and of course the music.”

He continues, “The whole design is actually antidesign. I think it is fresh and different. It’s not just a bar, but it’s not a posh restaurant either. Just good food, with fresh, simply prepared produce.

We also do great cocktails and nice wines.”

The design has a very 1960’s Danish feel - from its birch stools, which are bespoke,to its bright orange formica bar top which stretches the length of the room to its gold lights sourced from an old aviation school and the Paul Bert Serpette market in Paris. There’s also a stand out piece of artwork – a giant 3m x 2.5m Thomas Ruff photograph, one of only four in existence.

The restaurant also boasts a mezzanine level and a private dining room downstairs. Says Fergus, “The private dining room seats 14, and has its own record player with 40 classic albums to play.

There’s also a bar down there, which has it’s own fish tank. It’s a great space to entertain in.”

Fergus concludes, “I’m not in this for the money, I’ve got four bars and a nightclub. It just felt right to do a restaurant. I couldn’t and wouldn’t have done it unless I had hooked up with Rosie, she’s just so charismatic, fun to work with and passionate about food. I love music and booze so we make a good team. I’m in this business for the long haul , it’s my career, it’s what I do for a living and I’m not fannying about ,but I need to keep being creative, do different things ,or I’d just get bored and bore everyone else.”

GIN 71 ROLLS OUT NO2 Paul Reynolds has rebranded VirGinia which he opened earlier this year at Virginia Court as Gin 71. The venue will still operate as a Cup Tea Room during the day but will now be known as Gin 71 at night and will serve a similar range of gins to its sister venue on Renfield Street.

Paul told DRAM, ‘Customer feedback was there was a confusion of our brands and we made a decision to align the brands with a consistent offering. Each unit will still retain its own personality but with great product and service at its core. The first week of trading at Virginia Court as Gin71 has seen a 40% uplift in sales’

WWW.DRAMSCOTLAND.CO.UK

TWO CUBAN-STYLE REVOLUCIÓN RUM BARS FOR SCOTLAND Revolution Bar Groups is expanding its Cuban rum and cocktail bar brand, Revolución de Cuba, to Glasgow and Aberdeen.

The Aberdeen unit is expected to open in the former Wagamamas in Aberdeen Shopping Centre in November. A second site is scheduled to open in Glasgow at 28 Renfield Street, in December.

The company already operates its Revolution vodka bar chain in both cities and plans to open a second vodka bar in Glasgow. Revolution Bar Groups confirmed it would open four Révolucion de Cuba units in total across the UK after it announced a pre-tax profit of £7.1 million in the year to June 30, up from £2.9m. A spokesman for the

brand said, “Revolución de Cuba Aberdeen and Glasgow will be our first Scottish bars in the group.

They’ll offer a melting pot, a fusion of flavours from Cuba, Spain, Mexico and South America. Pair that with live entertainment and premium rum cocktails and you’ve got a fullon fiesta!”

Greene King opens carvery Pub operator Greene King has opened a new carvery restaurant, Dyce Farm, in a new build site in Aberdeen’s ABZ Business Park on International Avenue near Aberdeen airport. The new 320-cover restaurant and bar is part of the Greene King’s Farmhouse Inns chain. As well as serving up a traditional carvery, there is also a full range of pub classics on the menu. General Manager, John Tracey, said, “There’s been a significant investment from Greene King and I think Dyce Farm really has something for everyone. We have a family section and adults section and sell a wide range of beers, wine and ales. What sets us apart from the rest of the carvery sector is that we’ve got a full menu including a grill and our huge selection of cakes, which is made by a specialist team of bakers onsite. The cakes are huge and really have the wow factor. Our eclairs could probably feed a family of four!”

Newcastle-based company Lane 7 is to open a boutique bowling alley with bar and restaurant on Aberdeen’s Shiprow, in the former Tiger Tiger premises.

This will be the second bowling alley for the city after Codona’s, but the first in the city centre. Lane 7 is now looking to secure planning permission to include more sports in the venue, including table tennis and pool. The company operates a “stylised 1950s-feel bowling alley with American dining, ping pong plus a trendy bar and restaurant” in Newcastle. Tiger Tiger closed in 2014 after 10 years in the city.

DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 5

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BRAND NEWS

ALL THE L ATEST BRAND NEWS

Gin IT’S PLUMS FOR EDINBURGH GIN Edinburgh Gin has brought out a new gin liqueur - Plum & Madagascan Vanilla and the company behind it say “is the first of its kind available to the UK drinks market.”

Alex and Jane Nicol, cofounders of Edinburgh Gin, which is now owned

by Ian Macleod Distillers, originally thought of the new recipe while picking plums at their home in Scotland.

The new Plum & Madagascan Vanilla liqueur with an ABV of 20%, will join the ever popular family of fruit gin liqueurs; Raspberry, Elderflower and Rhubarb & Ginger.

Edinburgh Gin’s Alex Nicol says,

“Plum & Madagascan Vanilla perfectly complements our range of popular gin-based fruit liqueurs, and we are delighted to add Plum & Vanilla to the family.

Made with Scottish plums and Vanilla from Madagascar, this new recipe has been devised from quality ingredients, producing an opulent and indulgent fruit liqueur, great for cocktails, after dinner drinks and desserts.

As the UK’s first Plum and Vanilla gin liqueur on the market, Edinburgh Gin is continuing to craft the Gin renaissance and be at the forefront of gin-making in the UK.”

HI-SPIRITS TO DISTRIBUTE SCAPEGRACE GIN

Hi-Spirits has expanded its gin portfolio with an agreement to distribute New Zealand brand Scapegrace Gin in the UK. Coming from the Rogue Society Distilling Co, Scapegrace bills itself as the gin ‘from the bottom of the world’. Distilled in New Zealand using spring water sourced from the country’s Southern Alps, and 12 botanicals sourced from around the world, the spirit is batch-distilled using a restored 19th century copper whisky still, with each batch individually numbered.

Scapegrace is a traditional word for a rogue or rascal, and the brand celebrates gin’s sometimes murky history with a black-tinted bottle, which has a shape based on an antique genever bottle.

Hi-Spirits managing director Dan Bolton said, “Consumers increasingly enjoy a range of gins and gin serves in their drinking repertoire. Along with offering on-trade and off-trade retailers classic and modern gins, both British and global, we’re helping them to plan their ranges and segment the gin category to meet consumer expectations.” Scapegrace gin has an ABV of 42.2% ABV with an RRP of £39.99.

Old Tom from Citadelle Craft French Gin Citadelle has added Old Tom Gin to its ever-growing portfolio with this strictly limited edition expression which takes inspiration from 18th Century England where the working-classes opted for a distinctly candied flavour profile. This innovative approach is part of Maison Ferrand’s ongoing ‘Extreme’ programme, an initiative that sees the creation of a handful of new spirits each year, pushing the boundaries of production through new techniques, or refining long lost methods, often the result of many hours delving into historical records.

This modern interpretation of a near-forgotten classic recipe features Caribbean brown sugar, which is lightly caramelised in copper pots, blended with Citadelle Reserve and aged in barrels. The result is an elegantly floral, juniper-led gin with subtle notes of almond set aside liquorice, and a spicy hint of Cinnamon.

Cocktail CLIVE OWEN STARS IN NEW CAMPARI SHORT FILM Campari®, has just launched the Campari Red Diaries; which are a series of short films, one of which is a story called ‘Killer in Red and stars Clive Owen. The Campari Red Diaries, represent a step-change in the brand’s communication, and aim to bring to life the powerful ethos that “every cocktail tells a story”, celebrating cocktails as a form of art and a powerful vehicle for expression by shining a light on the experiences and emotions that inspire bartenders to create and share their craft.

Month by month, the 2017 Campari Red Diaries journey harnesses the richness of storytelling, using short films as a vehicle for the first time to guide Campari lovers on an imaginative journey through a yearlong series of cocktail stories from across the globe, to be shared with consumers via Campari’s official YouTube channel.

While Killer in Red stands to ignite the Campari Red Diaries journey, it is flanked and complemented by a collection of 12 cocktail stories, which each bring to life the artistry and flair of 14 bartenders from all over the world. These stories introduce viewers to the magic behind the creation of each Campari cocktail, placing the culture of mixology and its many facets centre-stage.

Clive Owen comments, “I was honoured to be chosen to shoot Killer in Red as part of the 2017 Campari Red Diaries campaign, particularly since this year represents the brand’s first foray into the world of cinematography and film. Working with Paolo (Paulo Sorrentino was the writer and director) was a real pleasure.”

DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 7

BRAND NEWS Beer

MONSTER RESCUE The Loch Ness Beer brand has been rescued by two well established Highland businesses - Cobbs Group Loch Ness and Cairngorm Brewery.

The original owner Loch Ness Brewing Company went into liquidation earlier this year resulting in a number of job losses in the village of Drumnadrochit, Loch Ness but as the brand had been developed over the last few years and had gained a number of high profile contracts and had also been in partnership with Cobbs Bakery to develop a new beer made from Cobbs scones called ”Beer Today Scone Tomorrow”, which unfortunately failed to reach the shelves after the brewery was put into administration before the beer was dispatched!

The award winning Cairngorm Brewery who previously bottled beer for Loch Ness Brewing Company, felt that the brand was too important to lose and the partnership with Loch Ness based Cobbs made complete sense. Rory Cameron, Managing Director of Cobbs Bakery and Sam Faircliff, Managing Director of Cairngorm Brewery decided to pool resources and rescue the brand to ensure it continued as a strong Highland craft beer brand.

EYEBALL’S FIRST LAGER Edinburgh has a new brewery in the shape of Eyeball Brewing which is owned by James Dempsey. He is launching with two new lagers: Yellowball, a golden malty lager; and Blackball, a dark lager full of coffee and chocolate flavours.

He says, “It’s great to be a beer drinker in the UK right now.

Small breweries have driven a renaissance in traditional British ales and a wave of innovation inspired by the US craft beer revolution (funny how we have a renaissance 8 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016

and they have a revolution).

He continues, “There are some good new lagers out there. But still lager looks a poor relation at this exciting time for the whole beer family. Eyeball Brewing has been set up with the aim of doing something about this.

“What can lager be?

That’s the question I’m setting out to answer. I want big, clean flavours. I want to showpiece the king of the brewing ingredients – the malt. That’s what lagers do best.”

CZECH LAGER ‘CELIA’ JOINS CARLSBERG’S PORTFOLIO Carlsberg UK has added gluten-free Czech lager Celia to its beer portfolio.

The brand, from the city of Zatec, is traditionally batch brewed for over two months by Zatecky Pivovar, which is one of several microbreweries co-owned by the Carlsberg Group around the world.

The beers joining the portfolio are Celia Organic, a 4.5% organic Czech lager containing 100% Saaz hops and Moravian malt and Celia Dark, a 5.7% ABV dark lager, also using 100% Saaz hops, as well as Toffee Bavarian malt and sandfiltered water from the Zatec foothills.

Both beers are brewed using

a patented de-glutenisation process, which gives the range the benefit of being gluten-free, while a silicon filtration technique means the range is also suitable for vegans. In addition, a natural carbonation process is used to give the beers a light mouth feel taste.

Liam Newton, vice president, marketing for Carlsberg UK, said, “CELIA Organic and CELIA Dark are quality Czech beers, loved by beer drinkers for their exceptional flavour and ability to perfectly complement good food. The fact that they are brewed to be gluten-free gives the brand an added point of difference.”

Card Payments

Mii-Promo marketing tool launched to help licensees Card payment solutions company Markadis has launched Mii-Promo, a new cost-effective, transactionbased marketing tool that lets licensees and small business owners easily create their own customer loyalty schemes, by allowing customers to turn their own visa or debit card into a loyalty card.

The new Mii-Promo technology stores the customer’s debit and credit card data gathered during a transaction, sparing licensees the expense of signing up to often pricey barcode or loyalty card generating schemes.

This data is then analysed by the Mii-Promo software to determine buying trends and customer behaviour that can inform licensees about the most effective targeted incentives and personalised marketing campaigns they could employ. The Mii-Promo team also provides support with the sign up process.

Markadis states the system can reap a five to 15 times return on investment over a period of only 18 months.

RARE, EXPENSIVE, HANDMADE. AND THAT’S JUST THE CASKS.

THAT’S THE GLENGOYNE WAY. glengoyne.com

BRAND BRAND NEWS NEWS Whisky Glen Grant 18 YO gets top honour The Glen Grant 18 Year Old was named Scotch Whisky of the Year in Jim Murray’s recently published Whisky Bible 2017. It is the first Scotch to make Jim’s top three since 2014.

He said, “It’s the best new offering from the motherland in a few years; a sensational return to form.”

Glen Grant 18 Year Old also won “Single Malt of the Year” and “Best Single Malt 16-21 Years.” Other expressions in the range to take home top honours

in the latest Whisky Bible include Glen Grant’s most awarded expression, the 10 Year Old, which for the fifth consecutive year won the coveted Single Malt of the Year 10 Years and Under (Multiple Casks) category.

Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible is the world’s biggest-selling annual whisky guide and contains roughly 4,500 detailed, professionally analysed and easy to understand tasting notes on the world’s leading and lesser-known whiskies.

THE FAMOUS GROUSE BRINGS BACK THE BIRD THIS CHRISTMAS

The Famous Grouse, is getting a big push this Christmas with an investment of £2m committed by brand distributors Maxxium UK, to promote the brand over this key period.

Between now and December you will see a campaign on television with two new adverts celebrating the brand’s famous icon, The Famous Grouse, in his natural Highland setting.

The new TV adverts will communicate ‘perfectly balanced’ and ‘smooth’ – two key characteristics of The Famous Grouse – underpinning the quality of the nation’s favourite whisky.

Johna Penman, Marketing Controller for The Famous Grouse, commented: “Christmas is always a key season for The Famous Grouse but this year will be even bigger and better. We’ve invested a significant amount in this festive season and it’ll be the first time we’ve run two new adverts for The Famous Grouse in rotation.”

NEW GLENGOYNE WHISKY TINS TO RAISE CASH FOR GSA APPEAL Glengoyne has launched a range of limited edition whisky tins designed by Scottish contemporary artist John Lowrie Morrison (aka Jolomo) to raise money for The Glasgow School of Art Mackintosh Campus Appeal.

Jolomo will paint four seasonal paintings inspired by the Glengoyne distillery, which will be printed on the limited edition whisky gift tins and released annually, one a year, until the appeal ends in 2019. The project is expected to raise around £50,000 for the appeal set up to help The Glasgow School of Art recover from the damage caused by a devastating fire that ripped through the Mackintosh building in 2014.

Neil Boyd, Commercial Director for Glengoyne, said, “As one of Glasgow’s local whisky distilleries, we wanted to contribute to the recovery of this iconic building, helping to secure its legacy and future creative talent.We believe the Glengoyne 10 Year Old limited edition Jolomo whisky tins have global appeal.”

The tins will contain a bottle of the classic 10 Year Old from Glengoyne and will be available to buy online for £35.49 from www.glengoyne.com and specialist and independent retailers.

Stay Smooth, Glasgow says Whyte & Mackay Whyte & Mackay’s latest campaign - Stay Smooth, Glasgow - celebrates the city which has helped shape the whisky’s smooth taste and character and to kick off, the brand launched an interactive mirror on the streets of the city centre, to surprise passersby ‘speaking’ to them as they stood before it. As locals stopped to look into the seemingly inconspicuous mirror, words magically appeared on the glass, reminding them to ‘Stay Smooth’ and complementing their look with a typically Glaswegian turn of phrase.

The activity complements a citywide advertising campaign, including a number of static mirrors in place in prime spots to remind Glaswegians to ‘Stay Smooth’ as they admired their reflection.

Everyone who used the talking mirror received a voucher to redeem a dram of Whyte and Mackay in select Glasgow pubs; Blackfriars, Sloans, The Griffin, Maggie Mays and Brel, encouraging consumers into outlets.

One person who interacted with the mirror, and who best embodies

Glasgow’s inherent sense of style, will be selected to feature in an upcoming ‘Stay Smooth, Glasgow’ exhibition, which opens to the public in November. This will picture colourful personalities from throughout the city, shot by awardwinning Glaswegian photographer David Boni, whose iconic body of work was recently exhibited at the prestigious Retina Scottish International Photography Festival.

Roslyn Lamont, Scotland & North Regional Manager at Whyte & Mackay, said, “Glasgow has been Whyte and Mackay’s heartland since 1844 and we’re very proud to come from a city with such character.

Stay Smooth, Glasgow is our way of supporting those who have helped shape our surprisingly smooth blended Scotch whisky for the last 172 years - which of course includes our loyal on and off trade accounts.” #StaySmoothGlasgow To find out more about stocking Whyte & Mackay contact wmsales@ whyteandmackay.com DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 11

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THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF MR SINGH

BY SUSAN YOUNG

I

t has been a busy few months for Glaswegian Satty Singh and his family wee tapas which will fill them up, or they can opt for one of our curries.” who own Mister Singh’s India. Not only have they opened Tapas at Singh’s Next year there are plans for a Mr Singh Cookbook. They have already restaurant at Braehead, but they have also secured a deal with Costco seen a publisher and the idea is to put Mr Singh’s recipes in this book and which sees Mr Singh’s World Famous Chicken Bhoona being sold as a sell it with at least £12.20 going to Mary’s Meals. It will include recipes ready meal and it will soon be followed by his famous Curry Pie. for what kids eat around the world, but it may not include the recipe for Sales of the Costco Chicken Bhoona and Pie will also benefit Mary’s Meals, the famous Singh’s Ambala Curry which is a closely guarded secret. Says following a decision to link up with charity and support a Mary’s Meals Satty, “There’s a good story around this. In 1990 when we were running project in Bihar where the charity serves up dahl and rice in classrooms the Colonial India in High Street the printers who were doing our menu and to street kids living on railway platforms. The restaurant group is were jokers - and since myself and one of the partners were Rangers also donating cash from every main course tapas and a la carte dish sold supporters, and the chef was a Celtic fan, they changed the description in their restaurants to Mary’s Meals. Satty of our Jaipuri dish – instead of reading from Singh told DRAM, “It really is a phenomenal the pink city... they changed it to read from the charity. It only costs 6p to feed a child and ‘orange city’. We didn’t spot it and they forgot £12.20 to feed them for a year. Now we to tell us, and we ended up with hundreds WE HAVE TAKEN THE will have tent cards on every table in our of menus and carry out menus with this on FAVOURITE DISHES restaurants which say “enjoy your meal and it. Roll on a few months and lo and behold FROM MR SINGH’S by doing so you will feed a child.”

I was in a restaurant in Hamilton and there When I caught up with him at the new Tapas INDIA AND ARE was Jaipuri on the menu – with our ‘orange’ at Singh’s restaurant for lunch, he was quick SERVING THEM AT description. They had obviously copied us to say that although, he is the one sitting (even the printer’s joke). So we decided we TAPAS AT SINGH’S. down with me, it is a real family business, with had to have something unique on our menu. everyone having a say in how the business is MARK SINGH So I said to my dad what was the first curry run today. you ever made when you came to Scotland?

The purpose of our lunch was to introduce He told us he was living in Aberdeen and me to the families most recent concept Tapas used to travel five hours to Glasgow to buy at Singh’s. He told me, “This is for the grand his spices and in the 1950’s his Ambala curry weans.” It is run by my son Mark and my nephew Ryan, and their partner in Tapas is Kieran. Not only that but Head was the dish of the day – so we put this on our menu as our signature dish. The reason we call it Ambala is because that’s the city my grandad Chef Barry has moved over to Tapas at Singh’s from Mr Singh’s.”

Says Mark, “We have taken the favourite dishes from Mr Singh’s India and and grandma moved to after the partition in 1947 from Lahore, and is are serving them at Tapas at Singh’s. He explains, “When my dad opened where my dad , uncles and Aunties were bought up.”

Mr Singh’s in 1994 we did fusion. Fusion at the time was a unique selling Mr Singh’s India remains one of the most popular and famous curry point. Fusion came in because of our mix of cultures. He wanted to bring restaurants in Glasgow and no doubt Tapas at Singh’s will be just as Indian food and Scottish produce together and Haggis Pakora came out of popular. Satty concludes, “As a family we are always trying to be creative. that as did our Curry pie, (there is also Haggis Chasni and Mince & Tatties After all life is like riding a bike, you can ride fast and you can go slow, you Curry) and now tapas takes us to a different level. People may have two can go downhill, but if you stop peddling you stop and fall.”

THE EMPRESS POISED TO ENTER EDINBURGH The craft beer and cocktail boom on Edinburgh’s Broughton Street is set to continue with The Empress, which has just opened in place of Mathers Bar. It is being run by the Landmark Pub Company, which leased Mathers Bar and also runs Jeremiah’s Taproom on Elm Row. The Empress will serve a large range of cocktails and craft beers, including five fixed beer taps and eight rotating draught lines. It will also serve an American-style, casual dining menu. Landmark Pub Company’s Jane Corrigan will act as manager. She said, “Fifteen years ago it was all about cocktails in the city - now craft beer is clipping away at its heels and from our experience at Jeremiah’s Taproom customers love access to both. We hope to be a real asset to what is already one of the best, most diverse, street’s in Edinburgh.”

The bar’s chosen ‘empress’ and marketing symbol is American circus performer Maud Wagner (pictured), who is said to be the world’s first female tattoo artist.

DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 13

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Some Scottish vodkas...

Ogilvy Vodka, Arbikie Vodka, Valt Vodka, Holy Grass Vodka, Pincer Vodka, Blackwoods Botanical Vodka, NB London Dry Citrus Vodka, Smirnoff and Glen’s Vodka.

11 million

VODKA an overview

More women than men drink vodka in the UK, but only by a slim margin.

Two-thirds of UK vodka drinkers are aged under 45.

Absolut Blue

Eristoff Vodka

Red Square

Glens Vodka

Smirnoff Red

Vodka is the most popular spirit in the UK, with a 32.4% share of the market.

Flavoured vodka accounts for 5.8% of UK vodka sales.

% 5.8

Vodka is the purest form of alcohol due to its carbon filtering process

Vodka can be stored in the freezer at 40% ABV vodkas will freeze at -24°C. The colder the vodka, the more flavour and smell is lost. Absolut recommends a serving temperature of 5-8°C.

Top five vodka brands in Scotland by volume sales (Source: CGA OPM)

There are 11m vodka drinkers in the UK (WG&S – UK 2016 Market Report)

%

The most expensive vodka in the world, Billionaire Vodka, costs $3.75m a bottle and is filtered through sand made from crushed diamonds.

8%

.4

The Highland shed on Inshriach estate in Aviemore, where Pincer Vodka is made

by Inshriach Distillery, was named “Shed of the Year” in 2015.

Vodka sales in the UK are up 8% since 2010 and reached £3.46bn in 2015 (Mintel)

32

Valt Vodka, produced by Strathleven Distillers, claims to be the “world’s first single malt Scottish vodka” and exclusively uses Scottish malted barley.

In 2015 Arbikie celebrated its first anniversary by releasing a chilli vodka made with chipotle chillis grown

by Scotland’s first chilli farm, Chillilicious, in Ceres, Fife.

Fancy some extra fizz in your vodka?

Polish vodka brand Stock Prestige’s award-winning sparkling vodka has just launched in the UK and is available to the on trade from selected wholesalers. Stock Prestige Sparkling is bottled at 37.% ABV in 50cl bottles and is joined by Stock Prestige Grapefruit and Citron. Steve Howard, Stock Spirits UK Commercial Director, said, “The idea is to make sparkling vodka more accessible and this is the first mainstream branded vodka to be sparkling in the UK. The benefit is that you can drink it neat or mix it with a still juice for a cleaner but still sparkling drink. It’s not going to be your everyday pour but I can certainly see it having a significant role in premium outlets. A Prosecco mix we trialled was very popular too.”

DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 17

1L = 1000g

vodka

water

.2%

98 98.2% of the on-trade stock vodka.

(WG&S – UK 2016 Market Report)

The name vodka comes from the Slavic word voda, meaning water.

Made in Liverpool, Red Square Vodka’s 100% pure grain recipe is distilled seven times for purity and also comes in Toffee and Sloe Berry flavours. It is one of the most popular vodkas on Scotland and, according to its distributor Halewood, “Red Square experiences the largest growth of any standard non-flavoured vodka over (MAT), and out performs the growing vodka category.”

(CGA August 2016)

18 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016

6% DE 3 UK’s favourite vodka mixers

LE On average every UK pub/bar sells £16,700 worth of vodka each year which equates to around 226 bottles annually.

VODKA an overview A 25ml vodka serve contains around 55 calories

CO K

29 %

1L = 953g

NA O

ICE JU

M

Vodka is lighter than water

E5 3%

OCTOBER In the US, National Vodka Day is celebrated on October 4th

The world’s strongest vodka is Balkan 176 which weighs in at a whopping 88% ABV and is produced in eastern Russia. The triple distilled spirit is so strong it carries 13 health warnings on the side of the bottle!

Vodka is an excellent disinfectant and in the past was used to treat soldiers injured on the battlefield, administered in large doses as an anaesthetic.

Vodka can be made from a host of ingredients, including milk! The world’s first Pure Milk Vodka was made in the UK by a farmer in west Dorset. Black Cow vodka is distilled from the whey left after the milk of grass grazed cows has been curdled and strained.

The Russian Mule,

AS IT SHOULD BE The Russian Mule is a take on the classic Moscow Mule - but only a Russian Mule is made with Russian Standard Vodka. A drink sensation that is too good to miss.

Please drink responsibly

DRINKAWARE.CO.UK for the facts

russianstandardvodka.com

Vodka can actually go bad if stored for long periods of time. Ideally, vodka should be consumed within 12 months of the manufacturing date.

Some of the more unusual vodka flavours created around the world include ‘glazed doughnut’, bacon, wasabi, peanut butter and jelly, chilli, smoked salmon, dill pickle, apple pie, salty caramel popcorn and even freshly cut grass.

One of the reasons vodka became popular in Russia is because it remains liquid even in the coldest regions of northern Siberia.

Vodka is classified into two main groups: clear vodka and flavoured vodka

VODKA an overview

The on trade vodka market in Scotland was worth £232.1 million in the year to 3.9.2016, which was an increase of +4.5% on the previous year. (Source: CGA OPM) There are varied accounts of where vodka originated (either in Russia or Poland) but it seems the first variations of Russian vodka were meant for medicinal purposes. Early Polish vodka was allegedly scented and used as aftershave, and the spirit was used to make gunpowder in Sweden in the 15th century!

Premium vodkas popular in the Scottish on-trade: Cameron McWilliam, General Manager at Revolution Glasgow says, “Crystal Head, Ciroc and Grey Goose are our most popular serves. Generally guests either request our house vodka, Stolichnaya, or a premium brand like Ciroc or Crystal Head. Our research suggests that while people are going out less they want a more premium experience. This trend is reflected in our sales - cocktail sales (which are at the premium end of our offering) are up 15% and our premium vodkas are just over double in sales.”

Gluten intolerant? Not to worry, even though vodka is usually made from grains, a number of gluten-free variants are available.

Stolichnaya Vodka recently released its own glutenfree variation made with 88% corn and 12% buckwheat as opposed to wheat.

Russian Standard Vodka continues to dominate the premium segment in Russia with a 40% market share. It sells over 3.2 million cases worldwide and continues to be popular in the UK. The brand was a definite hit in Edinburgh when it enjoyed a record year at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Partnering with immersive acts Rebel Bingo and PringTron, Russian Standard Vodka hosted the Loft Bar VIP area at Gilded Balloon, and ran a pop-up ‘Russian Mule Bar’ in the Assembly George Square Gardens – selling over 87,000 Russian Mules across the whole festival.

Adding vodka to your shampoo supposedly makes your hair healthier and shinier

The most popular vodka cocktails are Bloody Mary and a Martini DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 21

A DECADE OF S HOW TIME FLIES – WITH A RAFT OF BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS FOR COMPANIES THAT WERE TEN YEARS OLD POPPING UP IN OUR INBOX WE DECIDED TO HIGHLIGHT TEN SCOTTISH LICENSED TRADE BUSINESSES WHO HAVE HAVE HAD A DECADE OF SUCCESS.

BADABOOM EAST KILBRIDE Badaboom may have started out as a company that specialised in putting bars in for events, but it is so much more now, and owner Duncan Frew, describes it as a full service brand experience agency. Today clients include some of the country’s top brands including Red Bull and C&C/Magners. They do everything from branding, to logistics, marketing to fulfilment. Says Duncan, “We say we do everything from store to pour.”

That’s why the company has moved into commercial premises in East Kilbride with 5,000 sq ft for storage.

They also build all the bars that they put into events, and brand vehicles and create bespoke point of sale, and they do it all inhouse. The company now employs 14 people full-time, and last year Duncan’s wife Lauren joined the team to add her marketing expertise. A former Account Director for Good Creative she is now Marketing Director at Badaboom and looks after Magners. Last year the company put on 1,000 events for their clients.

Says Lauren, “I think we stand out from other agencies because everything we do is related to a sale. We are the only agency actually putting drinks into people’s hands.”

GLASGOW

After being awarded two AA Rosettes within its first year of trade, Glasgow’s Urban Bar & Brasserie has maintained the same standard of excellence over the past decade. Located in the former Bank of England’s Scottish headquarters, the large, stylish restaurant has become an iconic feature of Glasgow’s St Vincent Place and continues to wow customers with its exceptional menu. Owner Alan Tomkins knows a thing or two about running long-term, successful businesses; his city institutions Vroni’s Wine Bar and Blue Dog have been trading for 22 years and 13 years respectively. Alan says, “I’m always surprised by how quickly time passes.

URBAN BAR & BRASSERIE

Urban is certainly a strong landmark in the city now.

We’ve always been very proud that we got an AA rosette after the first year of trading and we’ve still got that after 10. My businesses have only survived because they have a great loyal customer base, and that’s the key. As long as you stick to your principles of trying your best and putting on a good show, you’ve always got a chance.”

After the success of the temporary pop-up Sub-Urban in the restaurant’s basement to celebrate its 10th birthday earlier this year, Alan has plans for a refurbishment of Urban Bar & Brasserie in 2017, but won’t give away any details yet. “Watch this space,” he teases.

ROCPOOL RESERVE HOTEL AND CHEZ ROUX RESTAURANT INVERNESS This exclusive boutique hotel in the heart of Inverness was founded by Adrian Pieraccini and took over by ICMI in 2008. Housed in a grand Georgian mansion with beautiful views over the River Ness, the stunning hotel has won numerous accolades over the past decade, including Conde Nast Johansens’ Most Excellent UK City Hotel in 2008 and 2010. A key part of the Highland hotel’s enduring allure is the Chez Roux Restaurant, which was the first Scottish restaurant from top French chef Albert Roux (father of TV celeb chef Michel Roux Jr) and continues to serve classical French cuisine with a Scottish twist. Robert Lieder, ICMI Managing Director, says, “We are delighted for Rocpool Reserve and Chez Roux to have reached this milestone and are extremely proud to remain the only five-star hotel in Inverness. Since the hotel joined the ICMI Collection in 2008 we have experienced some challenges but have also enjoyed great success.” Lieder added the hotel’s partnership with Albert Roux since 2009 has been a great asset. He says, “This brought a lot of PR to the area of Inverness which is a positive to not only ourselves but to the whole community. It is vital that Inverness thrives as a destination for our industry to be a success.” Earlier this year, Rocpool introduced a quirky addition to its service: Chez Roux dogs’ dinners, which saw Albert Roux create a special menu for guests’ dogs!

22 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016

SUCCESS! 10@10 THE KITCHIN EDINBURGH The Kitchin, launched by husband and wife team Tom and Michaela Kitchin, received its Michelin star in 2007 just six months after opening, and the restaurant became the first in Scotland to achieve five AA Rosettes in 2015. Says Tom, “We can’t quite believe it’s been ten years since we opened The Kitchin. My wife Michaela and I are constantly focussed on investing back into, and evolving, the business – we never stand still, but we genuinely love what we do and are incredibly passionate about the industry. We are incredibly proud of our team, some of whom have been with us since those early days.” He continues, “Opening The Kitchin was a risk for us because we were young and invested so much into it – but we believed that we were as ready as we could be. We’ve worked incredibly hard to achieve our restaurant dream. Young chefs face so many moments when the pressure gets too much. You have to stay focussed and continually push yourself to be better every day. It is hard work but I really believe that the more you put in, the more you’ll get back.” As to the future says Tom, “This Christmas we’re bringing The Kitchin to London in my first ever pop-up in the city – in Harrods. I’m really excited about the dishes we’ve created - they really show off the best of Scotland’s produce and I can’t wait to serve them in such an iconic London venue. When it comes to the restaurant, we aim to keep pushing, continuing to grow and developing our business and our team, as well as sharing our passion for the very best Scottish produce.”

GLASGOW

Since launching her independent German brew pub WEST on the Green in Glasgow’s iconic Templeton Building, Petra Wetzel’s business motto of ‘Glaswegian Heart. German Head’ has seen her vision go from strength to strength. Her stylish and spacious flagship German beer hall on the edge of Glasgow Green continues to impress with its range of WEST beers.

From the flagship St. Mungo lager to popular classics such as Hefeweizen and Munich Red, all are served straight from WEST’s adjoining brewery. In 2015, Petra opened her second bar, WEST on the Corner, on Woodlands Road in Glasgow’s West End. Says Petra, “The last ten years haven’t been easy but watching WEST grow has been a dream come true. Ten years

WEST

ago I’d never had a full pint of beer in my life, but I didn’t let lack of experience stop me. We celebrated WEST’s ten-year anniversary in 2016 with the launch of both a new brewery and new events space. These investments are a promise of the scale of our ambitions to take WEST even further in years to come.”

Wetzel is also helping Scottish female entrepreneurs thrive with the launch of WEST Women, an investment fund for women led start ups. She adds, “WEST Women has definitely been one of my most rewarding and pleasurable ventures. I’m fed up of being the only woman in a room or the token female speaker at business events, and wanted to do my part to encourage fellow female entrepreneurs.”

TIGERLILY EDINBURGH Tigerlily, owned by Montpeliers, brought a real wow factor to Scotland’s boutique hotel and cocktail bar scene when it first opened on George Street in Edinburgh. Ten years on, the stylish hotel, bar and restaurant remains a top destination in the Capital, and even played host to Hollywood star George Clooney who dined there last year. Ahead of its 10th anniversary, Tigerlily underwent an extensive £500k refurbishment to give the fashionable George Street townhouse venue a bold and striking new look. David Johnston, Development Director for Montpeliers, says, “Tigerlily has always evolved and changed over the years and it’s nice to see it as fresh today as it was when we first opened, and just as popular. We’ve hardly missed a beat, and are very fortunate that sales are are as good as they were 10 years ago. It’s a true testament to our staff, some of whom have been with us since the beginning, who have done such a good job at cultivating our loyal customer base. One of our highlights was definitely having George Clooney in for lunch. We’ve has some A-listers in our time but it doesn’t get much bigger than that! It’s certainly great going into another year as Tigerlily after such a successful decade and feeling as confident as we do.”

DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 23

DUSK STIRLING

Dusk has stood the test of time as an enduringly popular nightclub in Dalgleish Court in the heart of Stirling’s town centre. Popular club nights, including We Love Dusk Mondays, Guilty Pleasures and Skint Tuesday’s, have made it a long-time favourite particularly with Stirling’s student population but a lot of work has done into keeping Dusk a top destination in the town. Owner Robert Orr, says, “Stirling has a tough gig because students can quite easily jump on a train and head down to Edinburgh or Glasgow. It means we have to work even harder to give them a great ‘city centre’ experience. We’ve had a constant programme of reinvestment and redevelopment to keep Dusk sitting at the top of Scotland’s central nightclubs, like making sure sound system and light show is always upgraded to ensure the customer experience is as cutting edge as possible.” He adds, “There’s always challenges but we’ve worked hard to make sure we remain an integral part of the community by supporting University societies and sports teams and I sit on Stirling Council’s Licensing Forum.” Future plans to enhance the Dusk customer experience include opening a new pizza parlour, which is being built from scratch in the club’s forecourt and is scheduled to open early in 2017. “Anything to help our clientele on their way home!” adds Rab. ABERDEEN

THE CARMELITE HOTEL

Carmelite Aberdeen, housed in an impressive Grade B listed building, was opened by Gary Atkinson after a major revamp of the old Grampian Hotel. The cool, chic boutique venue is located in the heart of Aberdeen’s Merchant Quarter, a prime location opposite surrounded by the city’s five retail centres and popular cultural venues. Owner Gary Atkinson says, “Carmelite is so much more than a hotel and I’m absolutely delighted to celebrate our 10th anniversary this year. We’re famous for our a unique, quirky décor and bespoke eclectic suites, and are proud to feature eclectic pieces of art from Jack Vettriano, local artists, and our resident artist who creates bespoke Pop-Art style designs. Our free live weekend music, including a baby grand piano and ten resident entertainers, continues to be incredibly popular with guests.” He adds, “We aim to offer a full entertainment package. Our vibrant ground floor offers extensive options, including a ‘Tipples, Tea & Munchies’ menu, which includes cocktails, drinks, munchies and our exclusive afternoon teas. These teas have been so popular we developed them into themed parties. Our female clientele especially love our exclusive Mad Hatters Tea/Dinner Party or a spin in a round booth called the Waltzer as part of our Fun Fair Party option. We’re especially looking forward to this year’s Prohibition Christmas Party!”

DAKOTA EUROCENTRAL MOTHERWELL

Ken McCulloch’s Dakota Eurocentral Hotel in Motherwell has exuded style and luxury ever since it opened in 2006, and was awarded Most Stylish Hotel in the Scottish Style Awards, the very same year. Ideally positioned between Glasgow and Edinburgh, close to the M8 in the Eurocentral Business Park at Motherwell, the Dakota hotel is an elegant and comfortable retreat, particularly for business travellers. Its concept was replicated in South Queensferry near Edinburgh airport in 2007 and recently evolved with the launch of Dakota Deluxe, a series of destination, luxury city centre hotels. Ken opened Dakota Deluxe in Glasgow earlier this year. He said, “We call Dakota at Eurocentral the eighth wonder of the world. How did we know every road was going to lead to it? It was just a huge hunch. In fact the property guys said it was very much ‘left field’ but when I had my office in Monaco it was cheaper to go to Nice by helicopter than by cab, so when I got here and thought about going to see Eurocentral, it seemed a normal thing to do, rather than a flash thing, to take a helicopter. From the air you could see how people would get there.” As for his new opening in Glasgow, Ken says, “It has been tougher than I thought opening here. It means so much more when it is in your hometown and it is more difficult. It is definitely a destination venue. But the staff here are great.”

GLASGOW

29 PRIVATE MEMBERS CLUB

For the past ten years, the exclusive and opulent 29 Private Members Club, owned by Lynnet has remained a stylish fixture of Glasgow’s Royal Exchange Square in the Merchant City. Occupying several floors of a beautiful 19th century building, the luxury venue houses the Oyster Bar, Network Bar, Apartment 29, The Supper Club, The Grill Room restaurant and Club 29, complete with an illuminated catwalk dance floor, and its Moet-sponsored roof terrace. A popular venue for weddings and exclusive events, 29 has played host to an A-list clientele over the years. Michelle Mooney, Events Manager at 29, said, “We’re delighted to be celebrating 10 years in business this Autumn. The venue has continued to grow over the past decade as a very successful members and events venue, hosting many high profile and VIP events over the years. The Grill Room restaurant has continued its classic high standards, being one of the first steak houses to open in Glasgow before many other restaurant groups followed suit.”

24 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016

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for a light bite or dinner. It is being designed to appeal to women, after all they can make or break a restaurant.

After all it is women that go out to dine, men are more likely to go to the pub.

“We have resisted all temptations to put in a mezzanine, instead we are going to keep the open feel of the building. It won’t be cutting edge, but it will be very comfortable. We are not cutting any corners here – not on the design front – Mark Brunjes of CM Design and Ranald McCall are working on it, while we will be using only the best suppliers for our food. ” The manager of Chelsea Market is Alec Dyson, who says Lawrence, “is one of the best front of house guys in Glasgow.” Meanwhile the chefs are Stephen Darren who hails from Bath and Barrie Gamble, formerly of Dakota.

He concludes, “The next 12-18 months are going to crucial in hospitality. But we feel that we are in a good place to meet all the challenges head on.”

Ury House is expected to open in the North-east in 2020 after hotel group ICMI confirmed it will manage the hotel on behalf of developer FM Group. The hotel will also have a conference centre and a restaurant as well as a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, spa and equestrian centre.

NEW GIN BAR FOR WEST END

Contact Alan Gordon on: 0141 332 8615

Bobar, at The Grosvenor Hilton in Glasgow’s West End has a new look and a new name – beGIN, which as the name suggests is a new gin bar. It is the first gin bar to open in the West End. beGIN has over 60 gins on offer as well as craft beer and a tasty new bar snack menu.

Nintin Ramtri, General Manager of the Grosvenor Hilton said, “The whole team are excited about this new bar which will ooze urban sophistication, offer some amazing new cocktails as well as our old favourite the Byres Bramble. We know it will soon become a firm favourite with the locals.”

THE SHOOTER SHAK IS GAME FOR GLASGOW Darren Laurie has opened new basement sports bar, The Shooter Shak, and adjoining club, Whisky A Go Go, on Glasgow’s Queen Street in the former site of Cirque nightclub. The Shooter Shak is a basement bar that offers drinkers the chance to play ping pong, pool, shoot some hoops in a softplay one-on-one basketball court and foot pool.

The latter is life-sized pool table you can stand on, with weighted balls to aim at the pockets. Darren says, “The foot pool table is the first of its kind in Scotland. The Shooter Shak is something I’ve wanted to do for a while but it was just a matter off finding a place big enough to fit it in.” The five-week refurbishment also includes a new club Whisky A Go Go, which will be open on Friday and Saturday nights and will have a “New York Meatpacking District kind of vibe,” says Darren.

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Glasgow entrepreneurs Simon Green and Lawrence McManus are set to open their latest bar and restaurant in November. The duo who already operate Epicure’s and Nick’s in the West End as well as Old Salty’s, are getting set to open Chelsea Market on the site of the former Boardwise shop in Finnieston.

Lawrence McManus comments, ‘We bought the property three years ago, but we were turned down for planning first time round and had to appeal, and then we had to go through the licence process. So it has been quite a journey.

“Myself and Simon were itching to get our hands on it. Simon is the expert when it comes to running the business and he has project managed the whole build. I am responsible for running the restaurants.”

He continues,“It’s hard to describe what we are doing, but we want our customers to find the whole experience sensational, whether they are coming

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SCOTTISH

MARKET OVERVIEW

BY ANNABELLE LOVE

I

F there is money to be made in the licensed trade, that surely applies to the licensed trade property market too. But just like the residential sector, market values can rise and fall dramatically depending on a host of factors in the domestic and global economy, political uncertainty and so on – and of course in the worst case scenario they can crash too.

So what is the current situation – how does the market look post Brexit and with the prospect of a second referendum on independence and what do the experts, the agents who specialise in commercial property for the licensed trade – make of it all?

The good news is that this market appears to be reasonably buoyant, despite the fact that funding can still be an issue for people. There appears to be a certain amount of caution because of the current uncertainty over Brexit and indyref2 but the jury is very much out on the impact that they might have on the market in the future.

The usual suspects – cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow – are holding their own while smaller businesses like cafes delis and so on are also proving popular across the country – fuelled by the numbers of people looking for a change of direction in terms of career and lifestyle.

Alan Goldie, of The Restaurant Agency, says, “The market is actually surprisingly steady just on the basis that there is the usual number of offerings on the market. There are no extra businesses really available for sale. Funding still remains a bit of an issue out there but the friends and family bank seems Alan Goldie to be resolving that, along with redundancies where people have had lump sums and are in a position to buy small businesses. At the moment the Brexit scenario has not had any impact on the market, although that’s not to say it won’t.

Certainly activity over the summer has been very good and we expect that to continue in the meantime although obviously there is always that element of caution.”

He adds, “Cafes and Bistros are very popular in the market just now and all-day diners too. In terms of the restaurant, cafe, deli side of things I would suggest that there is a strong market for any business under £100,000 and at the top end, there is a

healthy market for corporate businesses at around £1million. The trickiness is the middle band – around £500,000 to £800,000 – where you are relying on funding to a certain extent. Even though interest rates are low, getting money from banks and lenders can still be tricky within the restaurant sector.

“When people are selling businesses it seems to be very much lifestyle-led – people who want to retire after 20 or 30 years running their business, that sort of thing. There are certainly no major changes or decisions because of what is happening out there in particular.”

Jonathan Clough, of Smith & Clough Associates, agrees that it is too early to predict the post-Brexit fallout – and sees the market as buoyant and strong despite the uncertainty and fears over issues like future trade and immigration. As ever, the key for sellers is to be realistic about pricing and the length of time it might take to achieve a sale.

He says, “It’s probably too early to see too many changes. For us the market has been fairly buoyant and relatively strong. We are still seeing a lot of buyers out there for the right property, as long as the property is priced correctly and the seller is realistic about price and time-scale as things maybe aren’t selling overnight.

“Obviously Brexit does create uncertainty, which is never good for the market, but we haven’t seen deals dropping off as a result.

“People I have been speaking to in the trade have raised concerns about the implications in terms of the free movement of people, as many rural businesses rely heavily on migrant labour from countries like Poland. The other thing is from a trade point of view in terms of whether they will have to pay more for imported wine, beer and food.”

He continues, “We’ve just completed on a £1million hotel and we are selling wee closed pubs – there is a real range of things and DRAM SUPPLEMENT 2016 5

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SCOTTISH MARKET OVERVIEW we have still been very busy over the last few months with lots of deals happening and many of those are reliant on funding so it’s not as if banks are pulling the plug on deals.

Things are still moving.”

Jackie MacGregor, of ASG Commercial, says that the most active sector of the Highlands market at the moment is first time buyers, while foreign investors keen to take advantage of the weak pound are also creating a high demand for certain kinds of commercial property.

She says, “We are finding that there is a demand particularly from people coming out of oil and gas. We have a lot of people from Dubai and further afield who are maybe too old to get into something brand new but too young to retire and everybody thinks they can run a hospitality-type business so we are finding a great demand for guesthouses, B&Bs, small pubs, small restaurants, that sort of thing.

“I have viewers from Russia and Switzerland looking at properties because the pound is so weak just now that things have become much more attractively valued.

“In terms of new properties coming on it is maybe a wee bit slower. People are perhaps uncertain about whether they should be selling their property right now – this may be to do with expectation on price and political instability, but there are certainly people out there actively looking.”

Aberdeen-based property expert David Reid, a former partner at Knight Frank and ex-director of Christie & Co, says those buying freeholds can get much more for their money than before.

David, who owns Doric Pub Co Ltd, tells DRAM, “If you can raise cash to buy pubs at the moment you are getting chunky freeholds for a lot less than before, although banks are being very cautious when it comes to lending.

Pre-crash sellers could get up to ten times the profit for a freehold pub but it’s nowhere near that now so there are some serious bargains about for people who are buying.”

He adds, “For sellers, the knack is knowing when to sell.

Some people, like Billy Lowe of Saltire Taverns, do this really well, but there are not so many companies about who are willing or able to buy.”

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) paints a starker picture when it comes to confidence in the general commercial property sector – but this includes all commercial property including offices and retail spaces, rather than just licensed properties.

Their most recent market survey, carried out in the summer, found that the impact of current political and economic uncertainty has been most keenly felt in Scotland and London.

Hew Edgar, RICS Policy Manager Scotland, tells DRAM, “The most recent RICS Commercial Market Survey (July 2016) suggested the Scottish commercial property market saw a significant drop in confidence and investor demand in the immediacy after the Brexit vote, with an increasing share of respondents across the UK feeling that the market was in an early downturn phase.

“However, there are other issues that may be having an impact on this result, outwith the Brexit result; such as the Barclay Review, 2017 revaluation, oil and gas prices (and the effect on Aberdeen), and uncertainty over a possible second independence referendum. It is also

6 DRAM SUPPLEMENT 2016

important to note that despite several years of strong capital value and rental gains, the momentum had already begun to slow.”

Of course it remains to be seen whether or not this downturn will affect the licensed trade property market or whether it will be confined to other parts of the commercial sector. In the meantime, RICS plans to monitor the market to ascertain whether it is a kneejerk reaction or something more lasting. The organisation is also calling on the Scottish and UK Governments to produce a clear timeline for negotiations around Brexit.

Hew added, “The Scottish Government must play their part in providing reassurance for property markets – assisting the UK Government in working towards a clear timeline and set of ambitions for negotiating the Brexit package, and our future immigration and trade relationships. Likewise, the UK Government must afford the opportunity for devolved Governments to make their contribution negotiations.”

None of us can predict the future with any certainty and clearly we live in interesting times – but for now at least, the licensed trade property market seems to be holding its own and hopefully, with the right input from Governments north and south of the Border, it can continue to do so.

alan@therestaurantagency.com 0131 441 2663

For Sale Piecebox Café/Bar, Merchiston, Edinburgh EH11 1HW

Popular City café on busy arterial route Net Turnover to 31/5/2016 - £334,120 Fully Licensed 40 cover internal space Full Hot Food Consent – Rent £20k p.a.

Additional spacious catering facility below Leasehold Offers over £85,000 Ref 3757/EPC G

For Sale Oscars Bar + Restaurant, Kelso, Scottish Borders

Popular family-run restaurant for 14 years Fully licensed 40 cover bar & restaurant Full Hot Food consent Recently refurbished commercial kitchen Accommodation available by separate agreement Freehold Offers over £175,000 Ref 1387 EPC G

Some we’ve SOLD over Summer 2016

The Flat Cat Gallery, Lauder

Larder Bistro, Edinburgh

Caffeine, Edinburgh

Café Grill, Bannockburn

Selling throughout Scotland, speak to Alan Goldie on 07850 161373 in confidence

www.therestaurantagency.com

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ASG Commercial Limited are the leading commercial estate agents based in Inverness covering Scotland with a particular emphasis in the hospitality sector.

At ASG Commercial we are delighted to report that there is a healthy appetite for those seeking a commercial business and below are a small selection of some of our sales for 2016 to date.

We have a variety of prospective purchasers on our database, most notably those coming out of oil and gas and looking for a new challenge where the hospitality sector seems to fit the bill.

White Bridge Hotel, Inverness

Mortons Coffee Shop, Pitlochry F SA OR LE

F SA OR LE

Ben Mhor Lodge, Crianlarich Licenced restaurant/Bar with Rooms OIRO £425,000 (Freehold)

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Croft Inn, Glenlivet Licensed Restaurant Bar with rooms OIRO £360,000 (Freehold)

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Le Bistro, Licenced Restaurant, Thurso F SA OR LE

Bridgend Store, Brora Popular Convenience Store Offers Over £39,000 (Leasehold)

F SA OR LE

Glenavon Hotel, Tomintoul, AB37 Traditional thriving Small Hotel Offers Over £350,000 (Freehold)

DRAM SUPPLEMENT 2016 7

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XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX LICENSEE INTERVIEW

A CLASSY JOINT IN BELLSHILL 8 DRAM SUPPLEMENT 2016

Frank Cogan (left) and Martin MacKay

BY SUSAN YOUNG

W

hen Martin MacKay and Frank Cogan met as colleagues at Belhaven Brewery 16 years ago, little did they imagine that they would end up being business partners.

Today the two are celebrating eleven years in business and for the past seven years have been operating as Bozz Co Inns Ltd, a small pub company, that is actively on the lookout for new acquisitions.

I caught up with them at The Belmill Hotel in Bellshill to find out more about the business and why they chose Bellshill to spend £1m.

Frank met Martin when he joined Belhaven on the same day in 2000 – Frank, at the time, was in Business Development while although Martin joined as a Sales Representative he eventually moved into acquisitions. Frank had previously worked with Maclays and Guinness before moving to Belhaven, while Martin joined the brewer having previously worked for Sky. Says Martin, “I didn’t have any experience but I literally sold myself to Bill Hughes, who obviously recognised I had the drive and energy to make a success of it. I’ve never regretted the move.”

The two, Frank and Martin, found themselves as kindred spirits, and the camaraderie they enjoyed working for Belhaven under then boss Jim Young, former Sales Director of Belhaven, has endured.

In fact the two credit Jim with giving them the confidence to go forward in business. Says Martin, “Perhaps if Jim hadn’t moved on from Belhaven we would still have been working for him! He was a great guy to work for and has been a real mentor to us. He was definitely one of our biggest influences.”

Their first acquisition was The Stewart Inn in Stepps which they still own, and which proved a challenge for the duo. Frank comments, “It’s a traditional wet-led pub, but it is our wean. We’ve bought and sold a couple, but we wouldn’t sell The Stewart Inn. The other traditional pub that they have is The Cellar in Airdrie, which they bought and totally renovated. Says Frank, “It had been a whisky bar with 150 whiskies but we wanted to make appeal to a more diverse market. So we have taken it away from whisky – which was more aesthetic than practical, and brought in wider range of wines and spirits.” They have bought and sold two – the Athletic Vaults in Motherwell and most recently The Derby Inn also in Bellshill. Says Martin, “I think part of being in business is knowing when to sell and we always buy places with a secondary value in it. Both times we DRAM SUPPLEMENT 2016 9

A CLASSY JOINT IN BELLSHILL LICENSEE INTERVIEW

have sold up we have made out of it.”

They also own The Union in Falkirk which they plan to turn into another Belmill Hotel which brings us nicely back to why I’ve paid a visit to Bellshill.

The Belmill, which they bought a number of years ago, and which was formerly called Chaplins, has undergone a real transformation – the man responsible for the new look is Stephen Patterson of Burns Design r(he also previously did the The Cellar too). The Belmill has gone from being a basic pub to one which would not look out of place in the city centre of Glasgow. It re-opened last Christmas after being closed for a year after the two sunk nearly £1m into the refurbishment, with the support of the Clydesdale Bank Frank comments, “Bellshill is a town of around 40,000 residents. We felt that Bellshill needed a decent pub and it’s great when people say to us thanks for giving us somewhere nice to go. In fact, when I look back at the old pictures I can hardly believe we ran it like that for five years! Bellshill is really under-rated. It’s only two minutes from Bothwell and 15 minutes on the train into the city centre of Glasgow. Our four new bedrooms are well utilised by tourists who book online and who appreciate the fact that the train station is next door. We considered putting a back door in to allow people to come straight from the train station into the pub, but while a nice idea, logically at night it would have been difficult to police.

I definitely think by spending the money on The Belmill we have helped the profile of the town.”

The whole building has been stripped back, walls knocked down and a new extension, kitchen and outdoor area added. But one of the main expenses was the fact that the floor had to be dug out and steel beams put in. Says Martin, “We must have spent £150K on structural work. And that was before the two came across the gas issue.” Explains Frank, “We didn’t have enough gas and electricity coming into the property for the size of the kitchen, but we didn’t realise how complicated it was putting it in, how long it would take or the cost which was in the region of £40K. It seemed simple enough at the time. I’m just glad we did it because we are now doing 150 plus covers a day in the restaurant and up to 300 a day at the weekend. ” The Belmill restaurant and bar is split into three zones – the front which has comfy couches booths and a posing table as well as a feature wall – which has a whisky display; the middle area which is perfect for dining; and a raised area, which you can get to via a 10 DRAM SUPPLEMENT 2016

ramp which curls around the wall. Martin explains, “It’s not just a design feature it is very practical too – it means that disabled people can access the whole area and are not restricted to where they can sit.”

The upper area also leads out to a great outdoor area which they call ‘The Foxes Den’. This outside area is one of the best I have seen – reclaimed wooden tables, a log burning stove and a giant mural which features a local church and which Heverlee helped with, by bringing a Belgian Banksy over to do. It also has shutters and copper light shades which means the heat can be contained in the height of winter. Says Martin, “We show sport out here, but you can also eat here and smoke. In the summer it is great, but it is equally as good in the winter.”

The décor is contemporary throughout with some reclaimed and refurbished pieces of furniture. Frank comments, “I just love it when you see the mix of people that we get here. For instance, you might have three generations of the same family enjoying afternoon tea, or people out for birthday celebrations.

We can accommodate functions for around 40 people in the raised area.”

Next on the agenda is updating the old nightclub next door, which they plan to turn into a function suite.

Upstairs the bedrooms are light and airy with contemporary décor and they feature a stand out piece of artwork which really adds to the warmth of the rooms. Says Martin, “We got a lot of the individual pieces from a great shop in Wishaw”.

However says Frank, “It wasn’t all plain sailing. We hadn’t had rooms before and we didn’t know how to source laundry, etc. Luckily help was on hand from Steve Graham at Manorview, who we met on a brewers trip, and who gave us a steer on how to run a small hotel. He’s been really great at helping us out.”

Another person who the two have met with has been Kenny Blair of Buzzworks. Says Martin, “He was also great. He gave us some very valuable advice especially when he said that when you open you are only 80% there and that your customers drag your round the other 20%. He was so right.”

As to the future, they would like to replicate the look and ethos of The Belmill Hotel in Falkirk where they have The Union. Says Frank, “That will be another big investment. But Martin and I do like a challenge.”

FREEHOLD FINANCE MAINTENANCE LEASEHOL

SURVEY BAR PROPERTY CAPIT

H

Finnieston

J

UST as the residential property market goes through peaks and troughs of activity as well as having ‘hotspots’ that perform better than other parts of the country, the same is true of the licensed trade property market.

Sales in the hospitality sector are buoyant, according to the experts, with the market continuing to recover from the aftermath of the 2007 economic crisis and interest rates remaining low. So where are the licensed trade property ‘hotspots’ in Scotland? What kinds of hospitality businesses are selling like hot cakes and what should prospective buyers look out for when it comes to getting a slice of the action?

It is no great surprise that cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow stand out from the crowd when it comes to market activity. Not only is the capital home to the Scottish Parliament and a popular university, it also plays host to major events like the Fringe Festival, the Military Tattoo and the Hogmanay celebrations, making it a popular destination for visitors all year round and generating a welcome income for the licensed trade.

Glasgow meanwhile is still reaping the benefits in terms of investment and regeneration created by its hugely successful hosting of the 2014 Commonwealth Games – and areas of the city which were once non-starters for new pubs, cafes or delis, around Bridgeton and Glasgow Green for example, are now on the up.

Jonathan Clough, of Smith & Clough Associates, says, “The bigger towns and cities still attract the most interest – Glasgow and Edinburgh, but not so much Aberdeen at the moment because of the oil and gas downturn.

“Affluent areas like Morningside in Edinburgh, Newton Mearns in East

11 DRAM SUPPLEMENT 2016

Renfrewshire and Kilmacolm, in Inverclyde, are always popular too.

“In Glasgow, Finnieston is a good example of somewhere we’ve seen a lot of activity recently. It started a few years ago with Glasgow Harbour – all the flats being built, Argyle Street became a lot busier with traffic and then obviously the SSE Hydro was built. The investment has gone into that particular area and there has been a lot of fancy new residential development going on and that’s really why we’ve seen it taking off. It’s probably now the most popular

last few years. The much-heralded V&A Museum of Design Dundee is due to open in 2018 and the £1billion redevelopment of the Waterfront is also likely to open up new opportunities for the licensed trade property market in a city which was historically famous for its Three Js – jute, jam and journalism.

Alan Goldie, of The Restaurant Agency, agrees that Scotland’s major cities always feature when it comes to hotspots in the market. He believes the downturn in Aberdeen as a result of the fall in oil and gas prices has not been as dramatic as it might have been elsewhere and says that Inverness is also attracting more corporate business.

IN GLASGOW, He tells DRAM, “It’s nothing clever FINNIESTON IS A – you tend to find that Edinburgh GOOD EXAMPLE OF and Glasgow are prominent and St Andrews has always been popular SOMEWHERE WE’VE too and remains so. It’s a town SEEN A LOT OF that has a corporate identity in the ACTIVITY RECENTLY retail trade and a lot of the high street offerings are there, albeit JONATHAN CLOUGH on a smaller scale, because of the SMITH & CLOUGH ASSOCIATES transient student population and their parents and relatives.

“Aberdeen still gets plenty of new business. It’s maybe a wee bit down licensed circuit in Glasgow.” following the drop in oil prices and Jonathan says that selling properties employment in that area but the city like The Pelican Bar & Bistro on has an economy all of its own – it’s quite Argyle Street and The Grumpy Goat, different to the rest of Scotland. Much on Old Dumbarton Road – both in the as it has downturns they are maybe not Finnieston area – was like going back to quite as significant as other areas. pre-recession times.

“Rural Scotland is quite popular and I He adds: “We had huge levels of think the Borders Railway has maybe interest in both of these and both went added a new incentive for people to to a closing date. It was like going back consider locations south of Edinburgh to the good old days, where you had and Glasgow just on the basis that they lots of closing dates. Finnieston is a can access them more easily now.” good example of a real boom area at He adds, “Inverness is proving more the moment.” popular and I think people are realising Dundee, he says, is another area to that, as the Highland capital, it’s not just watch because it has undergone a the resident population there is also a huge amount of regeneration over the big hinterland that feeds into Inverness.

HOT SPOTS

BY ANNABELLE LOVE

There has been a bigger swathe of corporate activity up there.”

This view is certainly one that Jackie MacGregor, of ASG Commercial, shares. She says, “Inverness is certainly a city that’s doing very well. It’s got the new University of the Highlands and Islands and a lot of investment in the city so people are attracted to the city.”

The experts also seem to agree that properties like cafes, delis, small restaurants and bistros are particularly popular at the moment. On the accommodation side, small hotels, B&Bs and country house hotels are in demand, particularly with foreign investors who seem to be shifting their focus from London and the larger cities south of the Border.

So what should anyone considering buying their own licensed trade business, or wanting to expand their portfolio, look out for?

Due diligence is key – making sure you arm yourself with all the facts in terms of the business, Gallery 48, how it is performing and so on. It is also worth doing a bit of homework to find out more about other offerings in the area, planned regeneration and improvements to transport links or whether any new residential developments are on the cards, especially if you are keen to take advantage of what might be an up and coming hotspot.

Alan Goldie says, “Make sure you get all the information for the business you are looking at, certified copies of the accounts, a copy of the lease, the basic information that tells you how the business is performing.

“Speak to agents and advisors and get

an idea of what is out there. Speak with the people who are selling, either the agent or the vendor themselves and take advice from people who are day to day in the market – that is very important to ensure that you cover all the bases.”

Another thing to consider is whether to go the leasehold route – most common in urban areas – or try to buy freehold.

There are pros and cons to both – leasehold requires a lower capital outlay but the disadvantage is that there is rent to pay and that it only likely

Dundee to go up, which has to be factored into your business model.

Freehold may not be an option for private individuals unless it comes with accommodation attached – particularly in a rural location – but it does counteract the rent issue and gives you an asset to sell on in the future.

Jonathan Clough suggests one of the first things to do is work out how much money you actually have to spend – how much you can lay your hands on yourself and how much you will be able to borrow.

He advises, “Speak to the bank or the broker before you even start your

search, to ascertain the price range you are looking in. There is no point looking at a £250,000 property if you only have access to £10,000.

“Another obvious piece of advice is to make sure you know what you are letting yourself in for – running your own business is hard work. Find out about the area too – what’s going on, what ongoing development is there?”

Jackie MacGregor also believes it is important to have realistic expectations about what you are getting into – and to make sure that you can keep on top of loan and mortgage payments.

She says, “A lot of people think they only have to put down a deposit of 25 to 30 per cent and the bank will lend the rest but at the end of the day what’s most important to the bank is serviceability – so make sure that the business you’re buying has got the ability to service the debt, or that there is other income that can support it.”

“Decide what sort of lifestyle you want to have – are you looking for something that will be 24 hours a day, seven days a week or are you looking for a seasonal business? Get a list of lifestyle objectives together before you commit yourself.”

Clearly, there is a lot to consider for anyone who is serious about buying their own licensed trade property, but being prepared to do some of the leg work yourself, as well as knowing when to ask the experts for help, will give you a good start when it comes to cashing in on hotspots.

DRAM SUPPLEMENT 2016 12

FREEHOLD FINANCE MAINTENANCE LEASEHOL

SURVEY BAR PROPERTY CAPIT

TOP SALES THIS YEAR T

here have been substantial investments in the Scottish licensed trade by operators who have snapped up a variety of different venues over the last 12 months. Here is a snapshot of just some of the places that sold and who bought them.

The biggest acquisition this year has to be the 282- bedroomed Haymarket Hotel, in Edinburgh, bought last month

by Leonardo Hotels, the European arm of Israeli Fattal Hotels Group. The hotel, which operated as a Whitbread Premier Inn, but was owned by a consortium of which included Edinburgh entrepreneurs Sandy Orr and Donald MacDonald. The deal is said to be worth multi-millions.

Steven Leckie also increased the size of the Crieff Hydro portfolio with the purchase of Isles of Glencoe Hotel and the Ballachulish Hotel for an undisclosed sum. The company had been managing the two hotels since 2014.

A Malaysian investor bought a the 121-bedroom Victorian Glenburn Hotel Bay in Rothesay. Although the agreement was that the current operators continue in situ for the next three years.

The Signature Pub Group made its first acquisition in the west of Scotland with its purchase of the Thistle Pub Company these included pubs such as The Raven,

The Hope and Munros in Glasgow; The Wick in Prestwick and Clerk’s Bar in Edinburgh. The purchases bring Signature’s estate to 12 outlets.

Meanwhile Manorview Hotels & Leisure Group purchased Cornhill House in Biggar and renamed it Cornhill Castle. The hotel set in ten acres of countryside with nine bedrooms as well as a Ballroom Suite, a large conservatory, and a wedding pavilion, was bought off-market.

G1 were also on the acquisition trail and in Aberdeen picked up the Illicit Still from Speratus, which subsequently bought premises for its Boozy Cow brand in Stirling. (see design feature).

Oli Norman and Stephen White bought not only The Griffin in Glasgow but also splashed out on Maggie May's in the Merchant City. While former lessee at Maggie May's Mark Lappin and his One Leisure Scotland exited and bought the former Partick Tavern in Glasgow and reopened it as Bag O'Nails in September.

Last month Billy Lowe, who sold his hotel interests to Glendola a few years ago, re-emerged in the pub industry with the purchase of Malones Irish Pub in Forrest Road, Edinburgh, while Glasgow operator Paul Stevenson bought the former Costa Coffee premises on Glasgow's Great Western Road for his second Paesano's.

Westlands Hotel, Pitlochry.

Station Hotel, Carnoustie.

Westlands is a well-known hotel situated in the centre of Pitlochry, one of Scotland’s premier tourist destinations which is often seen as the gateway to the Highlands.

The hotel featured a traditional lounge bar, popular with locals and guests alike, a residents’ lounge and a restaurant/function room seating 80. There are 15 ensuite letting rooms and the hotel also has a detached owner’s house at the rear.

The Westlands Hotel’s previous owners, Robert and Johan Cowan retired.

The Westlands Hotel was sold through Christie & Co to a private buyer for an undisclosed sum.

This well-known hotel comprised 12 ensuite letting rooms, lounge bar, coffee lounge, public bar and restaurant, together with a 120 cover function room.

It was ra highly attractive opportunity for a buyer seeking a solid business producing a good return.

The hotel has been sold by Ivor and Kathryn Farmer and Evelyn Christieson.

The freehold of the pub was sold off an asking price of £925,000.

The new operators are Kyla Hotels Ltd.

38 DRAM SUPPLEMENT 13 NOVEMBER 2016 2016

Loch Tummel Inn, Strathtummel • • •

A former country inn with 6 letting rooms, 60 covers and owner’s accommodation.

Stunning location in rural Perthshire overlooking Loch Tummel.

Sold at a closing date with 4 notes of interest and competing bids.

T: 01786 870 555

Masonic Arms (formerly Condorrat Arms), Condorrat • • •

A town centre public house with function suite.

A property in need of major refurbishment and a new roof.

Sold at an informal closing date to a cash buyer.

T: 01786 870 555

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Superb nearly new marquee for sale, cost nearly ÂŁ50,000 new, 10 months old only used once, as removed from a West End London Hotel.

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40 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016

@dramscotland

SUE SAYS

Maroulla’s party

/dram.scotland

C

ongratulations to Maroulla Nicholas on a significant birthday one thing is for sure she certainly knows how to throw a party. We partied the night away at her hotel in Renfrew, The Glynhill, and her staff pulled out all the stops to ensure that she and her guests, including me, had a super night. We certainly did. Well done to the football stalwarts who got up the next day to go to the Old Firm Match at Hampden, Maroulla included. I don’t know how they managed it!

if there was. A French study showed that if waitresses wear red t-shirts, it makes no difference to the tips female customers give, but that men give more. While another French study showed that if you touch a customer lightly on the upper arm your tips could increase from 10% to 25%... so now you know... I’ll be looking out for the waitress with the red t-shirt on, who introduces herself by name and who touches my arm as she gives me the bill...

Talking of Old Firm matches – the row rumbles on regarding the proposed Hogmanay match. There’s a campaign on Facebook www.facebook.com/bellsnotbrawls and a petition at www.change. org/p/michael-matheson-msp-parliament-scot-bellsnotbralwsglasgow-loves-hogmanay-keep-nye-festive. (snappy). The petition emphasises that if the game goes ahead it will be the first time in 126 years a Rangers v Celtic fixture has been set for Hogmanay... and suggests that decision to go ahead would throw the concept “Glasgow Loves Hogmanay” out of the water. Of course when we heard that a computer picked the date... we knew it wasn’t a Scottish one!

Joanna Blythman is both revered and feared within the restaurant community. And whereas in the past restaurant reviewers would have given places newly opened time to bed in... not so now.

But hats off to Alchemilla in Finnieston. It’s been open less than a month but it got the most amazing review from the titan of food reviewers. Joanna said, “Our food was stupendous from start to finish, but not in a showy, “Look at me. Aren’t I clever?” way.... with its little bar and Scandi-natural décor, Alchemilla has already achieved the intoxicating buzz that other restaurants find persistently elusive. Its drinks list, big on natural, organic, and biodynamic bottles, has its finger on the pulse.” Well done Rosie and Fergus.

The dog friendly Mercat Grill in East Lothian has donated £606.53 to the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home. The Whitecraig-based bar and restaurant raised the cash at two recent ‘wooftastic’ events; the Doggy Quiz and Doggy Fun Day, which attracted over 80 folks and their four-legged friends. It’s next doggy event will be its popular Christmas extravaganza event ‘Santa Paws’ on Sun 11 December.

Just saying...

As a Keeper of the Quaich and a real fan of whisky, I have been banging my wee drum or should that be dram, with regard to whisky advertising for years. As a female, and having done numerous tastings with females, who love whisky, I can’t believe that in this day and age there is so little emphasis put on women whisky drinkers. I have yet to see a female consuming a dram on any ad. Glenfiddich came closest a few years ago with a street scene in Italy, but now Chivas Regal has said it is keen to open up its brand to female consumers, but has admitted that it does not see its advertising focus shifting away from men just yet.

Speaking at an event to launch its new Chivas Regal Ultis edition, the brand’s global ambassador Max Warner told Marketing Week, “Our brand focus, due to a lot of our distribution and volume, is about masculinity and I don’t see it changing soon. But we’ve had some help along the way from shows like Madmen and Boardwalk Empire, where it’s all about style and culture. ” What will it take?

Following on from my piece last month about the fact that a delay in getting the bill sometimes leads to a less generous tip, I was drawn to a feature by Claudia Hammond who wrote a article for the BBC with hints how waiters and waitresses might be able to boost their take-home pay with a few tricks gleaned from psychological journals.

Apparently there was a study at a restaurant called Charlie Brown’s in southern California, where half the waiters were instructed to introduce themselves by name at the start of the meal and half were told not to, the tips averaged 15% if there was no name, and 23%

New Panel Member Portman Group is advertising for a new member to join the Independent Complaints Panel, the independent body that considers complaints about alcohol marketing under the Portman Group’s Code.

Details of the vacancy and an information pack for candidates are available at www.portmangroup.org.uk

Applications must be received by 10am Monday 14 November 2016 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 41

42 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016

79 St Vincent Street, Glasgow

CHAAKOO BOMBAY CAFE

BY L AURA SMITH

E

ntering Chaakoo Bombay Cafe in Glasgow feels like stepping back in time to the Irani cafes of Mumbai circa 1950. The original bustling Bombay Cafes, or Irani cafes, were run by Persian and Iranian immigrants and visited by people from all walks of life, from students and taxi drivers to doctors and lawyers. Today the cafes may be a dying breed in India with numbers dwindling from 350 in the 1950s to just 25 today but in Scotland this is the first one to open.

Chaakoo takes its name from the Hindi word for knife. The stylish new restaurant from Paul Sloan and Mario Gizzi, the duo behind popular Mexican restaurant Topolabamba, has opened two doors down from its Mexican sister on St Vincent Street. With its detailed and glamorous décor meticulously crafted by IBDP, the interior design company behind Topolabamba’s colourful and funky aesthetic, Chaakoo is a delight for the senses, even before the food hits the table.

Owner Paul Sloan came up with the idea for Chaakoo before Topolabamba but decided to wait until he found the perfect venue.

This finally materialised in a magnificent townhouse that reportedly dates back to the late 1800s and formerly housed Irish bar Fáilte.

Paul Sloan said, “As a team we have waited so long to bring this venture to Glasgow. It is unique in a way that transposes you back to the Fifties in Bombay with a touch of glamour flung in. Our people are talented, dedicated and in love with the remarkable food and our bar menu that is beyond unique.”

IBDP founder Dominic Paul spearheaded the design for Chaakoo and worked alongside branding company My.creative under Paul Sloan’s guidance. Dominic said the building’s original features were the perfect base for a restaurant inspired by the Irani cafes that thrived in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) during the 1950s.

In Glasgow’s glamorous version, customers enter through a set of green swing doors into a seated area, from which you can see the entire length of the 146-cover restaurant, past the bar to a newly installed mezzanine area at the back, created by the project’s main contractor Willow Rose Ltd. Despite the entire refurbishment taking just 12 weeks, Chaakoo feels like it’s been here all along.

This is partly down to preserving as many of the building’s original features as possible. Dominic said, “We tried to stay as true to the original Irani cafes as possible. Fortunately we had this beautiful 19th century interior with these decorative ceilings.”

A key feature of the Irani cafes was an abundance of mirrors on the walls to make the space seem bigger and create more light. This has been replicated in Chaakoo, where the walls are lined with mirrors framed in dark wood panelling. Explains Dominic, “The first four mirrors on the front left-hand wall are the originals from Fáilte. We thought those were fantastic as they were in the spirit of the Bombay cafes so we replicated them throughout. The walls themselves are actually what used to be the old Irish newspaper pages that once covered the walls in Fáilte so all we did was paint over them to give it a rustic plaster look.”

A section of single tables extends from the front-facing windows to the bar, with banquette seating on one side and pendant ribbed white light fittings hanging above. To the right are a number of larger booths that face the bar. All the booth seating is upholstered by Ian Graham Upholstery in an aged brown leather sourced from International

IBDP Commercial Interior Design

DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 43

Leather Products Ltd, which adds to the vintage feel, as does the dark green paint used on the walls and four original pillars in the front section. More authentic nods to the old Irani cafes are the tables tops in white Carrara marble with brass surrounds and a mix of Rattan and Bentwood bistro chairs used throughout.

Pairs of large white glass orbs set on black metal sconces (wall brackets) line the walls, and more hang above the bar on long chains, blending well with the 1950s style. “We managed to source these fantastic light fittings that are original retro cafe style lighting from the 1940s/50s and that was really effective,” said Dominic.

While the original flooring was in too poor a condition to be restored, Dominic used it as his inspiration and has replicated the herringbone wood flooring using reclaimed French oak, which sits alongside a repeating pattern of square cream ceramic tiles with olive green and grey frames.

The large bar is made of dark wood, a metal pipe gantry with brass detailing at the front, more dark wood cabinets and mirrors behind, and a luxurious white marble top. The bar is laden with old glass bottles with brown paper labels hanging from their necks giving the only clue to the spirits inside, such as whisky from Amrut Distillery in Bangalore, India. A selection of Indian beers is served from a line of large, brass taps.

Beyond the bar lies the new mezzanine which seats 34 diners. The large staircase leading up to it in the centre of the floor makes this section a commanding design feature in itself and draws the eye up to a long triangular skylight, which the design team was thrilled to uncover. “It was actually completely painted over so we restored it to let the natural light pour in,” said Dominic. The original ceiling, with its ornate cornicing, has also been restored to its formerly glory and painted white.

Below the mezzanine section is more seating that extends behind 44 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016

the stairs and includes more comfortable booths along the left wall, partitioned by glass and mirrors to create an ‘infinity mirror’ effect.

Right of the stairs lies a “Quiet” section of two booths which can be closed off, mirroring sections in the old Irani Mumbai cafes reserved for ‘upper-class’ patrons.

Another nice feature is the countless framed posters, prints and black and white photos placed around the ground floor and mezzanine.

Most are originals from the era imported from India. The photos depict several Irani cafes of Mumbai from the 1950s, their staff, and customers. The walls of the staircase leading to the downstairs ‘wash rooms’ (which have the old high-level chain flush toilets in keeping with the theme) are lined with colourful American and Indian film posters.

Dominic explained, “These were again traditional features in these old Irani cafes. Look at old photos of them and they seem to have pictures of patrons and maybe their families, along with Americana and Indian movie posters, so this pays homage to that.”

Chaakoo also retains a slight Glasgow edge thanks to its tongue-incheek take on some of the original features of the Mumbai cafes.

Large blackboards placed along the walls list the numerous rules that would have been laid out in the old cafes, but with the addition of “No Tantrums”, “No Flirting with Customers” and “All Chai is Strictly Without Opium”.

Signs written in a Hindi typeface on smaller blackboards hanging beside the mirrored walls are designed to make Chaakoo’s clientelle do a double-take. Dominic explained, “The writing is reversed so you can read it properly in the mirror. We’re basically playing around with people’s minds so they might think they understand Hindi after a few cocktails. It’s not intended as offensive but as a fun joke that infuses old Mumbai with your typical Glasgow humour.” It’s that effortless fusion of classic India with a modern Glasgow vibe that promises to make Chaakoo Bombay Cafe a success.

Proud to be involved with the refurbishments of both Chaakoo Bombay Cafe and Baffo.

Wishing both venues all the best for the future.

. Shopfitting . Extensions . Kitchens . All Trades Other recent restaurants completed include Topolabamba Edinburgh, The Spiritualist Glasgow and Babbo Glasgow!

T: 07792 417 044 willowrose.joinery.ltd@gmail.com IBDP Commercial Interior Design

Graham’s

Upholstery Services Ltd Scotch Frost are proud suppliers to Chaakoo Bombay Cafe and wish them every success in the future!

Grahams Upholstery were pleased to supply all the fixed seating and upholstery and wish Chaakoo Bombay Cafe all the best for the future.

T: 01389 875 176 | M: 07710 998 786 E: ianupholstery@yahoo.co.uk 48-50 Castlegreen Street | Dumbarton G82 1JB

Scotch Frost is the leading supplier of frozen, fresh & ambient food products, drinks and packaging to the food service and specialist ethnic markets.

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www.scotchfrost.com DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 45

30+ YEARS EXPERIENCE DESIGNING FOR THE LEISURE & HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

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he Speratus Group has brought its gourmet ‘dirty burger’ bar with attitude to Stirling with the opening of its third Boozy Cow. The new restaurant and cocktail bar is located next to the Stirling Arcade.

This is the first venture for Speratus in Stirling and follows Boozy Cow openings in Aberdeen in 2014 and Edinburgh in February 2015. Design agency Tibbatts Abel and Edinburghborn creative artist Lyndsey Jean Henderson, who have worked on all of Speratus’ Boozy Cow venues, have reunited for the Stirling project.

Once again, the venue’s idiosyncratic design is an integral part of the entire Boozy Cow concept. An eight-week refurbishment costing £250,000 has transformed the space, which formerly housed Bar Budda, into a fun and eclectic eatery which offers a relaxed atmosphere, stacked homemade burgers, visually-impressive cocktails and a good craft beer selection. Boozy Cow isn’t just a meat and cocktail lovers paradise. It’s an attack on all the senses, and also a haven for fans of pop art, graffiti and grunge, thanks to its funky, raw, urban design.

An industrial metal door leads onto a small black corridor with large windows that look onto the main bar area, with

W

BY L AURA SMITH the large bar on the right and five long, high tables on the left. Entering, you’re met with a blaze of colour and a riot of striking, vibrant artwork. Before turning right into the bar, a towering artwork of two skeletons locked in a passionate embrace gives a hint of what’s to come.

Artist Lyndsey Jean Henderson has covered every inch of available wall space in graffiti, pop art, splashes of paint and slogans like “God gave us life, rock ‘n’ roll”. Everywhere you look, a detail screams for your attention. Reflecting Boozy Cow’s urban vibe, her bold, edgy artworks include one skeleton pouring a can of arsenic into another’s mouth, ferocious tigers and panthers, a mirror covered in a pop artstyle portrait of Mary Queen of Scots (as a skeleton), and a women wearing shades and pointing a gun beside the words “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.”

The venue is split into two sections: a bar area at the front and additional seating in the back beside the closed off kitchen. In the large bar area, which has a capacity of 150, sits a number of high tables varying in size from two to six seaters. Each has a varnished chipboard top and metal pipe legs that look like scaffolding pipes and add to the industrial feel of the design. They are surrounded by tall stools with

thin, black metal legs and wooden tops, some of which have the Boozy Cow brand seared into the wood. The lefthand wall bears a line of oversized, naked light bulbs set on a strip of metal, reflected in the strip of mirror set below it.

Opposite, the large rectangular bar has a tiled top and is clad with corrugated iron sheets lined by chunky strips of wood punctuated with metal studs. It’s lined by quirky bar stools are made from beer kegs cut in half and painted red with added steel legs. More exposed light bulbs are encased in metal wire cages that hang above the bar on chains and in smoked glass boxes. Metal fridges behind the bar have alphabet magnets used as a fun way to spell out milkshake and cocktail specials. They are flanked by a gantry made of solid wood shelves that hold a range of wines and spirits, illuminated by a red neon sign that reads, “No Guts, No Glory!” The blazing neon sign is one of many bespoke pieces created by Chantelle Lighting that are used throughout Boozy Cow and enhance its edgy, urban vibe.

On the bar’s right, the Boozy Cow brand glows on a thin wall of corrugated iron in more red and yellow neon-tubed lighting, with its mirror-image displayed on the corner wall cut out of a black metal sheet. Despite the room’s predominantly black DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 47

and red colour scheme, it still feels light thanks to the front wall of the restaurant which is comprised of large windows with black surrounds.

To the bar’s left sit two, four seater brown leather booths separated by lines of black PVC strips suspended on metal frames, reminiscent of the coverings used in warehouses and cold storage units. The wooden floorboards are sporadically marked with lines of red and black and the ceiling is grey with yellow spotlights and the occasion splash of paint or writing that strays from the walls.

Left of the booths, three steps lead down to a hidden seated area. There’s plenty more artwork to take in on the sloped ceiling as you descend. The slogan “God gave us life, rock ‘n’ roll” is sprawled across the ceiling and surrounded by lightning patterns made of large metal studs. The same long tables found in the bar line the walls here and are lit by steampunk black caged lights suspended by thick metal black pipes.

There’s also two large booths that can each accommodate parties of six. On the wall beside them, a devil woman peers out from underneath a wall of heavy metal chains hanging on a square arch of metal pipes. The whole feature is illuminated by a strip of lighting set behind the chains. The opposite wall is lined with more varnished chipboard panelling and beard another red neon sign that provocatively asks “What’s your beef?”

The lefthand wall is made of large windows that look directly into the Stirling Arcade shopping centre. A long wooden bar 48 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016

with about twelve seats runs along the window. To give diners some privacy, the wall of windows have been painted with a translucent, tattoo-style pink skull and black roses on one side and a snarling orange tiger on the other.

The seating here runs down a narrow corridor which leads to the upstairs toilets, which are a design feature in themselves.

Getting there feels like entering an urban art gallery and the artist has certainly gone to town on the design here. The walls and ceilings of the staircase and second floor corridor have a black base covered in white, red and pink dashes and spilled paint dripping down the walls which are also plastered in more punchy graffiti art.

In the ladies toilets, two pink tigers snarl from the walls, joined by Riot Grrrl slogans and imagery. The edgy design is juxtaposed by a large white marble double sink. The men’s toilets have bizarrely become a talking point with customers – not surprising as the white urinals are drenched in spilled red paint! The effect is replicated in the disabled toilets downstairs in the bar area, only this time with black paint trickling into the toilet bowl.

On the back wall of the bar is a large pop art mural of a woman eating a burger and provocatively commanding “Bite Me”, a phrase that effectively sums up Boozy Cow’s deliciously deviant and playful design. While its décor might not be to everyone’s taste, Boozy Cow’s towering homemade burgers and standout cocktails will undoubtedly leave an lasting impression in its new hometown.

Featured images: Boozy Cow, Stirling

DESIGN FOCUS

BAFFO W 1377 Argyle St, Glasgow G3 8AF

hen considering the name and design for his first restaurant, Francesco Longo settled on “Baffo” (Italian for moustache) and ran with it.

From a red neon moustache glowing on the building’s dark frontage to bold black moustache logos printed on brightly coloured menus and pizza boxes, and a three-foot version spray-painted in white across one wall – the humble Tache has become a key design feature in the latest pizza place in Glasgow’s West End. The 31-year-old admits that when he came up with “Baffo”, he didn’t plan on having the place littered with facial hair references but was inspired by the input of Glasgow design and branding agency D8.

Francesco explained, “I chose the name because I wanted something really simple – an Italian word people would know and remember but still be able to say! I didn’t have any intention of having moustaches anywhere but I took the name to branding company and they came up with his incredible, eye-catching design. People have good fun with it. I don’t take life too seriously and think this place should be a bit of fun too.”

Fun is definitely a good starting point to describe the small, open-plan eatery, which is a far cry from what you might expect from a “traditional Italian restaurant”. It feels bright, vibrant, relaxed and contemporary with plenty of eye-catching features.

Francesco took on all of the design himself and worked with Glasgowbased joiner Patrick Gallagher of Willowrose Joinery to transform the space formerly occupied by The Pelican restaurant on 1377 Argyle Street. Francesco said, “I wanted to stay away from your traditional Italian look. No white tablecloths and Chianti wine bottles here instead it is a lot cleaner and more modern.”

He ran the place as The Pelican from February and closed at the end of May for refurbishments. The redesign was a five-week process and the restaurant reopening as Baffo mid-August.

Francesco explained, “We’ve changed a lot. The bar has been moved from the middle to the left wall. It was a really horrible green colour with random booze bottles hanging from the ceiling. I got rid of those and lowered the ceiling slightly to create a bit more intimacy.”

The former dark green decor has been replaced with a muted colour scheme of grey walls, white and grey gleaming tiles behind the bar and

50 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016

kitchen, and plenty of exposed stonework unearthed during the refit.

Francesco said, “That was an accident! We started taking the place apart and saw a little patch of it and managed to uncover it about one foot behind the existing wall. All it needed was a good clean. It’s probably about 120 years old! There’s a few little surface gaps and holes here and there but I wanted to keep those to help give the place a bit of character.”

The bar and adjacent kitchen are open plan. A curved bar runs from opposite the front door to the back of the restaurant’s seated area. It is clad in the same white and grey tiles as the walls until it reaches the kitchen pass, where wooden panels are decorated in a patchwork of bold, primary coloured rectangles. The bar top is made from a light wood and is lit by seven dome-shaped copper lights with glass surrounds, hung at various heights.

The box shelving gantry is made from a similar light wood and is home to a range of Italian wines imported from Italy. As well as 10 Italian beers in the fridge, Baffo also serves Menabrea lager and Glera prosecco, both on tap.

A strip of hexagonal white, grey and beige tiles extends about three feet from the bar and merges seamlessly with the wood-effect flooring made of Karndean, used throughout. Francesco said, “The tiles merging into the floor is similar to something I saw on Pinterest. I found flooring that I liked, gave it a shot and it worked!”

On the opposite side of the restaurant, a black half booth runs the entire length of the right-hand wall beside three, four-seater tables with light wood tops. Three four-seater back booths can be found along the street-facing wall beside huge windows that offer stunning views of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery. “It’s not a bad view to look out at everyday!”

Francesco admits. Above each booth hangs clusters of five lights from Pagazzi Lighting with exposed light bulbs and minimalist black metal cubed frames.

To create even more light, Francesco added a fourth window to the front of the restaurant in place of The Pelican second doorway. A grey wall parallel to the bar divides the back of the restaurant in half and is punctuated with small sections of exposed stonework. It is surrounded by white-topped tables with stainless steel bases and black, plastic chairs with wooden legs.

BY L AURA SMITH

DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 51

Pops of colour come from the restaurant’s funky branding. Tall orange drinks menus grace each table and a row of red and blue Baffo pizza boxes, all bearing Baffo’s solid black moustache logo, line the right-hand wall on a shelf above the black booth seating. Francesco explained, “I chose neutral colours as a base because I wanted the menus and the branding to pop out. I decided to keep it nice and simple and let the place tell its own story with the branding.”

Another key design feature is what Francesco describes as the “absolute heart of Baffo”. A white domed pizza oven dominates the rear of the kitchen which is all stainless steel and fitted by New Concept Ltd. It’s an open kitchen and can be spied as soon as you come in the front door.

Ironically, the oven actually looks a little like an igloo. A contemporary take on the traditional pizza oven, it is unusually not wood-fired but powered by gas and was shipped all the way from Modena in northern Italy.

A lot of thought has gone into the bathrooms too. Black, white and grey geometric designed tiles, sourced from Cosmo Ceramics, large white ceramic sinks from Italian supplier Scope, and large mirror with a deep grid border of small, square mirror tiles in the ladies’ bathroom, combine for a bright and classy effect.

In an effort to preserve features of the original building but utilise as much space as possible, an old fireplace opposite the kitchen is now used to store sacks of flour and tinned tomatoes shipped direct from Naples. To create Baffo’s authentic Italian pizzas, which is also offered in gigantic “Mezzo Metro” (half-metre) portions, Francesco also imports his mozzarella and meat from Italy. His two head pizza chefs are also Italian.

While it might be his first restaurant, Francesco has both Italy and the hospitality trade in his blood. His parents Enzo and Elizabeth own the popular Scots-Italian restaurant Barbarossa in Cathcart. Francesco started helping out there when he was 13. He would work at the family restaurant on and off for 15 years, eventually taking on the role of codirector before branching out on his own.

Francesco describes the difference between Baffo and the traditional Italian decor of Barbarossa as “night and day”, but “Mum and Dad love it.” The owner says he still has some little touches to add, including more designs painted directly onto the stone walls. Will there be any more moustaches, I wonder? “Maybe, especially if the team and myself decide to take part in Movember... we probably should!” jokes Francesco.

52 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016

Delighted to supply Baffo and wishing the team every success in the future.

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Catering equipment supplier to Baffo wishing Francesco and staff every success in the new venture!

DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 53

Loch Lomond, Alexandria G83 8QZ

CAMERON HOUSE

54 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016

DESIGN FOCUS

W

E are all familiar with the notion that if something works, why change it – and that is very much the spirit in which an ambitious refurbishment project at The Cameron House Hotel, at Loch Lomond, was recently completed.

The team at Greyline Design, who created new looks for three of the five-star luxury venue’s restaurants and bars – The Boathouse, the Cameron Grill and The Great Scots Bar – were asked to enhance what was already in place through the use of colour, richness and opulence.

That is very much in line with the idea that this 18th century Baronial mansion is a place where ‘glamour and romanticism meets culture and history’ – to quote from the resort’s own web page.

So it was about upgrading and improving what was there rather than ripping everything out and starting over and it was also about making clever changes to the existing seating arrangements in order to boost the number of covers at each offering – all with minimal disruption to guests.

Resort Director Andy Roger explains, “We are blessed with a beautiful location and some fantastic facilities but the resort has probably not had the investment that it has demanded over the last few years so the thinking is to take the resort back to and ahead of where it has been before, and to be able to capitalise on the huge demand we have in some of our restaurants.

“The third aspect was to look at where we could really drive the business forward over the next three to five years, with an owner, KSL, who is looking forward rather than looking to sell the business.”

One of the first phases of the work was down at The Boathouse, an informal restaurant which overlooks the Marina and is a short walk from the main hotel. It is a great place to watch the water, catch some sport on the new larger-screen TVs and sample the seafood menu which includes Lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese and pizzas baked to order in the wood-burning oven as well as Orkney crab and West Coast mussels.

Much of the emphasis here was on increasing the number of covers, so the tancoloured banquette seats which ran down the middle of the main seating area have been removed and replaced with lighter chairs in a mixture of blues and reds, with seats and backs upholstered in contrasting colours. Other innovations like the Captain’s Table, which seats eight and is set slightly away from the main restaurant, have also proved popular.

The main bar area still has its large sofas but they have been re-covered with lighter, brighter fabrics. Gone are the brown, taupe and cream hues and in are the blues and reds we see in the restaurant.

The changes have enhanced the venue’s New England style and make the space feel both bigger and busier at the same time.

Andy says, “We have taken the capacity up by 50 per cent, from 100 to 150 seats and from a revenue point of view we will grow that business by over ten per cent this year and a huge part of that is through the covers. We’ve made it slightly more casual seating and reduced the size of some of our tables and chairs to really capitalise on the space. The next phase will be to look at our outside dining, to increase the capacity further.”

The Cameron Grill has also been refurbished as part of this £3million investment programme. Here the major changes included removing much of the dark leather banquette seating which previously dominated the space. Now the seats around the sides of the restaurant are upholstered in distressedlook dark brown leather, while the seating in the middle of the room is covered in lighter taupe shades.

A Last Supper-style painting which used to run almost the length of the right-hand wall has been replaced with four large mirrors which bounce light back into the room, set against grey/blue and gold flock wallpaper. The same colours are also picked up in some of the fabric on the chairs.

BY ANNABELLE LOVE Again the immediate impact of the refurbishment has been to make the restaurant feel more spacious and much lighter and this is boosted when the tables – a mix of small square ones, which seat two comfortably but can be joined together for bigger parties, and large round ones which seat up to eight people – are set for dinner with crisp white table linen.

It retains a sophisticated, high-end feel and is an ideal setting for guests to enjoy the new wine list and menu which includes dishes like wood pigeon, Highland deer and Orkney scallops.

However, given that this is also where hotel residents have breakfast it probably works better with the lighter, fresher colour palette and again the capacity has been increased by 50 per cent.

A small room to one side of the restaurant has been transformed into a cocktail bar with 14 seats. Once again, mirrors bounce the light around while distressed metal ceiling tiles, streaked with a rust colour, add warmth. The front of the new bar is tiled in irregular aqua, gold and grey tiles, creating a glamorous feel in what also doubles as a private dining area.

The Grill is already reaping the rewards of this refurbishment with the average spend up by 20 per cent as a result of the changes.

The Great Scots Bar now has a much warmer feel, almost like walking into one of the large bottles of Glenmorangie sitting on the stunning copper-topped bar. The dark colours that were in the room previously – mostly greys, browns, taupe and creams – have been banished and replaced instead with tan leather, velvet and tartans in oranges and a touch of pink.

To the right, the walls are now upholstered in padded tan leather panels studded to create a Chesterfield sofa-style effect, separated by horizontalstriped wallpaper in varying tones of slate grey. Meanwhile the walls around the large stone open fireplace have been covered in a textured light and dark tan flock paper while large tan leather tiles have been used to cover another wall area.

Two sets of semi-circular banquettes have been cleverly arranged around the fire – each one seats six people comfortably – while single armchairs arranged around small circular wooden tables add extra covers. The overall feel is of luxury, inclusivity and intimacy, even for larger groups of people.

To the left hand side of the room, the ever-popular Whisky Lockers remain.

Current incumbents, whose keys are kept behind the bar so they can access their personal bottle whenever they wish, include former Scotland rugby player Gavin Hastings OBE and Olympic gold medallist Katherine Grainger CBE. Again, armchairs in a mix of tan leather and the warm tartan provide additional seating and there are wing-back chairs in another corner.

Moving through into the main bar area, the original wooden parquet-style floor has been restored and brought back to life, while the curtains have been removed from the huge picture windows to really make the most of the stunning views over the hotel’s elegant grounds to Ben Lomond.

The large sofas and armchairs have been re-upholstered in a mix of leather, green and purple velvet and contrasting tartans, tones which reflect the natural colours of the hills around the hotel, while mirrored table tops bounce light back into the room.

The walls are still lined with the same iconic black and white photographs of the Great Scots the bar is named after, including racing driver Sir Jackie Stewart OBE, novelist Ian Rankin OBE and actress Hannah Gordon.

Andy says: “We’ve kept all that’s great about The Great Scots Bar but we’ve replaced all the furniture and changed the configuration to allow us to have more groups in there, more people enjoying the experience.”

The upholstery and re-upholstery work on this refurbishment project across all three venues was undertaken by Glasgow firm ESL, while Style Matters supplied new furniture.

DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 55

Congratulations

and every success to everyone at The Grove, Lenzie.

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26/08/2016 13:12

The Grove - 7 Millersneuk Road, Lenzie, G66 4HA

THE GROVE DESIGN FOCUS

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01355 26 36 49 design@select-contract-furniture.com www.select-contract-furniture.com 56 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016

I

t’s a case of two becomes one for R Group restaurant and bar owners Rahul and Pravesh – A.K.A Bubbles – Randev, who have completely transformed their Lenzie premises Carriages Bar and Irrocco into one stylish new venue, The Grove Bistro Bar and Bakery.

The pair’s £1m investment in their extensive refurbishment on Millersneuk Road, which has taken around one year to complete, has certainly paid off. The result is a large, luxurious and comfortable restaurant, bar and bakery complete with an additional rooftop terrace which will be finished next summer.

The refreshed frontage is an inviting mix of white walls and light timber cladding that unites both the restaurant and bar as The Grove. Several stone steps lead to the bar’s entrance on the left, which is flanked by two small, conical trees. While the interior of the old Carriages may be unrecognisable to its loyal clientele, gold Rennie Mackintosh-style lettering on the glass door that reads “The Carriages Bar, Est. 1993” is a reminder of the popular pub Rahul and Bubbles have run here for 23 years.

“We always felt that Carriages was too big as a pub and Irrocco was too small as a restaurant so it made sense to knock them into one. It’s taken a long time to do but we’re really pleased with the result,” says Rahul.

The overall design is contemporary but classic with some art deco touches that give the place a slight vintage feel. The new colour

Photography by: Martin Gray

BY L AURA SMITH scheme is a mix of purple, white and deep duck shell blue. Oak panelling with a grey tinge is used on the walls throughout.

Rahul and Bubbles worked with Adam McClure and David Logan from Bearsden-based interior designers, Cunningham McLean Ltd and had a lot of input into the design.

A key inspiration has been their Milngavie restaurant Garvie & Co. Rahul explains, “We’ve drawn a lot of the design elements from Garvie & Co, such as the desert and pastry counter, the use of wood panelling and in the bar we chose a slightly darker shade of duck egg blue that we used there. We want our patrons to be able to tell from the look and feel of the place that it’s one of our group.”

The first thing you see when entering the bar area is the large, square bar itself which looks both classic and a little industrial, thanks to its stone coloured marble top, long curved copper beer taps and the dark grey metal gantry that frames the whole thing up to the ceiling.

Sections of the gantry are fronted with amber glass panels which have a smoky, marbled effect, and brass rails line several shelves

to keep the bottles in place, all adding to that vintage feel. A wide strip of black, grey and white tiles lines the floor around the bar in an eye-catching diamond design.

A mix of high and low banquette seating and tables line the walls at the front and left-hand side. In the middle sits a long, high table with a gleaming brass top that reflects the copper light fittings hanging above.

“The biggest thing for us is that we love the use of brass and copper and plain metals, so it’s nice to have that contrast throughout,” notes Rahul.

The bar is still distinct from the restaurant thanks to a sliding glass and wood panelled ‘bookcase’ door which Rahul is particularly proud of. “That was my idea,” he says. “It means that even though it’s one big space, it can be separated if needed. I wanted it to look a bit like a bookcase and I love that you can see all the way through to the bar and bakery counter on the other side of the restaurant.”

Rahul points to the furthest part of the restaurant which has a second entrance of two large glass doors set in a wall of front-facing DRAM NOVEMBER 2016 57

windows. This area is light and bright thanks to the abundance of windows, mirrors and reflective bar and table tops. The ceiling has also been raised to make it more spacious.

The restaurant seats around 100 and is split into two sections with one level slightly lower than the other as The Grove is built on a slope. The colour scheme changes to purple and white and the floor throughout is a mixture of cream tiles, purple carpets and more Herringbone patterned oak flooring.

The main feature in the far-right section is a magnificent white marble restaurant bar with a glass dessert and cake counter built into one end, and a similar style gantry to the one in the bar.

The adjacent seated area has a mix of brass, marble and oak-topped tables with chairs upholstered in green and purple. The back section has two rows of cream half booths with white marble tables which shimmer in the light cascading from a new triangular skylight. A bronze mirror with diamond patterning is cleverly angled on the left-hand wall to create even more light and the area is flanked by circular white booths with brass table tops.

A large but inconspicuous lift has been installed in the corner to take customers up to the rooftop terrace and can be accessed on both levels of the restaurant. Rahul says, “We’re excited about the roof terrace which will have its own bar and additional seating. We should have it up-and-running by next summer so we can get the most of those limited sunny spells!”

A small set of wooden stairs to the right of the lift leads to another second cosy section which boasts six oval tables with curved, cream banquette seating and chairs upholstered in plush purple and mocha coloured velvet. The Grove’s large, column-shaped pizza oven, which is clad in small square golden tiles and was shipped 58 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016

from America, is another stunning feature here. It is visible through a serving hatch in the restaurant’s back wall, which has white marble facing and is framed with the same metal shelves used on both bars.

Rahul says of the overall design, “We didn’t want it to feel too fancy, like a fine dining restaurant. We’re in the suburbs so want to focus on mid-week dining and cater to people who might not want to cook in the house but will come down to a local place for a bowl of pasta or pizza. That’s reflected in the menu, which we’ve kept simple. It has an Italian and Mediterranean influence with lots of pastas, pizza and sharing platters but some specials too.”

Like their other venues across Bishopbriggs, Lenzie, Bearsden and Milngavie, Rahul and Bubbles are determined to establish The Grove as an important part of the local community. One of their favourite design features reflects this. They commissioned photographer Martin Gray to take black and white photos of wellknown places and faces across Lenzie. These are grouped on the walls throughout the Grove and are sure to be a real talking point for customers.

Rahul adds, “We asked Martin to take photos of famous streets and landmarks in Lenzie and people that own local businesses, like the chip shop owner, dentist, optician and the lady who owns the hairdressers. We’ve tried to create this sense of community and that this place belongs to the people here, which is important to us. We’re looking forward to people coming down to see their photos up on the famous wall.

There’s a few surprises there for people too!”

Much like The Grove itself, we’re sure the surprise will be a very enjoyable and welcome one.

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ROUND UP Congratulations to the West of Scotland publican golfers who were victorious at the fourth annual Caledonia Best East v West Golf Challenge. The event in Marbella saw 24 licensees from across Scotland take part, and West proved best with a 17-11 win.

That makes it two victories a piece between East and West, so it’s all to play for next year!

EDINBURGH PUNCH ROADSHOW 2016

McEwan’s painted Edinburgh red this October as they celebrated 160 years since William McEwan first started brewing his now world famous beer.

The event held at The Caves on Niddry Street was attended by key McEwan’s customers, trade press and influential friends of the brand from the drinks industry, as well as members of the Charles Wells family and their McEwan’s team who are now custodians of the brand.

Speaking at the event, Marketing Manager for McEwan’s, Tara Karimian, said: “McEwan’s remains synonymous with beer in Scotland and is in great shape, having both the biggest selling canned and bottled ale in Scotland and a wide variety of beers that appeal to all tastes. For a brand to be successful over such a long time is down to many people over many years. Those who worked on the brand, brewed the beer, sold the beer, and drunk the beer at any point in its history should be hugely proud of the part they have played in the story.

Here’s to the people of McEwan’s past and present and to a long, bright future for our favourite beer.”

DRAM DRINKS RETAILING AND MARKETING PUBLISHED BY MEDIA WORLD LIMITED UPPER FLOOR / FINNIESTON HOUSE, 1 THE STABLES YARD / 1103 ARGYLE STREET, GLASGOW / G3 8ND t. 0141 221 6965 e. dram@mail.com web. www.dramscotland.co.uk Editor Susan Young • Chairman Noel Young • Editorial Annabelle Love, Laura Smith Advertising Lucy McGovern, Robert McManus, Sylvia Forsyth • Production Michael Rahme • Admin Cheryl Cook Published by Media World Ltd. Subscriptions: DRAM is available by subscription for all other qualified persons involved in the Scottish Licensed Trade at the rate of £52 per annum including the DRAM Yearbook. The publishers, authors and printers cannot accept liability for errors or omissions. Any transparencies or artwork will be accepted at owner’s risk. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holder and publisher, application for which should be made to the publisher. Articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publishers. © Media World Limited 2016.

Printed by Stephens & George Print Group.

62 DRAM NOVEMBER 2016

Punch Taverns – Investing in Scotland Punch has completed five investments across the Central Belt totaling nearly £1 million, part of its commitment to invest £3m in Scotland.

Punch Taverns – Investing in Scotland

Punch has 230 sites across Scotland, and with the recent refurbishments we have managed to bring much needed investment to some fantastic Scottish pubs.

Punch has completed five investments across the Central Belt totaling Recent refurbishments have included the Electric Bar in Motherwell, Kirkill Bar Cambuslang, The Dundas Grangemouth, nearly £1 million, part of its commitment to invest £3m in Scotland.

The Yeoman Dunfermline, Habbies Bar & Grill in Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire.

Punch has 230 sites across Scotland, and with the recent refurbishments we have managed to bring much needed investment to KIRKHILL BAR • Scottish CAMBUSLANG some fantastic pubs.

Recent refurbishments have included the Electric Bar in Motherwell, Kirkill Bar Cambuslang, The Dundas Grangemouth, The Yeoman Dunfermline, Habbies Bar & Grill in Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire.

KIRKHILL BAR • CAMBUSLANG

ELECTRIC BAR • MOTHERWELL ELECTRIC BAR • MOTHERWELL

HABBIES BAR & GRILL • KILBARCHAN HABBIES BAR & GRILL • KILBARCHAN

This much-needed investment across Central Belthas has This much-needed investment across thethe Central Belt that vital community assets preserved ensured ensured that vital community assets willwill be be preserved for the future. for the future.

Brian Davidson, Regional operations director

Brian Davidson, Regional operations director

This is is anan example of our to invest our This example ofcommitment our commitment toininvest in our Scottish pub estate.

We are workingworking with all with all Scottish pub estate.

Weconstantly are constantly our to improve the fabric of our pubs andpubs the and the ourPublicans Publicans to improve the fabric of our strength of our customer offer.

strength of our customer offer.

Iain Thomson, New business development manager

Iain Thomson, New business development manager

Punch has a number of Pub, Bar, Restaurant and Hotel opportunities across Scotland, for the latest information

opportunities andRestaurant pubs available in your areas contact your across local Punch development manager.

Punch has aabout number of Pub, Bar, and Hotel opportunities Scotland, for the latest information about opportunities and pubs available in your areas contact your local Punch development manager.

New Business development manager

Iain Thomson 07717 451825 New Business development manager Glasgow & West Scotland

Alasdair Lindsay 07787 850712 Glasgow & West Scotland

Glasgow East, Central & South Scotland Alasdair Lindsay 07787 850712

Jeremy Williams 07825 008509

Glasgow East, Central & South Scotland

Jeremy Williams 07825 008509

Iain Thomson 07717 451825 Edinburgh

Fife

Steve Latto 07738 705243 Edinburgh

Elena Smanio 07973 781637 Fife

Peter Dorovic 07766 603019

Tom Reilly (Hotels) 07790 371871

Central Scotland & Aberdeenshire Steve Latto 07738 705243

Central Scotland & Aberdeenshire

Peter Dorovic 07766 603019

Highland & Islands Elena Smanio 07973 781637

Highland & Islands

Tom Reilly (Hotels) 07790 371871