Few bars or restaurants are afforded as striking a setting as Alston Bar and Beef in Glasgow. Located deep in the bowels of Central Station, the venue occupies a formerly abandoned space used until recently as a dumping ground for the surrounding business’ rubbish. There are two entrances; the first leads in from the station itself, and the other can be reached via Gordon Street Coffee, Alston’s sister venue, where I met Euan Robb from Glendola Leisure. Euan has been with the company for ten years, covering the majority of the group’s venues in a Sales and Marketing role. He revealed that Glendola’s primary goal had been to solidify the right concept for the venue. He said, “When we saw the site we conducted some research in the city and tried to identify gaps in the market. People in Glasgow are quite educated in food and drink, so it was important to pick a concept that stands out from the crowd.”
The restaurant’s name is a nod to the venue’s storied past, taking its name from Alston Street, a thoroughfare between Argyle Street and Gordon Street that was ultimately demolished in the 1870s as construction work began on the train station.
Interior design and architecture firm Jestico + Whiles were provided with a brief to make both the coffee shop and the restaurant unique, individual spaces, unrecognisable as both belonging to the same business. To this end they have been largely successful; the only notable consistency between the two units is the patterned floor tiling, discernible to only the most attentive of guests.
Gordon Street Coffee makes the absolute most of its limited space. As well as a secluded seating area, the mezzanine level also houses a coffee bean roaster. The coffee shop also has a license and we sell schooners of Scottish craft beer as well as wine by the glass.”
As you enter Alston Bar and Beef you are immediately met by a large metre fauna and floral wall mural at the top of the stairs, featuring magpies, bees, thistles and juniper berries. Designed by Glasgow’s own Timorous Beasties, the mural is both striking and memorable, and leaves a lasting impression long after you’ve reached the bottom of the staircase. James Dilley from Jestico + Whiles told DRAM, “We wanted people to see the mural when they were walking past so it would catch their eye and bring their attention to the restaurant downstairs. Because it’s a printed design we have the option of changing the mural at some point in the future, we hope it becomes a blank canvas for local artists. It has to shine out and show people there’s something special downstairs.”
The staircase itself is modelled on a classic, industrial New York stairway, with lights cut into the metal to under-light the steps. Once you’ve negotiated the stairs you find yourself directly opposite the hub of the operation – the kitchen. Pendants made from electrical insulators hang above the pass as a reminder of the building’s history.
The bar area is through to the left, and the intention was to make the room as strong and dramatic as possible to lure customer’s towards it. The bar top is made from Italian arabescato marble and it is stunning.
In many ways the most distinctive design feature of the venue is the space itself. The very nature of the basement, being former railway arches, lending a gravitas and splendour that would be extremely difficult to recreate in a newer building. James spoke of the particular challenges of working with the site. He said, “When we came in there were all kinds of services running through the building that we couldn’t move. Our primary job was to peel back the layers to reveal the arches. Instead of being perfunctory they became a natural beauty.” James told DRAM, “We work with the space that we’re given, which in this instance was a dream. With such a stunning building all we had to do was freshen the venue up and add some softness to it.”
The softness comes from the lighting the aforementioned white tiles as well as the blue banquettes that line the painted white stone walls. Distinctive pendant lighting hangs from the ceiling, shaped from old-fashioned gin decanters.
The back bar is a feature in itself, stocked with dozens of brands of gin and backlit with blue spotlights. Euan is particularly proud of the bar area. He told DRAM, “It’s a unique space in Glasgow. The bar’s main focus is on gin, we have over 50 in stock, 12 of which are Scottish. Gin is commonly thought of as an English spirit, however we’re also keen to promote that fact that Scotland produces top quality gin.”
Euan hopes that the bar can make the most of its setting within the station. He said, “Ideally we’d love travellers who maybe have a half hour wait for a train to pop down for a gin and tonic or a beer. In a few weeks time we’re going to have a subtle, electronic train timetable installed in the bar area – another of our units, DesVins at St Pancras Station, has the same feature, which helps give customers peace of mind so they don’t miss their train. We’re unique in the sense that our guests don’t have to go outdoors to reach their next destination, they can leave our venue and jump straight onto the next train home.”
The adjoining restaurant seats approximately 60 covers, and it’s here that Alston Bar and Beef intends to make its name. Euan told DRAM, “As a steak restaurant it was a matter of priority for us to ensure we had the best beef available. We also want the staff to become experts in meat; our General Manager Matthew Mustard has a farming background and what he doesn’t know about meat isn’t really worth knowing at all.”
Rows of marble-top tables line the restaurant, met at either end by arched wall mirrors reflecting the room’s fresh, white interior, and as with the bar area blue banquettes inject some colour into the surroundings. The mirrors heighten the impact of the arches, creating an infinity effect at either end of the restaurant. The symmetry is broken twice by two windows looking onto the bar. The first looks directly onto the beer fonts, and doubles as a staff service station. The second window rises from the floor to table height, with more pendant lighting illuminating the tiled floor. James said, “This window was a relic of the previous use of the space. We didn’t know what its original function was, and we decided to simply incorporate it into the restaurant design.”
It’s difficult to believe that such a striking, unique site could have lain idle and unused for so long, and Glendola Leisure have succeeded in carving out a stunning venue from the dead space. Euan told DRAM, “In six months I have no doubt that we’ll be the best known steak restaurant in the city. I’m more than confident we’ll get tongues wagging; we intend to blow people away by the standard of our food, drink and service.” Given the surroundings, Alston Bar and Beef has already won half the battle.
The Craigellachie Hotel in Speyside is a landmark with whisky enthusiasts due to its renowned whisky bar, The Quaich. It has recently changed ownership and has benefitted from a “sensitive” make-over, which was completed just in time for the recent Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. As is often the case, when we visited it was still a work in progress, as the new Quaich Bar is still under construction, but the hotel itself was open for business as is the brand new pub on the ground floor.
The hotel was originally built in 1893 as a destination for the Victorians who wanted to take in the clean air and enjoy the local countryside, and it was bought by Londoner Piers Adam, who is best known for his involvement with some of the capital’s most popular night clubs, Mahiki’s, Bodo’s Schloss and Canaloa, Whisky Mist, and his private members venue, the Brompton Club.
You might have thought he would have brought some of his Londonesque style glamour to the Highlands, but in fact the make-over of the Craigellachie, involves very neutral colours and furnishings.
The hotel’s original features, such as fireplaces and cornicing have been retained, and there are some lovely antique furniture pieces. Its open fires have been re-instated, and each of the hotel’s 28 bedrooms and en-suites have been refurbished in keeping with the traditional feel of the hotel.
Thomson Projects carried out the work although Malcolm Thomson told DRAM, “Originally our brief was to refurbish the bedrooms, and do some external work. But then Piers came back and asked us to do the Copper Dog pub, breakfast room and new Quaich bar.”
If you are a returning visitor to the Craigellachie the first thing you notice is that when you walk in, the Quaich Bar, which was situated on your right and was a traditional dark green and tartan bar area with walls filled with whisky, has been converted into a bright and airy space which looks twice the size. This area is now considered to be a room for meetings – a boardroom of sorts, and houses a couple of cream sofa’s, a chaise lounge and an antique sideboard which acts as an honesty bar. The windows too appear much bigger – you certainly hardly recognise it as the same room.
The new Quaich Bar, which will open later in the summer, is now situated at the rear of the hotel, and is much larger and brighter than the original. The wall will still be lined with whisky but now they will be cased bespoke cabinets, created by Thomson Projects, from ex-VAT (not of the HMRC variety) timbers. Explains Malcolm, “The timbers have all been kiln dried and the saw-milled timbers made into the panels. The shelves of the new cabinets are all under lit and give the bottles a golden glow. The bar itself will be formed in the shape of half a Quaich, but will be wooden like the original Quaich’s were, it is currently being hand-made.”
The ceiling in the new Quaich bar has also been wood panelled in Oregon pine, which is not original, but has been created by Thomson’s.
The other change to this part of the hotel is the addition of a balcony. Kevin explains, “When we looked at some old photographs of the hotel from around 1896 we spotted it had a balcony. And once Piers saw it he had to have it back. It is a direct replica of the original style.” Says Malcolm, “We had to re-create the original lattice work but I think it was worth it because it looks great.”
The balcony which is fairly substantial offers great views over the Spey valley and also presents guests with the ideal area to partake of a smoke.
Once you have got over the shock of the Quaich bar moving, you can enjoy the new-look entrance to the hotel which has also been given some TLC – all the floors throughout the hotel have either been restored or carpeted. In the public areas the wooden floors have been stripped back and lovely Chinese rugs now adorn them, while the stairs will be carpeted in Tweed. In the foyer the fire has been restored and now works, in fact all the fires in the hotel are now in working order.
General Manager, Kevin Smith explains, “We had five fireplaces, but only one worked. Now they all do, and we will be burning peat in them.”
The library has been re-decorated in a lovely yellow shade from the Farrow and Ball palette – in fact all the paint used is from the same colour palette – pale yellow’s, blues, sage green and cream. While the fabrics and upholstery mainly come from Johnstons of Elgin, and feature softly twisted line and lambswool yarns and tweedy marls. While the many throws you see throughout the hotel, particularly in the bedrooms, are also made of cashmere and from Johnstons too. Says Kevin, “We wanted to use natural fabrics, and have quality rather than bling. We wanted the hotel to have a country house feel and using a mix of fabrics and a neutral palate creates this impression.” There are also lots of different cushions scattered around which, although coming from Johnstons, feature fabric from Timorous Beasties.
The biggest changes in the hotel are the two wining and dining areas – the Quaich has been moved, and downstairs a new pub has been created called the Copper Dog.
Says Malcolm, “The Copper Dog was very much an organic build. We stripped the area back and then we could see the space that we had to work with. Before the area had been the dining room and it was very dark and quite dingy. When we stripped it back we discovered some lovely stone work and we simply restored the stone walls and wooden floors and painted the concrete floors. We also created walls lined with reclaimed whisky vat timbers which I think gives a traditional but homely feel to the bar. The idea was to make it look like it was a bar that had evolved and not one that had been designed.”
The Copper Dog, mischievously named after the cylinders distillery workers used to pilfer whisky from, also has a bar which is made of copper, with the front of the bar looking like it is made from whisky vats, and the lamps are also copper pan lamps. The furniture has been sourced from auction rooms, and much of it looks like it was made for the pub. Guests can now see into the kitchen, and can savour the tempting smells of the food, while large rugs add warmth to the bar.
Says Kevin, “Local suppliers have been handpicked including beef from Raeburn’s in Huntly, game from Estates Direct and sustainable seafood coming direct from Buckie. The bar is well stocked with a range of lagers and beers with Tennent’s lager on tap and a selection of real Scottish ales from the Windswept Brewing Company among other local breweries.”
Upstairs all the rooms have been redecorated and refurnished and every bathroom has been totally renewed. The colours are neutral, the fabrics are all top quality and the furniture includes four poster beds. All the bathrooms are tiled, with slate floors and Burlington sanitary ware. Says Malcolm, “They were originally avocado and that pink from the 70’s. Now they are white and we’ve used traditional tongue and groove wood and slate, with white tiles.”
Piers said of The Craigellachie, “Most of my businesses are related to bars and restaurants in London and internationally so I really hadn’t considered a hotel in the Highlands of Scotland. However, there is something special about The Craigellachie and Speyside. There is a real sense of community in the area and I really want The Craigellachie to continue to be part of that!” I’m sure it will be.