• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Glasgow
• Category: Events and Entertainment

Glasgow G1 1EX
0141 552 3489

Promethea said
Learn to act
If you fancy yourself as a bit of an actor, you can't do better than join up with the Strathclyde Theatre Group which is based at this church-turned-theatre. Several well-known performers started out here, for instance Henry Ian Cusick, the handsome Scottish guy who plays Desmond in Lost. The best thing to do is first attend a couple of their productions to get a feel for it, at the time of writing they are about to stage One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest in October 2008 (they also have some music events and visiting theatre companies). Then sign up to their extremely well-regarded drama courses. It's not just for actors, those interested in backstage work and directing will also learn a lot.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Glasgow
• Category: Events and Entertainment

Glasgow G1 2RL
0870 907 0710

Promethea said
Great range of films
The multiplex gets a bad name from the snootier filmgoer but while I'd hate it to replace or drive out my beloved GFT, I've got to speak up for the UGC/Cineworld as it should be called. The tickets are expensive BUT you don't have to pay full price - get a Cineworld pass, see at least two films a month and you will save a packet. Or go on Wednesdays and team up with a friend to do the Orange Wednesdays phone thing. You don't have to buy the pricey sweets etc, take something in (I've heard of people getting them confiscated but only if they are taking the mickey, if you have one small packet you'll be fine, if you're having more than that you're greedy anyway). And they have a great range of movies, it's not just the big blockbusters, but foreign movies and indie films and even Bollywood hits as well.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Glasgow
• Category: Food and Drink

Glasgow G1 4LZ
0141 248 5612

Promethea said
Pies pies pies
Who ate all the pies? Glaswegians of course. Not to knock the bakers themselves, but it's not a coincidence that this city is so unhealthy and that the majority of people (at a guess) eat their lunch from Greggs. If it's sausage rolls, rolls and bacon or square sausage you want, this is where to come - oh aye, and pies. They also do many doughnuts and other cakes, personally I'm partial to a wee fern cake occasionally. It's a shame that they don't heat up the apple pie slices anymore though. Branches all over the city, eg George Square and Byres Road.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Glasgow
• Category: Restaurants

Glasgow G5 8RA
0141 429 3700

Promethea said
Your granny will love it
This is a fish restaurant aimed at shall we say an older clientele: I don't know why, but that's the fact. It is decorated a bit like a grand dining room on a cruise ship. I kept expecting Kate Winslet and Leo Di Caprio to run past, thankfully they didn't. The fish is good quality and cooked fresh, the chips are thick and firm, the prices are reasonable (although more than a chippy). There's nothing cool about this place but it does what it sets out to perfectly well. It is handy for the cinema, bowling etc, and quite near the motorway.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Glasgow
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

Glasgow G1 2DW
0141 221 5059

Promethea said
Saucy Spanish
Great tapas bar (s). I agree with the previous reviewers that the one in the West End is the superior, not that there's anything particularly wrong with the City Centre branch, but the one just tucked below and behind Byres Road has a particularly nice atmosphere. As with all tapas restaurants, the thing to do is split a variety of dishes between you all and the waiters seem helpful enough assisting your choices. The tables are a little small, but I can't fault the decor which is carved wood and decorated brocade. Don't forget the patatas bravas!

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Glasgow
• Category: Restaurants

Glasgow G1 1NP
0141 553 2585

Promethea said
South Indian surprise
Until I was introduced to Dakhin I had no idea how different the cuisine of South India is from the 'bog standard' Indian food you get in 99 per cent of British Indian restaurants (which are mostly run by Bangladeshis anyway). It's hard to describe the difference but the dishes are milder and less creamy, generally, and there are amazing breads like the thin pancake one. The restaurant is upstairs from the Merchant City, just above a nice bar, and very classy. I was taken there for my birthday last year and the waiters kindly brought out a little 'cake' - actually a small individual pudding with a candle in it - it was lovely.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Glasgow
• Category: Stations and Transport

Glasgow G1 3SL

Promethea said
By Glasgow Central Station I Lay Down And Wept
Nah, I didn't really. Well, how do you review a train station? I guess as they go it is not bad. It has trains and shops, can't say fairer than that. If you are going to London this will be your station. It does have trains to Edinburgh but don't take this line as it takes too long, take the short walk (or shuttle bus) to Queen Street Station and get the train to Edinburgh there instead. There's a Marks & Spencers for train snacks and a newsagent for something to read. Wish that Boots hadn't closed down though.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Glasgow
• Category: Events and Entertainment

Glasgow G3 6RB
0141 332 8128

Promethea said
Invaluable cinema
Glasgow just would not be the same without the GFT, it is quite simply an institution and one of the coolest places to hang out in the city. Arthouse films - they have them. Subtitled films - they do them. Old classics which have been reissued - this is the place. Also, a lovely small bar (wish there were more seats though) and programmes which are a delight to read. I've seen everything from Cinema Paradiso to Withnail and I to Amelie here. Also some stinkers, mind you, like Heartbeat Detector recently. Long live the GFT as an alternative to the multiplex.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Glasgow
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Glasgow G12 8QX

Promethea said
Now an institution
It's hard to imagine Byres Road without Oran Mor now but it has actually only been open for a few years. The Brasserie is an excellent and upmarket restaurant; the bar is large and better during the day than at night, when it can be a bit neddy, the club is retro and full of 30-somethings. Many people have their wedding receptions here, including Simon Pegg of Spaced and Shaun of the Dead fame, who was married here with Gwynneth Paltrow and Chris Martin as guests (and some other people, presumably). The theatre programme of A Pie, A Play and A Pint is well established now, though the pies aren't that nice.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Glasgow
• Category: Education

Glasgow G3 6NH
0141 330 1835

Promethea said
DACE of our lives
DACE stands for Dept. of Adult Education and this is the bit of the university that runs classes in all sorts of subjects, either for those interested in Access courses so that they can go to university for the first time even if they don't have the formal qualifications, or just for those who want to take a class for fun. There is everything on offer from literature to foreign languages, to learning the guitar. The building itself is really well, it is in two halves and if you are in one and get the lift up, there is just no way to connect to the other half, you have to go back down and along before getting the other lift. Don't ask me why.