Who would have thought there'd be an Iglu in Jamaica?

By Jonathan Trew

Details Iglu  2B Jamaica Street  Edinburgh  Midlothian  EH3 6HH      0131 476 5333 You know the typical scene in a western - the saloon door is flung open and every punter turns his eyes to examine the new kid in town. Without even opening their mouths, everyone else in the boozer knows that he is an outsider. I have just had a similar experience in Edinburgh's new Iglu bar. No one fell silent or tried to run me out of town but, even so, I could not have felt more out of place had I been wearing nothing but a pair of deely- boppers and a layer of goose fat. Although there were no signs to say so, perhaps it was a private party I stumbled on. Perhaps it was the monthly meeting of the Braying Rugger Bugger Club. Perhaps they all had nothing else to do now hunting has been banned. I don't know. But I am certain about one thing - Iglu was packed with Yahs. From the outside, all we could hear was a hubbub coming from Iglu's upstairs lounge. The downstairs bar was deserted except for three morose- looking blokes so we headed for the stairs and the sound of the party. Inside, it was like a group of over-grown public schoolboys had set out to exaggerate every Yah stereotype. The boys were all rugby shirts, chinos and brogues, while the women were kitted out in turned up shirt collars and quilted body warmers. One woman was even wearing a string of pearls. I've lived in Edinburgh for 15 years so it isn't as though Yahs are new to me. Unlike many Edinburgh inhabitants, I don't mind having Yahs around. They brighten the place up with their floppy hair and strange clothes. They can also be useful, providing a steady supply of cheap Golf GTIs to the second- hand market when they want a new one in a different colour. I'm not a class warrior, nor do I go to bed hoping the revolution will have arrived in the morning. But this was different. This was like being dipped in a vat of drunken Yahs. We fled downstairs. The two bars themselves are fine - if not exactly ground-breaking. The downstairs bar is all wood and exposed stone while the upstairs lounge is more comfy with seats. Food and a big screen TV were promised for the future. I don't care as I'm not going back. Is it fair to review a bar on the basis of the punters who were in one night? Yes. Iglu would be better if it had a more mixed crowd and didn't feel like it was a private club for rich farmer's sons and the offspring of lawyers and bankers who do something terribly clever in the City. Maybe this says more about me than it does about Iglu but I suspect anyone who wasn't born in a Barbour jacket would feel the same. Open: Noon-1am, seven days a week Prices: Pint of lager, £2.40; glass of wine, £2.50; spirit and mixer, £2.50

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