There was almost a public outcry when the curtains came down on the institution that was the Grosvenor Cinema in Glasgow's Ashton Lane.
No sooner had the lights gone down for the last time in late 2002, than the rumour mill started to churn out the line the lane was soon to be home to a bar-restaurant-club-cinema.
The rumbles of unrest grew in west end coffee shops.
Could the jovial--yet- controlled atmosphere of this trendy wee pocket of town be shattered by steamers retching on the cobbles and arguing whether to go for a cab or a kebab? Surely not. Thankfully, it proved not to be the case.
When G1 Group the gang behind such opulent outfits as Tusk in Shawlands, Arta and The Corinthian in town and current owners of the Cul-deSac on Ashton Lane peeled the scaffolding off their latest project, word shot round the city like a bullet out a gun.
Two cinemas, three bars, a restaurant and no club. The traditionalists who feared another disaster on Ashton Lane like when the legendary Grosvenor Cafe was turned into a plastic vodka bar had their fears allayed.
The facade of the building is grand and inviting, continuing the subtle themes of the neighbouring architecture a vast improvement.
Two stairways zig-zag up to a balcony area at The Loft, which will serve as a nice place to sit and sip cocktails and eat pasta in the long sunny evenings.
Downstairs at The Lane, there's a small bar, strikingly designed with stalactite-like light formations, and backed by an eye-catching cubed gantry.
One problem here though. The front doors open right on to this area, meaning anyone who wants to stand by the bar with their beer is in for intermittent, chilly drafts. And one pal, on opening night, reported how one of the too-cool-for-school bar staff poured her red wine into a glass which had a couple of millilitres of water swirling around the bottom.
She pointed out his mistake, but was huffily told something along the lines of 'it's only water.' Hmm. Points off, guys.
A trendy haircut and a dark shirt doesn't make you Tom Cruise. You have to get the basics right. And give us a smile, eh? That goes for some of the surly bar-staff at G1's Tusk too, while we're on the subject.
The cinema's off the left of the Lane. And it's easily the best in the city, with leather seats, couches for couples and shelves to rest your beer on.
Yes, beer. You can take alcohol into the pictures here. Points back on again.
But it does mean that folk nip out to the loo during films more often than normal. Only a minor quibble though, in the grand scheme of things.
Upstairs, at The Loft, it's a typically grand affair. During renovations, a grand-old ornate roof was discovered and fabulously restored. Even now, three months after opening, people can be seen standing at the cocktail bar on the mezzanine level of the upstairs bar, just looking at the ceiling.
My only concern for the cocktail bar is that people stand with their drinks, peering over the edge of the mezzanine. If it hasn't happened already, then it's surely only a matter of time before someone sitting at the tables below ends up wearing a mojito and a cocktail umbrella.
Three giant black and white movie stills are the main focal point at the back of the main bar along with huge klieg lights from Pinewood Studios.
As far as pubs in the leafy west end go, The Lane is the equivalent of a polished Hollywood blockbuster, with the odd stroppy primadonna behind the bar thrown in.
Open: Midday-midnight Mon-Fri; 10am-midnight Sat, Sun.
Prices: Pint of lager £2.30; vodka dash, £2.30; coacktails, £3.50.
Food: Served at The Loft from 12pm
Rating: Four out of five
Details
0141 341 1233
Two stairways zig-zag up to a balcony area at The Loft, which will serve as a nice place to sit and sip cocktails and eat pasta in the long sunny evenings.
Downstairs at The Lane, there's a small bar, strikingly designed with stalactite-like light formations, and backed by an eye-catching cubed gantry.
One problem here though. The front doors open right on to this area, meaning anyone who wants to stand by the bar with their beer is in for intermittent, chilly drafts. And one pal, on opening night, reported how one of the too-cool-for-school bar staff poured her red wine into a glass which had a couple of millilitres of water swirling around the bottom.
She pointed out his mistake, but was huffily told something along the lines of 'it's only water.' Hmm. Points off, guys.
A trendy haircut and a dark shirt doesn't make you Tom Cruise. You have to get the basics right. And give us a smile, eh? That goes for some of the surly bar-staff at G1's Tusk too, while we're on the subject.
The cinema's off the left of the Lane. And it's easily the best in the city, with leather seats, couches for couples and shelves to rest your beer on.
Yes, beer. You can take alcohol into the pictures here. Points back on again.
But it does mean that folk nip out to the loo during films more often than normal. Only a minor quibble though, in the grand scheme of things.
Upstairs, at The Loft, it's a typically grand affair. During renovations, a grand-old ornate roof was discovered and fabulously restored. Even now, three months after opening, people can be seen standing at the cocktail bar on the mezzanine level of the upstairs bar, just looking at the ceiling.
My only concern for the cocktail bar is that people stand with their drinks, peering over the edge of the mezzanine. If it hasn't happened already, then it's surely only a matter of time before someone sitting at the tables below ends up wearing a mojito and a cocktail umbrella.
Three giant black and white movie stills are the main focal point at the back of the main bar along with huge klieg lights from Pinewood Studios.
As far as pubs in the leafy west end go, The Lane is the equivalent of a polished Hollywood blockbuster, with the odd stroppy primadonna behind the bar thrown in.
Open: Midday-midnight Mon-Fri; 10am-midnight Sat, Sun.
