Happy Christmas

Just a quick post to wish you all a great Christmas...we will be heading off for some adventures with family and friends soon and won't be able to post for a few days.

Thanks for all your e-mails and comments over the last year, it's been brilliant.

Food, food, food

As Ann tweeted yesterday we went to see Avatar last night and decided it would be a good idea to meet with our friends first and have some dinner. Our friends live in Pollokshields and had previously mentioned that they really wanted to try Roma Mia on Darnley Street so we agreed to meet there at 7:30.

However, things then went down hill as I got stuck at work, trying to finish a presentation and was therefore running late. While speedily completing my drawings I got a call to say that our friends had just walked past Roma Mia and it was closed. They then asked if we'd go to Mulberry Street with them instead and so we agreed to meet there at 7:45 to give me time to get home and change. Unfortunately, the trains were all delayed due to the cold weather and so after 30mins wait I was still standing in Central Station, where I got another call to say that the Mulberry didn't have any tables free. To be honest, I was so hungry by that point I was about to give up and just get some sandwiches from M+S. A texting debate started as we all suggested places to try next, everything from the new African place Camflava, to Cookie, to the Brooklyn Cafe.

In the end however it became clear that everyone was still thinking about the first choice Roma Mia and that an Italian was in order, so we agreed to meet at Mimmo's. Mimmo's is a newish Italian Restaurant on St Andrews Road in Pollokshields a few doors down from the more established L'Aragosta, which is another place we've been meaning to try for ages. Thankfully Mimmo's was not too busy and we managed to get a table - hurrah.

I'll add some notes about the meal once I get home and get the photos off my camera but the reason for this post is because I realised last night that there are so many restaurants in the Southside, its going to cost us a small fortune and several belt sizes to get round them all.

The Glad Cafe @ The Glasshouses - 27th December 2009

The Glad Cafe are hosting their second event on the 27 December 2009, this time their at the Glasshouse in Queens Park. They have Fox Gut Daata, Martin Patton and Huntley and Palmers DJs. Tickets are only £8 and the event is BYOB so could be a relatively cheap night out, during the festive period. For more information email thegladcafe@gmail.com

http://www.myspace.com/gladcafe

Langside Cafe @ Langside Place

We’ve been meaning to go to Langside Café for ages, well several months at least. I never really realised that Langside Place really existed, having always walked along Langside Avenue and down into Battlefield. It’s a great find, there are some interesting wee shops there, which I’ll have to go back and have a look around.

One of these is the Langside Cafe, which is located opposite the Queens Park Camera Club. It's traditional bright yellow sign and red and white stripped awning harks back to another time. The café is actually quite small inside, with red booths down both sides, with old style narrow tables, which means you have to stagger the plates to fit them on the table. A long the walls are images of old glasgow and behind the counter are rows and rows of jars of sweets like soor plums, sherbet lemons, Everton mints and the likes.

It was really busy when we arrived, but we managed to get the last booth at the back of the cafe. We ordered a full cooked breakfast and another without the meat, two cups of tea and some toast. The breakfast was ok just what you expect from a greasy cafe, but the cafe itself is unique and worth a visit. There is a huge selection of sweets in jars, large boxes of chocolates and ice cream. So we also bought a small tub of ice cream and a quarter of fudge. Alburt introduced me to the delight of biting a piece of fudge and then eating some ice cream at the same time - it's actually very good.

It was too busy too take many photos but Anne at I like has some really nice ones. We'll try and get some more pics soon

Full breakfast for £3.95

Mon - Wed 9am- 5pm

Thur - Sun 9am - 8pm

Gifts

Our post about Note: the other day sparked a small flurry of emails about other gift shop suggestions in the Southside - here are a few of them.

Pinkwafer: 36 Battlefield Road, Langside, Glasgow G42 9QH Telephone No: 0141 649 5362

Cupidus: 685 Clarkston Road, Glasgow, G44 3SE 01416333377

Regalia Gift shop: 1083 Pollokshaws Road

Butterfly Kisses: 8 Skirving Street,Shawlands
Glasgow, G41 3AA 0141 649 3552

Ok thats four but I'm sure there are lots more, who else has a suggestion of where to buy your last minute Christmas Gifts.

Note @ 12 Skirving Street

Note has been located on Skirving Street for many years now and is a densely packed shop selling a coco-phany of gifts and cards for all ages. Jewellary, photoframes, coffee table books, t-shirts, bags, Tisserand Aromatherapy products and lots more. Stock is always changing.

Currently Note are selling a fun range of kids rain coats, brollies and welly boots which would make great presents for little people.

And once you've picked your gift there is a large selection of cards for all occasions are located towards the rear of the shop, with a large range of gift wrapping paraphernalia.

Note is situated next door to Butterfly and Kisses on Skirving street.

Sadly Note has Now Closed [10.01.31]

Pigeon Man : Part 2

Not for the faint hearted - here as promised is part 2 of the Pigeon Man.

Tramway Video

A nice little film about the Tramway - though the sombre tune does make it feel a little like a memorial. I half expected to discover the place was being blown up or something. Thankfully its not and there are lots of new shows on soon.
http://www.tramway.org/

Spooky Wood

I had a very nice walk in the park on Sunday, taking pictures of all the spookiness. Not only could you not see very far but the sound was deadened too, it felt like I was the only person in the place, but that was far from the case, you just couldn't see anyone.

I like how odd weather somehow breaks down the normal social barriers we usually have in place and gets perfect strangers chatting.

During my wander I ended up chatting to many different people including; a very happy woman about how amazing all the spiders webs looked, a man walking his dog and reading his book, about the dangers inherent in doing both at the same time, a very smartly dressed elderlylady about the fogs of olden days and a man covered in paint about the problems with network rail and his idea for a movie. A nice way to spend an afternoon even if it did mean my one hour walk lasted nearly three.

Southside Studios December Show

Southside Studios
17 Westmoreland Street, Glasgow, G42 8LL
By appointment only 07792739788
www.southsidestudios.org

Battlefield Rest - 55 Battlefield Road

The owners of the Battlefield Rest should be congratulated, for many things, one of which is the saving of the building itself which was the subject of a demolition order by Glasgow District Council in 1990 and was only saved by the petition of locals. In 1994 Marco Giannasi took over ownership and converted into a restaurant and its become a landmark location in the Southside ever since and is celebrating it's 15th birthday this year.

Built in 1915, back when we built things properly, the "Rest" was a small newsagent kiosk and shelter for tram passengers, it was once described as "The most exotic tram shelter in Scotland". The iconic tiles are in the original Glasgow Corporation Transport colours of green and cream and really make it stand out and give it character. Compare it to the little glass stops we have these days. It must have been amazing back in the day when the Southside was serviced by the Trams, that whole junction must have been jumping with so many people passing through.

Inside, the restaurant is warm and welcoming, the staff are really friendly, though we didn't quite understand some of our waiters jokes. There was obviously some banter going on in the kitchen and when he brought us out our food, he laughed and jokingly said he was going to get revenge on the kitchen staff by putting laxatives into their food. Probably not best timing, to say that while actually handing us our food.

The menu is as you would expect from an upmarket Italian restaurant with all the typical favourites of lasagne, various pastas etc but there are a few twists and specialists thrown in. For example, my favourite starter is the "Battlefield Bruschetta". This consists as you would expect of amazingly moist and juicy grilled garlic bread, topped with fresh chopped tomatoes, vinegar and oil. What makes it special however, is the ingenious decision to add grilled bacon and courgette - one of the best bruschettas, I've had anywhere, I'd probably quite happily eat a giant one of these for a main meal. Word of warning - "Battlefield Bruschetta" is currently not on the menu and I had to ask for it specially, it was worth it though.

My friend had the minestrone soup and for mains we had Lasange and another Battlefield twist - Haggis cannelloni. Both were very tasty and we ordered another round of the tasty garlic bread to mop up our sauce.

With its big hearty style of comfort food, the Battlefield Rest is an ideal place to escape from the cold in the winter months with a nice glass of wine. The only thing is they are only open Monday to Saturday 10am - 10pm so you can't go on a Sunday night which does tend to be the night we fancy getting some tasty comfort food. You should also try and book in advance as they are very, very popular.

Currently they are doing a Christmas menu, and a range of special offers. When we were in, it was £6.90 for a main and a drink. In total for the two of us it was £20 for two courses which is great value considering we had to roll up the hill home we were so stuffed.

Battlefield Rest
Battlefield Road, Glasgow, G42 9JL

0141 6366955
http://www.battlefieldrest.co.uk/

10% off @ The Dresser's Room on Saturday

The Dresser's Room on Skirving Street are hosting an event, on Saturday 12th December from 5.30pm to 9pm. There will be a preview of all the new stock with 10% off everything. Southside Stylist William Hill, of William Hill Hairdressing on Cathcart Road, will be there offering bespoke blow drying lessons for the first 10 people through the door. William will be armed with his hairdryer, an array of brushes, rollers, tongs, etc. and will do your hair however you want for free. Sounds like a fun event.

Empire Exhibition 1938 - Bellahouston Park

Glasgow has a bit of a history of putting on big shows, from the International Exhibition of 1888 through to the Glasgow Garden Festival a hundred years later. The biggest of all these exhibitions however, falls right in the middle of the two.

The 1938 Empire Exhibition was one of the biggest events ever seen in the UK and was imagined as a means of kick starting the Scottish Economy and Industry, which had been in declining into a depression since the end of the First World War (which at the time was still just being called “The World War”.).

The aim of the Festival was to show off the skills and ingenuity of Scotland and the British Empire to the rest of the world and bring in new orders. A team of nine of the top architects of that generation were employed under the master planning supervision of Thomas S. Tait to create a strikingly modernist vision of a future city in Bellahouston Park.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of this event a project was put together last year to create a digital archive telling the story of the exhibition and allowing you to get a taste of what it must have been like to walk its grand streets. The project has been brilliantly put together by the Digital Design Studio under the supervision of a team of experts and the website is a treasure trove of facts, figures, videos, images and drawings. For example did you know that this was the last big show of the British Empire, that it took ten months to build, was only open for six months but still managed to attract 13m people which was about five times the total population of Scotland.
The main part of the Empire Exhibition project is a intricate 3D digital model of the park and all the principal buildings, which you can navigate with an interactive map. The map can be reviewed on the website but it can also be found at the House for an Art Lover where there is an Interpretation Centre with a continuous loop, a research archive and a small exhibition of memorabilia. The only thing missing from the project site is a proper explanation of the reasoning to build this amazing park of sculptural buildings but then only to give them a shelf life of six months? It’s similar to when the Garden Festival was constructed, it too proved hugely popular but was closed and dismantled a short while later. If they were both still around what would that section of South West be like today?

In the end however, nearly all the buildings were taken down and removed, some found new life in new locations, like the Palace of Engineering which is now at Prestwick Airport, but most were just dismantled for good. The only real survivor is the Palace of Art which is still in the Park but now serves as a centre for sporting excellence. There’s a nice section on the project website where you can compare images from 1938 to how the same scenes looks today.

The images on the site are a glimpse into a fascinating time capsule, not just of the fashions and styles of the time but also of their ideas of what the future might hold. There is a great deal of optimism and a grand sense of hope for this future expressed in both the park’s layout and the individual building designs. It makes you wonder what Scotland might have become if this enthusiasm had been able to grow uncut by the Second World War which began just nine months after the Glasgow Exhibition Closed.

Links:

Main Website

Slideshow video of old photos

Video on Best Laid Plans

House for an Art Lover Page
Map of Bellahouston Park

Cookie @ 72 Nithsdale Road, Strathbungo

Last night we ventured along to Strathbungo, to Cookie the new eatery at number 72 Nithsdale Road. Cookie is hard to define it’s a restaurant, a deli, a cookery shop, a gallery and a cookery school. Their food is seasonal and sourced locally where possible and they have a selection of hearty daily specials.

We were greeted by Dominico one of the founders of Cookie, who showed us to our table and who suggested an aperitif of Scottish Hendricks Gin with soda water, tamarind and a slice of lime. Followed by Freshly baked breads and organic olive oil, which Dominico explained was only three weeks old.

We ordered locally grown green beans and almond salad, along with Chorizo and Bean Soup for starters. Ayrshire Beetroot Risotto and Pork Crackling casserole, Roast potatoes with rosemary for mains and a sliver of apple tarte and plum tarte for dessert. Accompanied with a bottle of the house red, sourced from Dominico’s home town in Italy.

As a vegetarian I often resent my meat eating company not because of their carnivore instincts but for the choice and quality on offer to them, which is rarely offered to non meat eaters. This was certainly not the case at Cookie, as my meal was absolutely delicious, fresh seasonal ingredients and interesting dishes. I’ll forgive them for not having a vegetarian main course on the menu, as it's part of their open kitchen philosophy, allowing a dialogue about the origins of the food, how it'll be cooked and then observing the cooking process.

Dominico is a charming attentive host, who’s enthusiasm for good food is infectious, he grew up in the Southside, his father being Italian and mother Scottish, and has spent many years living in Italy. He has founded Cookie with his wife Dr Melanie McCallum, their focus is on seasonal food and local produce made available at an accessible price.

Dominico's architecture back ground is visible in the tactile quality of Cookie, Everything from the Ryan Frank Furniture, to the cutlery, to the beautiful simplicity of the lights has been especially chosen to create this unique establishment. Multiple materials create an impressive layering, which encompasses the existing narrative of the building. A large black iron mechanism remains on the ceiling, a memory of the old butchers which once occupied the shop. The external signage of the H.C Niven & Co garage remains, left as a reminder of what once was there, all this has been carefully thought about to create this unique place, which although beautifully created is a relaxed and enjoyable place to hang out with friends and family.

As mentioned earlier Cookie is not just a restaurant, There is the cooking club, which you can join through Cookies website. If you're interested in cooking, art and design, Cookie offers itself as a resource to its members and will be organising regular events though out the year, with guest speakers, cooks and other people of interest.

The shop sells local produce, ingredients and wine. They also showcase young designers and artists work, so many of the pots, pans and other culinary utensils used in the kitchen to prepare your meal, are available for sale, as are most of the cutlery, dishes, tableware, chairs, sofas and tables in Cookie.

It's not just about the food in Cookie it's the story of the food. I would recommend you get along to Nithsdale Road to try it out, have dinner, join the cooking club, have a coffee and browse the shelves. Those from the other side of the river – your going to have to venture south but it will be worth it...

cookie Scotland ltd. - 72 Nithsdale Road, Glasgow 0141 423 1411

Whistle Stop Tour of the Southside

We were visited by my cousin Marie Claire and her husband Gary, last weekend. Over the last couple of years we have become slightly obsessed with the idea of them moving to Glasgow. Each visit becomes a tour of what's on offer around our fair city and a collection of reasons and arguments as to why Glasgow is a great city to live in and why they should move here. In all fairness, they've realised this along time ago, which we suspect is why their visits have become more frequent.

On Friday, we introduced them to the delights of the Pakistani Cafe on Pollokshaws Road, where we very nearly consumed our own body weight in food. The Thali, both vegetarian and meat, was fantastic. M.C and Alburt tried the special pakora - Black Pudding and chilli, and as they were still raving about it the next day, I think that means it was pretty good. Next it was off to Sammy Dows for some live music before we headed down to the Granary.

M.C and I headed off down to Pollok Park, on Saturday morning, to take part in Park Run. Which after the vast amount of food consumed the previous evening, as well as a few glasses of wine, was pretty remarkable. I've been meaning to try out the Park Run, but have been a little hesitant to go along on my own - just in case I was last. I do have to say that there are all levels of runners at the event, it is really well organised, everyone is really friendly and although a little fragile we had a great run.

Once we had been home and refueled we headed out for a tour around Shawlands and for a browse around some of the shops, Raw Vintage, Hayes and then down to Skirving Street for a browse through Butterfly and Kisses, Note and the Dresser's Room. Then we headed down to Battlefield for some coffee and hot chocolate at Beanscene.

We crossed the river into the city centre, that evening, to the first 'Pop up' exhibition by southside designers Gin Palace. There aim is to showcase and sell the work of talented, cutting edge designers from or with a connection to Scotland. It was a great night with some really interesting designers and artists.

On Sunday morning we headed off to Mise en Place in Polloksheilds for some very tasty breakfast before heading to House for an Art Lover, for a browse around the building and yet more food in the cafe. A fun, hectic whistle stop tour of some fun places in the south. Hope it convinced them to move....