Tag Archives: Buchanan Street

Darcy’s – Princes Square

28th November 2018 billpaterson1@me.com 3 Comments

Sometimes you just get the urge. You just fancy something! Maybe you fancy a classic mojito, perhaps a strawberry fizz mocktail; maybe a spot of face painting; or even a full blown lunch with private dining; maybe some live music. Or maybe you just want to stay in the EU or maybe you just never want to hear of Brexit ever again! Well, you can have all of these (except the last two) at Darcy’s in Glasgow’s Princes Square. All Ted Baker and Vivienne Westwood, Princes Square is a rather upmarket glitzy shopping centre. Darcy’s is just one of a dozen restaurants.

Christmas lights in Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow — Christmas comes to Glasgow’s Royal Exchange Square

Epic messes

It was over two years ago that we were here having afternoon tea at Cranachan and berating them for serving fully loaded scones. As you all know by now, a cardinal sin in our eyes. We were also feeling a bit sorry for Jeremy Corbyn. He had just done unexpectedly well in the general election but was being given a hard time for not singing while everyone else was trying to enlist God’s help in saving HRH. Things haven’t got any better for him in the intervening years but it’s all of his own making. Any sympathy we may have had has long since evaporated. Unbelievably, he actually might even have a chance of winning a general election should one be called. Not because of anything he has done but simply because of the epic mess the Tories are currently making of just about everything..

Okay, okay what about Darcy’s scones? It’s busy busy and there was only a single table left when we arrived. The whole place had a nice buzz about it. That buzz however may have given rise to a slight hiccup at the beginning when, having waited for about five minutes, we had to go and find someone to serve us. However, after that we were looked after very well. Our scones came on very large plates which we were sure were the same as we had when reviewing our Liberty of London scone. That was also over two years ago so how sad is it that we remember things like the plates? My coffee was great and came complete with a little amaretti biscuit … nice!.

Anyway the plates certainly didn’t cramp our lovely warm fruit scones … nicely presented with a pat of butter, a pot of the ubiquitous Tiptree jam and a ramekin of cream with a strawberry on top. What’s not to like? In the end we decide to forgive the hiatus in service and award a topscone. Well done Darcy’s.

Face painting

Just in case we have fired up anyone’s interest in face painting, it takes place every Sunday between 1 and 3pm and everyone goes home with a balloon! Remember to have a scone as well!

French newspaper covering at Darcy's Café, Prices Square, Glasgow — Pillars covered in old French newspapers??

Landing on Mars

We weaved our way back to the railway station through dozens of beggers sitting in the wet and cold. We also learned that we have successfully landed a spaceship on Mars … hurragh! With all these beggers, food banks and 1 in 4 children living in poverty, lets hope, if they find anything at all on Mars, it’s a moral compass?

G1 3JN tel: 0845 166 6012 Darcy’s

ps: Attention all telephone box enthusiasts. Obviously this not a K6 but a somewhat different concrete police telephone box. The only similarity to a K6 is that its door is also made of teak. Originally all police telephone boxes were coloured red and only changed to blue because of the popularity of Dr Who. None of the BBC’s props have actually been true to the original design. The explanation is that its chameleon circuits sometimes drift a little if left in the same position for too long. This particular TARDIS in Buchanan Street did not really contain a huge Bier Halle full of drunken Germans. Although we didn’t actually look inside??

Scones, Top, weird

Wild Olive Tree Café

13th April 2018 billpaterson1@me.com

. If you can’t see anything resembling a café in the above picture that’s because it’s hidden. Hidden within the St George’s Tron Church, the rather large pointy building sitting centre stage. The Church of Scotland opened it in 1808 and it’s still going strong today. We had heard a rumour about this church. The rumour could have been about all the fantastic work they do in conjunction with the Glasgow City Mission and the Bethany Christian Trust to help the most vulnerable people in Glasgow. As explained to us at some length by ‘big Andy’. A lovely bloke who seems to take care of everything here. The rumour could also have been about their ‘gifted soup/coffee’ scheme. You can buy an extra coffee or soup which they then offer to people who can’t afford them. The rumour might even have been about their green credentials or the fact that all their bread comes from the Freedom Bakery in Low Moss prison. But no, it wasn’t any of those.

Would you adam ‘n eve it, it was about scones! We had heard from a very well respected source that their scones were worthy of inspection. That’s what drew us in here. Yes, we are are actually that shallow! Recently the congregation and the Church of Scotland spent over £3m refurbishing the whole building and The Wild Olive Tree Café came about as part of that redevelopment.

Cheddar and sunflower seed

It is intended to provide a place of quiet sanctuary. Away from the hustle, bustle and general madness going on just outside the door in Scotland’s busiest shopping street. In here, the almost serene atmosphere, seems like another world. The café specialises in soup, scones and cakes … what more would you want? As for scones there was a choice of:

Spiced Sultana
Apricot Date & Vanilla
Cheddar & Sunflower seed
Goats Cheese & Caramelised Onion … wow, and all freshly baked!

I opted for the the spiced sultana and Pat went for the cheddar and sunflower seed. Both were wonderful. Mine had a lovely crunchiness on the outside and deliciously spiced on the inside … never before tasted a scone like it! Pat’s was beautifully cheesy with a lovely crunch courtesy of the sunflower seeds. There wasn’t anything not to like about the whole experience … nice surroundings, friendly service, good presentation and fantastic scones. Even my drink was Dear Green Coffee, roasted right here in the beating heart of Glasgow … excellent! These were definitely the best scones we have had in ages. No problem awarding a topscone here.

In many ways this place reminded us of our recent visit to the Glasgow Gurdwara where our Sikh friends were also doing lots of good work with the needy. The only problem with both this place and the Gurdwara is that they are required at all. Britain is one of the richest oil producing countries in the world yet there are still thousands of people here and in every other major city who are on the breadline. How come? The lowest state pension of any developed country in the world doesn’t help. Lots of old folk living in poverty and hopelessness.

Painting of the Last Supper by I.D. Campbell at St George's Tron Church and the Wild Olive Tree Café in Glasgow — The Last Supper using guests at the Glasgow City Mission as models

Remember me

This eight foot long painting hangs in the café and kind of encapsulates the situation. It is a depiction, by the artist-in-residence Iain Campbell, of the Last Supper featuring Jesus among men who have fallen on hard times. We have seen the original Last Supper by Da Vinci in Milan but this version seems much more powerful … sorry Leonardo! At the supper Jesus said “remember me” but somehow all these men seem totally forgotten. Jesus is one of them … you pick! Meanwhile our wonderful government can still spend billions on weapons of mass destruction and, at this very moment, are actively contemplating going to war with Syria? Trump and May haven’t had a war yet so it’s probably to be expected. On whose behalf would they go to war … certainly not these guys, they’ve got much more immediate things to worry about!

Internal view of St George's Tron Church and the Wild Olive Tree Café in Glasgow — the Wild Olive Tree … pruned to within an inch of its life

G1 2JX tel: 0141 248 2049 Wild Olive Tree Café

ps: To be or not to be … the Pedant has sent us a picture of a brace of K6 telephone boxes in Stratford upon Avon. The question is, are they protecting that wastepaper bin or are they taking it into custody?

Two K6 telephoe boxes in Stratford-upon-Avon

Scones, Top

The Willow Tea Rooms

11th October 2015 billpaterson1@me.com 1 Comment

Many people, especially Glasgow people, will be aware of Kate Cranston’s name and know that she was the owner and driving force behind the famous Willow Tea Rooms which opened in 1903 at 217 Sauchiehall Street. ‘Sauchie’ means ‘willow’, hence the name. She commissioned architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, to design everything; the rooms, the furniture, the cutlery, right down to the waitress’s costumes. It became the place to meet for the gentlemen and ladies of the time and by all accounts was the epitome of ‘genteel’. In 1901 it was reported “One states the amount of one’s indebtedness, and receives a check therefore from the attendant maiden. This, with the corresponding coin or coins, one hands in at the pay-desk, and so home. Nothing could be simpler or less irritating.”

For some reason that system fell into disuse but we definitely feel that ‘attendant maidens’ should be reintroduced.

The enterprise was a tremendous success and Kate, who was a tad eccentric, became a familiar and flamboyant figure on the Glasgow scene. Through her commissions she actively promoted two groups of artists. The Glasgow Boys and the Glasgow Girls who developed what eventually became known as the Glasgow Style. After her husband died in 1917, however, she lost interest, sold her tearooms and withdrew from society. She led a very low-key existence on the south side of the city until her death in 1934, aged 85.

She left most of her money to the poor of the city. The tradition she started over 100 years ago carries on to this day and so we find ourselves here in the Buchanan Street establishment which, although not original, is a faithful copy of the now defunct, Ingram Street tearoom.

Opera

It has replicated the White Room (the one we are in) and the blue Chinese Room, upstairs. Now we were in a bit of a rush because we were going to a lecture on opera at the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons .. don’t ask. Luckily the service was very efficient and in no time we had our scone. And what a scone it was! Quite big, but really light and fluffy and with plenty jam and cream. Looking at that picture of Kate you can tell that she just knew she would get a ‘topscone’ award. We think she would still be proud though.

Don’t mention Scotland

Proud, unfortunately is not a word that could be used about the last week in politics, particularly if you live north of the border. A year ago, the PM could not stop blabbering about how crucially important Scotland was to the UK but, now, just one year on, in his annual address to the party, barely a mention. And of course Labour MPs and activists have been advised not to use the word ‘Scotland’ at all. What would Kate have made of it all?

For those of a curious nature, we made the lecture on time and it was excellent; at some point however we may return to the Willow Tea Rooms for a more relaxed visit.

G1 3HF tel: 0141 204 5242 Willow Tea Rooms

Ordinary, Scones

Cranachan

20th September 2015 billpaterson1@me.com 3 Comments

If you have ever shopped in Glasgow you will no doubt be familiar with Princes Square on Buchanan Street. An up-market emporium of shops and eating places. If you have never shopped in Glasgow, you should. It is undoubtedly one of the best places to go in Scotland and that’s from someone who is pretty allergic to the entire process. However we were not here to shop. Oh no, we were here for afternoon tea and Cranachan was our chosen spot.

Fuss pots

Now this type of dining may not be to everyone’s taste. Sitting out on the balcony not sure where the boundaries are between this place and the next place. However, it certainly was not putting people off and in fact it turned out to be a quite pleasant experience all round. We had some bubbles to begin with and then they brought the afternoon tea. What they didn’t bring was the tea. We had to go and ask for it! Apart from that though it was not too bad at all. Good selection of sandwiches and cakes, topped off with little tubs of their own cranachan.

What about the scones I hear you cry, what about the scones? Well, this may be controversial, prepare yourself .. they came fully loaded with jam and cream?? Call us old fuss pots but we rather like the whole business of loading up our own scones. The anticipation .. the decisions; how much jam; how much cream. It’s all part of the scone experience. All these dilemmas were removed and as a result our enjoyment was slightly diminished. Told you it would be controversial!

Drones

The dilemmas facing Corbyn this week have been even more controversial perhaps. As an atheist republican he has been berated for not singing a song about the monarch being rescued by God. He has been condemned as sexist for not appointing women in spite of all the women turning the jobs down. Maybe worst of all he has had to forego his bike and take to the official car to avoid being hounded by baying journalists. To top it all he has also been branded by the government, and hence all the main stream media, a major security risk. Some suspect that the car may have been forced on him because national security risks on bikes don’t provide a big enough target for drone missile attacks. No matter what your politics you have got to feel for the guy. It’s been a rough tough week!

Too lazy?

To finish on a more positive note, in spite of our, by comparison, relatively minor issues at Cranachan we had a very pleasant time and we would recommend it to you should you find yourself shopping in Princes Square. Especially if you are too lazy to butter your own scones!

If you would like to make your own cranachan here is a recipe.

G1 3JN tel: 0141 248 6257 Cranachan Café

Scones, history and a dollop of politics