We tried new Glasgow bar that has cocktails and wine on tap
If that doesn't set your "I must go" senses tingling, then you and I are very different people.
They say that as you get older, your palette develops to more 'mature' tastes like red wine and olives - that has certainly been the case for me in the latter part of my 20s.
The Caravan Shop on Great Western Road has just opened, offering both and much more. I couldn't wait to sit in the sunshine and try it out.
From the outside, the bar, eatery and bottle shop has a slick modern exterior, and on this sunny night, a crowd of people were jostling for a table to soak up the rays.
I had to settle for an inside table, but this didn't feel like settling at all—the decadent and tasteful interiors felt like being welcomed into the warm hug of a Mediterranean bar.
We tried new Glasgow bar that has cocktails and wine on tap (Image: Newsquest) A tantalising selection of wines lines shelves around you, and the dimly lit bar is bustling with servers producing bottles, glasses and cocktails that had my mouth watering.
The cosy space has floor-to-ceiling windows at the front, making it a spectacular people-watching spot for those who indulge.
I was gutted that I'd already eaten, as the food looked incredible. Everything from light bites to oceans of oysters and a full charcuterie board is available.
As admitted earlier, I could not resist the olives, and a healthy bar-snack-sized portion of the Gordal variety cost £4.
The fresh, delicious olives only deepened my Mediterranean feeling, and I drifted away in a haze, imagining Great Western Road as a river running through a coastal town.
These were served while my friend waited for their cocktail to be made, £7 for an Aperol Spritz being a very fair price for the West End.
(Image: Newsquest) I opted for the thing that had mainly piqued my interest in the bar - wine on tap.
I sampled a 175ml glass of red Poggiotondo Rosso 2024 wine, and enjoyed the experience and novelty of watching the bar staff pour it from a tap on the wall.
While the tapped delivery system meant the red was slightly chilled, on a sunny day, it was a nice, refreshing experience away from room temperature norms.
This didn't detract from the quality of the wine either. It had a sharp, dry bite with the perfect sweet notes for me—definitely not to be sniffed at for £7 a glass.
(Image: Newsquest) Other options on the menu are similarly pocket-friendly, with a Negroni tap producing a glass for £7 too, and change out of a fiver for a Guinness at £4.50.
I was glad to have given in to the temptation of wine on tap, and even happier to discover the bar offers more than just that as a gimmick.
The Caravan shop is well named, on the sub-baked streets of the West End, it now stands as an oasis to welcome you, with wine on tap, to relax and lose track of time.
It's just a shame the caravan portion of the name doesn't mean there's a place to coup after too much wine.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Gino D'Acampo set for TV comeback after ITV AXED him over multiple allegations of 'sexually inappropriate and intimidating behaviour'
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From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The Italian celebrity chef, 48, had kept a low profile since February, when he was removed from ITV programming following multiple allegations of sexually inappropriate and intimidating behaviour spanning 12 years - claims he has denied (pictured 2023) He explained: 'I am playing a part in a series, my part is this Italian-American mechanic that is always in trouble with the police or always in trouble with the law and then he became a mechanic and he's helping the main character in the show. He jokingly added: 'This is acting now, I'm not becoming a real mechanic, I'm useless at stuff like that.' MailOnline has contacted his representative for comment. His return to TV comes after MailOnline revealed dozens of people have described his alleged conduct over the past 12 years as 'distressing,' 'unacceptable,' and even 'horrendous.' According to ITV news, at least one production company was aware of repeated complaints from staff members about D'Acampo's behaviour - yet continued to work with him on further TV projects. One woman, given the pseudonym Hannah, described a disturbing moment during a magazine shoot in 2011. She claims that, in front of an entire crew, Gino made an explicit sexual comment, telling her he would 'like to turn me over and f*** me up the a*** against the kitchen counter,' leaving her humiliated. 'I remember a ripple of laughter,' she recalled, while others 'looked nervously into their cups of tea.' Hannah said the incident left her feeling 'horror' and 'shock' but admitted she was not surprised no one intervened. Gino has firmly denied all allegations, calling them 'deeply upsetting.' 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In yet another claim, a former colleague alleged that in 2019, Gino aggressively confronted a young crew member over an ice cream. He told The Mirror: 'The idea is to show everyone all over the world a bit about the country - I want to find the perfect restaurant, the perfect recipe, the perfect spot, I will speak to the local people, what they cook and how they cooked 200 years ago' (pictured 2018) 'I was present when Gino said to the runner, "If you don't get me a Cornetto, I will f*** your girlfriend," the woman told ITV News. Another crew member who witnessed the incident said the remark had 'stuck in my head for years.' 'He was using his power to bully and intimidate us,' she said. 'For what? A cookery programme.' Gino's representatives responded, saying he was 'mortified' by the accusation and 'does not recall this incident at all.' A separate claim relates to the filming of Gordon, Gino and Fred's Road Trip in 2018. 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Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Telegraph
Forget Greece, head to Italy for an island-hopping adventure this summer
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Dimora Cala del Pozzo, hidden down a lane on the quieter west coast, makes for an excellent base to explore the island. An old farmhouse converted into a boutique hotel, the setting is serene and elegant. Handsomely furnished rooms are sound-tracked by the sea beyond, and a lavish breakfast is hosted in the cactus garden, including local ingredients from the family's organic farm. Locals advise checking the direction of the wind before choosing the best coves for swimming. Cala Trapanese is recommended, where the rocks form a natural swimming pool with views of Sicily across the water. Inland, visit the Garden of the Impossible to discover another link to the Odyssey myth. A spiky green plant that looks a bit like a cactus is, according to local guidebooks, apparently the plant that Circe used to turn Odysseus's men into pigs. Islanders were once sceptical about the feasibility of the botanical garden, which was created in a series of abandoned quarry pits. 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There are also plenty of apartments for rent; The Thinking Traveller has a villa on the island. Levanzo This tiny sparkling island is so pretty that it looks like a Hollywood set designer built it for a movie. Measuring just 2.25 square miles and with only three restaurants and a handful of beaches, Levanzo is known for its off-grid vibes. However, according to local reports, the Prada family own two houses here. Most people visit to look at the cave paintings at Grotta del Genovese, which date from both the Palaeolithic and Neolithic eras. Reserve in advance (guided tours cost £35/€42 for adults and £25/€30 for children) – there's quite a steep trail down to the cave, which can only be reached on foot. After seeing the cave paintings, it's worth strolling around the island. Cala Faraglione on the south-west coast, about 30 minutes' walk from the port, is the island's most picture-perfect beach, complete with a tiny island (technically a rock stack) floating offshore. End the day with a relaxing glass of Sicilian wine at one of the island's restaurants by the harbour before catching the last boat back to Favignana. Inside tip Cala Minnola is one of the nicest beaches for swimming Where to eat Try the pasta con gamberi at Bar Romano, an absurdly picturesque restaurant which juts out over the harbour with views of Favignana in the distance. Where to shop Mannaraò offers a selection of handmade jewellery and other delights. Where to stay Dolcevita Egadi Resort is a new hotel set a short walk from the port on a breezy terrace – rooms are simple and there's a swimming pool. Double rooms cost £321/€380 in high season, including breakfast, with a five-night minimum stay. How to get there Ryanair flies from London to Trapani in the summer months. Alternatively, fly to Palermo, take a bus to Trapani (about one hour) and hop on the Hydrofoil from Trapani port (30 to 45 minutes). There are regular boats between the islands but make sure you prebook tickets in high season Laura Coffey was a guest of Hotel Dimora Cala Del Pozzo.
The Herald Scotland
7 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
New Yakitori Shack restaurant in Glasgow falls short with lunch menu
I can't moan about this too much. As always, I've done my due diligence and know fine well the time of day will restrict my choices. Still, as I make my way down Argyle Street on a Friday afternoon, I can't help wondering why the team would choose to open at all without firing up their star attraction. Read more: Team behind Ramen Dayo to open new spot in Glasgow Ah well, there are still plenty of interesting plates on the menu as I'm shown to a snug seating area opposite the bar, which is adorned with paper lanterns and colourful posters. Just, not the salmon bento, there's none of that left. Oh, and the Kaiso salad, miso soup, and strawberry milk pavlova – they've been eighty-sixed too. Right then. At least that narrows down the choices, and off to the kitchen goes my order for a trio of dishes and a non-alcoholic Yuzu cooler. Like a lemonade, only better, pale yellow in colour and muddled with plenty of fresh mint. Read more: Friendly and polite though he is, the lone server on shift spends much of his time with his back to us daytime customers, preoccupied with a laptop screen and hopping down from his perch to sign for various deliveries from men carrying clipboards. At one point, dishes are delivered to tables with one hand, while his other clasps a phone to his ear mid-call. There's clearly a lot to get done before the weekend kicks off. A trip downstairs to the bathroom reveals boxes of wine bottles and crates containing bits and bobs like plastic tubs stacked on either side of the hallway, cluttering the space to the point where it feels as though I've trespassed into an area not meant for non-staff members. Truthfully, all of this is amounting to a strange atmosphere. As if my fellow diners and I have arrived before the restaurant is ready to open, and are now being kept tucked out of the way until the warmup is completed. The clock ticks, and after half an hour or so, my server returns to my table with two pinch pots of pickles, assuring me that my food will be with me in just a few more minutes. I quickly snap up a chunky half moon of Daikon, saddened to find it sour rather than tangy, heavy on the vinegar and void of any satisfying crunch. My chopsticks return firmly to their place on the table, where they will remain until the rest of the food is ready. Pictured: Karaage hot maple and pickles from Yakitori Shack (Image: Newsquest) First to arrive is the Karaage hot maple chicken, which, it has to be said, looks the absolute business. Crispy, crunchy goodness with a scattering of sesame seeds and small slivers of radish. Aside from promising first impressions, the maple syrup dominates the dish, which is crying out for a touch more seasoning or spice in the coating to fight back against the sweetness. And this particular batch of chicken is flying dangerously close to the dry side. But it's easy to see why the team have kept this Ramen Dayo crowd pleaser on their menu at Yakitori Shack. On a better day, with a little more fine-tuning, I reckon this would be the highlight of a meal. Pictured: Blistered Shishito peppers with miso butter and soy (Image: Newsquest) And the shishito peppers, they're excellent, their green skin blistered, blackened and burst until full of flavour and liberally coated in umami-rich, savoury spice and salt. But this flash of veggie brilliance is overshadowed by a bowl of Chasha-don, small pieces of braised pork belly in a Chashu marinade atop steamed white rice and more of that pesky, vinegary pickle. It's a game of roulette as to whether every next bite will be tough, chewy meat or wobbly chunks of fat. But neither is doing much to impress in a sauce that's not unpleasant, just sort of…there. Pictured: Chasha-don, braised pork belly with Chashu marinade over steamed rice (Image: Newsquest) While debating whether I've tasted enough to cast judgment on the dish, the decision is made for me when I bite down on a hunk of bitter, congealed sauce masquerading as pork. That's enough of that for me. I fear I may have made an error in putting this restaurant to the test during the day. Perhaps the Yakitori skewers, cooked over the flames from imported binchotan charcoal, do the heavy lifting on the evening menu. And, of course, there is still a grace period for any new opening that should be observed before they are judged too harshly. Even if you'd assume the folk from Ramen Dayo! might have enough experience to run a tighter ship. But as I drag my chopsticks through leftover pieces of pork belly and rice, looking desperately for something that might have given the dish just a little more oomph, it feels representative of the whole experience. The foundations are there, but during lunchtime service at least, the Yakitori Shack is lacking. Price: Karaage hot maple chicken £8, Shishito Peppers £6, Chasha-don £13 and Yuzu Cooler £4.90. Total: £27.00 Service: 3/5 Faultlessly friendly, but distracted. Food: 2.5/5. A middle-of-the-road lunch meal, though the foundations are certainly there. Yakitori Shack is located at 1126 Argyle Street in Glasgow.
