If your dad was mega-rich, the Rangers owner and boss of Murray International Metals, would you live the playboy life and sip cocktails on a yacht off a small Caribbean island or open a bar in Edinburgh?
If I had the option, I would now be on my fourth Bloody Mary of the day while my skipper weighed anchor somewhere off St Kitts.
Keith Murray, son of David and obviously made of sterner stuff, has opened Halo in Edinburgh's West End. It's the sort of compact and heavily- designed place that just didn't exist in Edinburgh five years ago. Back then the fashion was all for bright, open, stripped- pine bars.
New places now tend to be more dimly lit - cosy and moody - and Halo is firmly in this category. It has a bar made from studded leather and copper, which doesn't look as camp as it sounds.
One of the walls is made from slatted red leather and the gantry appears to hang from the ceiling by some form of hi- tech wiring.
Two huge mirrors, which face each other, are framed in ornate white plastic - making them look as though they have been carved from ice.
There are candles and flowers on every table, while the bar is book-ended by an ice bucket of champagne and a giant flower display. The overall effect is quite decadent and things were certainly getting a bit naughty the night we were in - and it was only a Wednesday.
One middle-aged guy in a suit was trying to pick up two women by the time- tested method of buying them vast quantities of cocktails. Tonsil hockey was achieved by the sixth round.
Of course, not everybody is there on the pull and Halo boasted a good mix of people. Forty- somethings seemed just as happy listening to the sassy R `n' B and Eminem on offer as the groups of twentysomethings who started to drift in later.
Having said that, there weren't any 19-year-olds kicking about, which is good or bad depending on which side of 25 you happen to be on.
All in all, Halo seems to have pretty much got it right. It was lively, but laidback; smart without being stuffy. My one gripe would be the way staff give punters their change on a little metal dish - it always makes me think they're after a tip. That's fine if you're being served at a table, but it's a bit rich if you're just standing at the bar.
Especially in a place where a fiver won't cover a pint and a nip. Still, I imagine it is cheaper than buying a round in the yacht club at Antigua.
Open: Mon-Fri, 11am-1am; Sat, 4pm-1am.
Drinks: Pint of Stella, £2.95; gin and tonic, £3.10; glass of wine, from £2.80; shots, £3; Martinis, £4.95.
Details
0131 539 8500
There are candles and flowers on every table, while the bar is book-ended by an ice bucket of champagne and a giant flower display. The overall effect is quite decadent and things were certainly getting a bit naughty the night we were in - and it was only a Wednesday.
One middle-aged guy in a suit was trying to pick up two women by the time- tested method of buying them vast quantities of cocktails. Tonsil hockey was achieved by the sixth round.
Of course, not everybody is there on the pull and Halo boasted a good mix of people. Forty- somethings seemed just as happy listening to the sassy R `n' B and Eminem on offer as the groups of twentysomethings who started to drift in later.
Having said that, there weren't any 19-year-olds kicking about, which is good or bad depending on which side of 25 you happen to be on.
All in all, Halo seems to have pretty much got it right. It was lively, but laidback; smart without being stuffy. My one gripe would be the way staff give punters their change on a little metal dish - it always makes me think they're after a tip. That's fine if you're being served at a table, but it's a bit rich if you're just standing at the bar.
Especially in a place where a fiver won't cover a pint and a nip. Still, I imagine it is cheaper than buying a round in the yacht club at Antigua.
Open: Mon-Fri, 11am-1am; Sat, 4pm-1am.
