Rusk & Rusk have revamped and reopened their Merchant City venue Hutchesons and introduced Hutchesons The City Grill.
First opened in 2014, Hutchesons was renowned for its quality Scottish steak and seafood and the opulent interiors of the Grade A-listed building on Glasgow’s Ingram Street. The refresh has seen the interior of the striking double height dining room transformed while the ground level bar has become a boutique speakeasy known as 158 Club Lounge.
Rusk & Rusk co-founders James and Louise Rusk felt it was important to make the changes so that they didn’t stand still as a business.
Said Louise, “It’s all about making sure we never rest on our laurels. We’re passionate about architecture and design, and want to push the boundaries within our industry. With Hutchesons, it’s so important to us to make sure that we are giving this venue an identity that enhances it’s architectural footprint.”
The changes continue on the menu, where every cut of steak is now dry-aged on the bone for 35 days.
James explained, “Steak is what we do. It always has been. What we’ve done here is give ourselves an opportunity to further explore great beef and bring it to the people of Glasgow.”
Rusk & Rusk’s other successful Glasgow venues include The Spanish Butcher, on Miller Street, and The Butchershop Bar & Grill on Sauchiehall Street.
Every year our Editor Susan Young takes a look at the exploits of people and the companies in the trade to award DRAM’s very own New Year Gongs. Read on to discover our recipients for 2016 – a truly eventful year for the Scottish on-trade.
PR COUP GONG
Oli Norman, one of the guys behind pubs such as Sloan’s, Brel and the newly acquired Griffin, and the man behind Itison, was last year’s Last Man Standing at the Hospitality Industry Trust annual dinner which meant that he had to do a challenge – he opted for a cycle ride that lasted a few hundred miles… and he did it just before he re-opened the Griffin. During his cycle ride, which he did with his brother Ben, he bumped into Nicola Sturgeon… only Oli could manage that PR Coup, and I don’t mean that he ran her over!
DRAMA GONG
This year this goes to David Wither – having arrived at the DRAM Awards with Kevin Doyle he discovered he had left his phone in the taxi… a quick phone call to the driver and it was luckily retrieved. Then during the course of the evening he left it down… once again it was retrieved. But lastly on the way home, having shared a car with Graeme Arnott, he managed to swap evening jackets with him… and didn’t realise until the car had moved away from his house leaving him phoneless and keyless. So he had to clamber over a gate and wake his wife up!
AWESOME GONG OF THE YEAR
James and Louise Rusk (above) are ‘awesome’. A great couple who have opened their third venue the Spanish Butcher and have renamed their company, Rusk & Rusk. Their enthusiasm and energy is a real tonic. There is nothing laid-back about this dynamic duo and I look forward to seeing their business develop even further. As James would say “Awesome!”
PERSEVERED GONG
This goes to Billy Lowe, or perhaps it should go to his pals… since Hibs won the Scottish Cup, Billy has taken every opportunity to press the matter home. He even had baubles on his Xmas tree celebrating the fact, and has just about bought out all the replica trophies, not to mention dog bowls! I’m surprised he didn’t spend the remainder of last year on the “Persevered Scottish Cup Trophy Tour”… or maybe he was behind it! I’ve never seen a man so happy. But he is also celebrating the fact that after a tiny wee hiatus he is now back in the trade having bought The Links and Malones last year.
POACHER TURNED GAMEKEEPER GONG
It came as a surprise to a few folk that I know when it was announced that Kenny MacAskill, former Justice Minister, has now taken up a post on the Scottish Licensed Trade Association’s External Committee… this is the man who was instrumental in driving through (excuse the pun) the drink driving legislation, which has probably done more harm to the trade than any other legislation brought in during the last 20 years. Now that he is no longer banging a political drum he’s now reverted to supporting the opposition – the trade itself. I’m sure his advice to licensees in rural pubs, who have suffered the most, will be interesting.
TREND OF THE YEAR GONG – APPS
Last year I wasn’t far off with my chicken prediction and since then various chicken venues including the fab one from Michael Bergson Buck’s Bar, have opened. But this year I am thinking it is Apps… to make your life easier that is the latest trend. Kiltr has launched an app which allows you to offer your customers free wi-fi, the payback is that you can sell advertising spaces to brands, which customers have to flick through before they get into the free wi-fi – a win-win. And you control the content you put on the app. Meanwhile, Ross Gourlay at Glencrest has developed one called TipMyServer which, in summary, is an app that allows a dinner or customer to give a tip direct to their server or servers or any other registered staff member in any environment such as restaurants, pubs, clubs, hotels etc via the app.
RECORD BREAKING GONG
This goes to Niall Hansard of TLT – the licensing lawyer did what no other licensing lawyer in Scotland has ever done – 6 days – 6 licensing boards, and a two-day appeal to boot. Talk about dedication!
PIC OF THE YEAR GONG
When the team from Gallery 48 came to the Scottish Bar and Pub Awards – owner MacKay brought along his father who was also in the licensed trade. And he brought him up to stage when they won the Caledonian Brewery Award for Innovation. He was as proud as punch and even managed a pose with our dancers… lovely.
BON VOYAGE GONG
Simon Magnus departed for Australia with his hubby Tama to start a new life. Simon who is very well known in the trade was latterly at The Blythswood, but prior to that, he was at Gleneagles, The Hilton and Oran Mor. Our loss is Brisbane’s gain. Good luck to him and hubby. And hope to catch up with him at the Brisbane Commonwealth Games next year.
DOPPELGANGER GONG
This definitely goes to Euan Bain and Tommy McMillan – the two of them turned wearing almost identical outfits on a night out last year… from the colour of their shoes to their tweed waistcoats. The rest of us felt under-dressed, we obviously missed the memo!
ROCK REAR OF THE YEAR
As anyone who knows Donald Macleod of Holdfast will tell you … he is mad about music. And late last year he was part of the consortium that won the Rock Radio franchise. So no doubt we will hear a lot more about him this year, but I thought this funniest story Donald told this year was about his charity cycle ride around the islands in his lycra… the most embarrassing part of the whole trip was from where he got off the train with his bike and had to cycle to his office! To the amusement of everyone that saw him.
MR ‘GOING FOR IT’ GONG
There must have been about three months last year when Steve Graham of Manorview was mentioned to me just about every day! I thought he was employing a personal PR guru. But joking aside, he and his team, are certainly going for it and not just in a business sense Manorview opened Boclair House last year, and it has beefed up its management team, but boss Steve also likes a sporting challenge whether cycling to Paris in 24 hours from London (non-stop) or competing in Triathlons… I shudder to think what his challenge for this year will be!
SUSAN’S A DAFTY GONG
This year I think this must go to me… not only did I stand up Harry Hood for lunch (although I was ill), but I managed to go to Torphichen instead of Mid Calder to see Iain Pert (although to be fair his former pub was the Torphichen Inn, it just wasn’t in Torphichen, and last but not least I amused the folk at Meldrum House greatly when I mistook their memory card for a fridge magnet! There are a hundred and other things… as my team will tell you, but we don’t fortunately, have space!
There’s no doubt about it, James and Louise Rusk (below), the duo behind The Butchershop and Hutchesons have created another distinctive restaurant and bar in the shape of The Spanish Butcher located in Glasgow’s Miller Street.
The new 80-cover ‘loft-like’ restaurant which James describes as “a la carte Spanish’, opened its doors last month to much acclaim. And the husband and wife team, who have just rebranded their business Rusk & Rusk, are excited about their latest venture, which offers the very best Galician steak, salt-cured Iberico and fresh seafood.
Says James, “Our business has grown organically over the past six years. The Butchershop was a bit special when we opened it and is still doing incredibly well. Then we opened Hutchesons, three years ago, it was another very special venue, and now we have added our third restaurant to the group, but this time round we were really able to put our mark on the design.”
Explains Louise, “Hutchesons was an A-listed building so we really had to work around that. But with this building it was an absolute shell, it didn’t even have a floor when we came to look at it. This gave us an opportunity to design it from scratch and really get our teeth into it.”
James continues, “We spend a lot of time in New York and we wanted to create a New York Manhattan loft-style vibe to the venue. But we needed to balance grown up New York style with comfort and a relaxed atmosphere at the same time.
Says James, “One of the things we loved about the building was that it was symmetrical outside – the door was in the middle with an equal number of windows on either side.”
Although the windows stretch from the ground to the top of the outside facade – the are made of 32 small black steel framed glazed panes, very art deco, with the surround a matt black – very chic indeed and there is no signage to speak of.
When you come through the doors of the restaurant, and through the heavy curtain, which gives you a feeling of expectation, you enter into a bar area – which has an exposed brick wall, with a large piece of artwork, facing you with a tall posing table with bentwood bar stools to the right is the bar which has been attractively clad in rattan which matches the Marcel Breuer dining chairs which have been used throughout.
Explains Louise, “I just love the mid-20’s – mid-30’s era and we wanted to incorporate this into our design. But we also wanted it to be a contemporary space but timeless. We just loved these Marcel Bruer chairs, I think it was a wee bit risky, but I think they work.”
James continues, “We really wanted the restaurant to have a good flow. We have been econominal and creative with our use of space. When we talked to our architects, Mosaic, they really understood where we were coming from. But I really love the floor – it was a real challenge. I first saw it in the US.”
Louise continues, “James is a big fan of concrete floors but I prefer something a little warmer and this floor fits the bill. It is concrete but with a polished resin coating with a warm pigment mixed in. It’s also non-slip.”
The restaurant feels warm and inviting with the dark green used on most of the walls, and subtle mirrors, above ox-blood red banquettes, the pitch black ceiling and art-deco ribbed glass all adding to the ambience. The restaurant is split into three defined dining areas – the front area has a large ‘social table’ which has a lighter table top from the rest of the tables in the restaurant, which are all stained. This area also features rattan booths which are adjacent to wood panelled walls. This area is connected to the middle area, because the wall has a large opening, which at first glance is a bit like a large mirror, it’s only when you look through you realise actually that is another part of the restaurant.
The middle area features a latticed ceiling and stand-alone tables of four, and around the walls, there are banquettes with scalloped edging – another nod to art deco – the same banquettes appear in the third area which boasts The Chefs Table, and which gives a great view of the kitchen. And what a kitchen it is.
“It was important that the design didn’t overtake the timeless feel of the restaurant.”
Explains James, “I think the kitchen is my favourite area. It’s a zoomy kitchen. It has been given as much attention as the rest of the restaurant with the oven hoods all black and black tiles, and great equipment. We wanted the restaurant to be super finished but to feel lived in at the same time. We’ve under-designed it deliberately.”
Says Louise, “It was important that the design didn’t overtake the timeless feel of the restaurant. I think what we have created here is the type of restaurant that James and I like eating in. It’s for all age groups, and its relaxed and intimate with a Spanish-inspired menu, which also makes the best use of Scottish ingredients.”
The Spanish Butcher brings the Rusk & Rusk portfolio to three, and they now also boast 150/160 staff, with 30 chefs alone, and they have recently opened a head office. Says Louise, “Rusk & Rusk is no longer just about James and I. We have a great team that we are investing in because we want to grow and we have a clear strategy for the coming years. We are certainly enjoying the challenges, and we are constantly learning new things, the business has become more fun.”
But James concludes, ‘Our ethos has not changed – we want to offer great service and great food and we want people to come here for date nights, big nights and with their friends, and enjoy the comfortable, but sophisticated surroundings. We want them to create memories here.”
Star Pubs & Bars has given accolades to its top Scottish licensees at the 2016 Star Awards.
In Scotland and the North, Iain Pert and Gordon Hooley of PG Taverns (Scotland) collected the Best Bar Team award for the Jolly Botanist in Edinburgh.
Tony Pert, General Manager at Jolly Botanist, said, “It’s a great achievement for the team. We’re all very friendly and work well together, which makes for a better atmosphere in the bar. I think the judges could see that.”
James and Louise Rusk of Rusk and Rusk were awarded Best Food Pub for their Butchershop Bar & Grill in Glasgow and Nick Livingstone of 7 Saints in Prestwick won Best Use of Social media, while Mike and Anna Christopherson scooped Most Family Friendly Pub and Best Marketing for Pearces in Edinburgh.
Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs & Bars Managing Director, said, “It was an honour to salute some of Scotland’s great licensees. Their skill and innovation are a sign of the bright future for pubs.”
James Rusk has enough enthusiasm to resurrect the Titanic never mind Glasgow’s Hutchesons Hall. He, and wife Louise, have succeeded in creating a new bar and restaurant that has panache and style, in a building that was built in the early 1800s, and designed by one of the great Glasgow architects, David Hamilton. Not only that, he managed to keep everyone onside during the complicated transformation and according to some, “made the whole process fun”.
The new ‘Hutchesons’ is a grand building steeped in the traditions of the past but with a distinctly contemporary feel. The Rusk’s have spent in the region of £1.5m transforming the A-listed building and to use a word that James’ is familiar with I would say it is “awesome”. Set over three floors (around 4,000 sq ft) this A-listed white building features a clock tower with an octagonal design and stained glass windows. It now boasts a Grand Hall brasserie, an exclusive private dining room, and a classic café bar at street level. It has been beautifully restored.
Says James, who also owns Glasgow’s Butchershop, “We were looking for a second venue and Louise spotted the phone number on the building almost two years ago exactly, and said why don’t you call about it. We went home and did the proposal. Obviously the owners of Hutchesons Hall, the National Trust for Scotland, wanted to see the building brought back to its former glory, and could empathise with our vision, because we secured the lease.”
Restoration was commissioned by a specialised conservation team from the National Trust for Scotland to restore the charming features from the 1876 remodelling by John Baird II, including the decorative wood panelling, mosaic floors, frieze with dancing-detailed cherubs and intricate cornicing in the café bar, through to the two majestic fireplaces, ornate wall banners, and ornamental ceilings in the Grand Hall.
Says James. “It has been a real collaboration. Over the last two years we have worked closely with the Trust and their architects Hammonds who restored the original features and our own team which included CM Design and Transition Interiors.”
James explains, “The building was in a terrible state when we took it over. It had been closed for five years after a flood. We have tried to enhance its traditional feel and add a contemporary edge, but this is as much down to the attitude that our staff have, as it is to the design.”
The downstairs cafe-bar, although it looks aged, is infact almost a new build. Says James “We had to take it back to the brick walls, although the cherub cornicing is original. The mosaic floor was already there, and we have complemented that with aged marbled flooring.”
When you come into the building from Ingram Street, you are greeted by a lovely hand-crafted 18 ft by 14 ft brass gantry and solid mahogany bar with an Arebascato marble top, finished with antique glass. It complements the newly-installed aged dark brown and white marble floor and original mosaic floors. Says James, “Inspiration for the café bar was drawn from the grand cafes of Europe, with green leather-backed booths and dark high-backed chairs complementing the original paint colours of Hutchesons’ Hall. We wanted it to look aged, but timeless.”
The bar area takes you into the downstairs cafe which has an amazing original cherub frieze, dark wooden blinds and a mix of tables – marble and wooden topped, and the banquettes are bespoke too. Says James, “We paid real attention to all the details including things like the feet on the banquettes and the tables. We also spent some time agonising over the colour of the leather, which downstairs is grey/green.”
All the furniture is bespoke and the main pieces such as the gantries and the bar have been designed by Transition. Kelvin Murray, manufacturing director and designer of Transition Interiors comments, “Every detail of Hutchesons design and build reflects James and Louise Rusk’ vision for the building. We’ve had the pleasure of bringing this to life. Working with them has been a thoroughly personal experience as both of them have a great sense of style and period detail.” He continues, “The hardest challenge for myself was ensuring the large bespoke pieces would not overpower the existing period features but also, being a restaurant, they had to play a large part in creating the atmosphere and ambience for the diners.”
There are a variety of large aged mirrors downstairs and lots of lovely details like the maitre d’ stations, but for me the piece de resistance is the Arebascato marble top on the bar.
However the best is yet to come. To the rear of the bar, there is a glass lift which can take you up to the restaurant, or you could walk up the impressive staircase. I would recommend the latter – the history of the building comes to life with the restored wood panelling and of course the Roll of Honour of past preceptors of the building. The light flows in through large windows which overlook its expansive outside area on Hutcheson Street. Gold and black large doors take you through to the Grand Brasserie, and grand it is! In this sumptuous upper hall the ceiling takes centre stage with three large chandeliers lighting up the original ceiling roses, ornamental cornicing and detailed ceiling artistry. Floor to ceiling elaborate stained glass windows allow the 90 cover brasserie to bask in natural light, while a hand crafted decorative pewter 18ft by 13ft bar with lighted panels adorns the east-facing back wall and showcases the venues varied wine and drink offering. The colours are vivid and the red on the ceiling is stunning. Says James, “In the Grand Hall brasserie, décor pays homage to the building.” It certainly does.
All the furniture in the Grand Hall is freestanding, and can be moved, and the gantry is a thing of beauty. But it has a practical function too. Says James, “There is no need to have dirty glassware on display – it is all taken to the rear. There is even a chute to put dirty linen in, and a home for the pdq on the specially created work stations.” He has thought of everything.
There is attention to detail throughout the whole building, but it is as much about the workings of the building that you can’t see. It has been completely replumbed and rewired, and the addition of modern technology did create some issues, particularly with it being a A-listed building.
CM Design were involved in the project right from the beginning and worked closely with the National Trust and their architects. Says Lesley Annisan, who is the company’s Senior Interior Designer, “We were involved with the planning of the space, and trying to get the layout right. We had James and Louise’s brief, and I think we have managed to deliver what they asked for. The biggest challenge was making everything fit – and making the space work as a bar and a restaurant, getting the right number of covers in and obviously creating the back of house space. James and Louise wanted it to feel like it had always been a restaurant, rather than a restaurant put in the building, and I think that has been achieved. James and Louise were also great to work with.”
She concludes, “It has been great to be part of a team that has revived this building. It’s great to see it back in use, and I just love the ground floor. It has been totally transformed and is both classy and contemporary.”
One of the striking features, as I have already mentioned, is the very large list of Preceptors, the people who have been in charge of the building in the past, which is displayed on a massive plaque on the staircase. It currently stops at 2008, but I am reliably told that it will be updated in due course… certainly James and Louise deserve to have their name embossed in gold… for they have done a sterling job! If you haven’t yet been there, I would definitely recommend you go. As James would say, “It’s awesome.”
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