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The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Does Crossbasket Castle's new restaurant live up to the hype?
At a polished marble bar with high curved mirrors, smart-suited bartenders mix cocktails. Languorous live jazz plays and candles flicker on low tables where glammed-up couples sip champagne. Trocadero's takes its name, inspiration (and even the font) from a legendary local dance hall, nicknamed 'The Troc', which was the place to be in Hamilton in the 1950s. On opening, former performers and regulars, some now in their 90s, were invited to experience the new iteration. So it's a tribute to the 1950s, with a 1920s jazz era speakeasy vibe. Pretty bold for Blantyre, and actually, anywhere in Scotland. I order a martini. I don't have a cigarette holder to twirl or a fringed flapper dress but I can at least match my drink to the scene unfolding. The cocktails take Roaring Twenties phrases as inspiration, including 'Cash or check', a flirtatious way to ask for a kiss, and 'It's the Berries', 1920s slang for something extraordinary. At our table we're given menus big enough to hide behind. Now, to order with restraint, say soup and a scallop to start for £12, or go wild with blow-the-budget caviar at £120? For me it's Shetland crab salad and encouraging my husband to over-order on oysters so I can pinch one. Both are simply prepared but tasty, the oysters with a shallot mignonette, the crab with a retro cocktail sauce cut through with cognac. Seventeenth-Century Crossbasket Castle has been owned by Alison and Steve Timoney since 2011, shortly after it was listed on Scotland's 'Buildings at Risk' register. An initial £10 million investment turned it into a beautiful small hotel (where I'm staying in a room bigger than my first flat). The recent £20 million expansion has created an art-deco style adjacent building, housing 40 luxury bedrooms; two new restaurants: palm-court style Foveran's and Trocadero's; and 50 new local jobs. (Image: Crossbasket Castle) Progressing to main courses and, again, pick your budget, Speyside cote de boeuf for two at £99 or an Ayrshire pork chop for £25? I had been concerned the food would be all shine and no substance but I'm pleasantly surprised. The catch of the day is a chunky charcoal-grilled fillet of sea bass, with a white wine butter sauce and samphire. The fish is sweet and tender, and the smokiness of the grill adds a welcome twist of summer barbecue. Desserts come on a trolley, the first I've seen in years, which is of course the point. Alongside tiramisu and lime mango mousse is a sweet dollop of nostalgia, even if that's nostalgia for a time before my own. Michael Roux Jnr has overseen the menus here and was behind the pass for many of the launch events, adding a little extra celebrity glitz. Though, let's be clear: nobody is here just for the food. It's all about the entertainment, which is building in pace. A solo guitarist is replaced by a jazzy three piece band, then Champagne take to the stage: 11 musicians all clad in sequins and sparkling gold jackets. There are three lead singers, a three-piece brass section, bass, drums, guitar and piano, and a lot of talent and energy as they run through jazz and Motown hits, show tunes and riffs on pop classics. (Image: Crossbasket Castle) At regular interludes (and just at weekends) dancers burst into the room, a riot of sequins and feathered headdresses with prop saxophones and highly choreographed dance routines. The performances are incredible, and it almost feels rude to keep eating while they dance. Later still there are light-up costumes; a dance floor filled with musicians, guests and dancers; and towards final orders a conga line that snakes around the restaurant (which I observe safely from the bar). Dining at Trocadero's is like nowhere I've been before. During the week it's more relaxed, still with live musicians, but not the more frenzied Friday and Saturday nights. Will the underground jazz club nights have staying power once the novelty wears off? Hard to say, but certainly tonight it's packed and people are here for a good time. The food offering is strong, the cocktails are excellent, and it's in easy reach of Glasgow and the Central Belt. I say pack your sequins, leave your inhibitions at the door and join the party! Stoneymeadow Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow, G72 9UE

The National
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
New Scottish restaurant takes step back into the Golden Age
This new restaurant and 40-bedroom Art Deco-inspired hotel is located just outside Blantyre, South Lanarkshire. The main attraction is the 'entertainment-led dining experience', inspired by the heyday of Scotland's old dance halls – including its namesake Trocadero in Hamilton, fondly known as 'The Troc', which offered up escapism, music and dancing every night of the week. My friend and I glammed ourselves up in our 1920s-inspired bedroom, with as much vintage style and red lipstick as we could muster, before descending for a night to remember. Guests emerge through a rich velvet curtain to witness underground prohibition decadence. We stepped into a vast but darkly intimate bar, with candlelit dining and a sweeping stage, channelling vibes of speakeasy glamour, like something straight out of an American movie. Here was rich soft furnishings, curves and geometric shapes reminiscent of Art Deco style, and dapper waiting staff ready to take your cocktail order. Mixologist Panos Damou has curated a cocktail list inspired by the Jazz Age. I toasted the night with a Plum Crusta, rich in fruity flavours and dramatically presented in a smoking glass case. The venue's motto 'Where Champagne Flows and Anything Goes' means a healthy bubbles menu too. Feeling like the Marvellous Mrs Maisel, we were led to our stage-side table as an 11-piece band took the night by the horns. Sequinned flapper-style dancers stepped, kicked, swivelled and shimmied in Charleston fashion. In these opulent surroundings the food could take a back seat, but it certainly does not. The menu is overseen by renowned chef Michel Roux Jnr and the kitchen is under the auspices of executive chef Kevin Barron. We could have indulged in dishes synonymous with luxury, such as caviar, oysters and steak, but I opted for lighter ones – a starter of Shetland crab, followed by a shallot tart tatin with blue cheese and pear. I particularly loved the sheer joy of the traditional dessert trolley steered between the dancers to reach our table, where, from myriad treats, I chose a hazelnut milk chocolate tart. After a night of decadence we walked upstairs to our room and curled up in bed with the Trocadero's newsletter, lulled to sleep with stories of couples who met in the original Hamilton Troc and fell in love. The following morning, breakfast was dished up in Foveran's. Its green hues with a palm motif felt like a calming oasis after the hedonism of the night before. Foveran's serves breakfast, lunch and dinner for guests who desire a quieter dining experience. A yoghurt and juice bar kickstarted our detox, with fresh fruit and bakery items brought to the table. After tucking into Loch Fyne kippers, a walk to the nearby Four Angels waterfall blows the cobwebs away. I immersed myself in Trocadero's transatlantic glamour but there's no denying this is a proudly Scottish project. Most of the food is sourced in Scotland, ideally within a 50-mile radius. The owners, Steve Timoney and Alison Reid-Timoney, are Scottish, with Steve growing up in Easterhouse. Much of the veg and honey served in the hotel comes from the owners' Perthshire estate. And the employment opportunities here are vast, tapping into Scottish music agents, an expansive roster of bands, singers, musicians, dance troupes and choreographers, alongside front of house staff and those working behind the scenes. Trocadero's is a £20 million project and the spa (scheduled to open late this year) is devising its own line of beauty products with AS Apothecary on the Isle of Harris, using ingredients/botanicals from the Timoneys' estate and the castle's 14-acre grounds. Trocadero's represents a golden age in hospitality and a destination like no other, so grab your glad rags and hot foot it to the liveliest spot just outside town. It stages entertainment seven nights a week but browse the music calendar if you seek big band vibes. We saw the fantastic Champagne on stage. Also look out for Soul Sundays – a traditional Sunday lunch with added live music performances. To find out more, visit