Glasgow's Bothwell Street has a long way to go before it catches up with neighbouring Bath Street in terms of being a red-hot party destination.
Just like Bath Street a few years ago, you go there to work in the morning rather than drink and dance away the night.
Once the offices have shut and the last eager beaver has headed for home, it can be a bit like a ghost town.
There may not be tumbleweeds blowing down the road, but the odd chip wrapper creates a similar effect. Still there are a few pioneering places that are creeping out from Central Station with the aim of introducing a little late night entertainment to the area.
Like cowboys heading west, they keep on stretching the fun frontier along the badlands of Anderston. The latest to throw open its doors and fire up the beer pumps is called Citrus.
It's located on the former premises of the ill-fated Leonardo and Co one of the first bar restaurants to stake a claim on Bothwell Street that found it tough territory.
Hopefully, Citrus will prove to be made of sterner stuff. It's a bar-restaurant and although the restaurant area is perhaps double the size of the bar, it was the drinking area that saw all the action on the Monday night we visited.
It would be good to tell you the bar looks a million dollars, that it made my jaw drop and my eyes pop as I walked in. But I'd be telling porkies.
I'm looking to buy some kitchen units at the moment and the bar in Citrus looks a little like one of the kitchen catalogues, but without the built-in washing machine.
If Citrus was in a brochure itself, then I imagine the blurb would say something along the lines of: ''The shaker-framed doors and light-oak effect panels react with the granite work surfaces to create the perfect blah, blah, blah.''
Translated from brochure speak, this means Citrus is very tastefully done. There are leather bucket chairs, spotlights, potted plants and high tables. It's not over the top luxury or bare minimalism it is just teeth-achingly well mannered and a bit bland.
The plasma screen on the wall was switched to BBC 24 News, breaking the story about Ray Davies being shot.
Citrus keeps two powerful aces up its sleeve.
The first of these is the friendliness of its staff. Our waitress was on the ball, appearing almost immediately our glasses were empty and returning sharpish.
The other big plus point is the food. I'm not going to step on Tam Cowan's ponderous toes, but the tapas and pizza we ordered were cuts above the usual pub grub.
And the place is open from 8 am for office workers who fancy breakfast before manning their keyboards.
On the drinks front, Citrus has a more interesting range of booze than the chain bars without anything too exotic. When we were there, they had just launched an introductory cocktail menu of mojitos, cosmopolitans and daiquiris.
It all adds up to a comfortable little package that will make it a favourite after-work watering hole for people in the surrounding offices.
I'm less sure the bar alone is enough of an attraction to pull the crowds back into Bothwell Street after they have gone home to get changed out of their work clothes.
By no means is Citrus a complete lemon, but it's not an absolute peach either.
It's good to see new areas getting a bit of nightlife injected into them, but Citrus might find it a bit lonely out there for the time being.
Open: 8 am-midnight, seven days
Food: Served until 10 pm
Drinks: Pint of Stella £3; bottle of Peroni £2.50; glass of wine from £2.25; bottle of wine from £10.95
Rating: Three out of five
Details
0141 243 2162
od to tell you the bar looks a million dollars, that it made my jaw drop and my eyes pop as I walked in. But I'd be telling porkies.
I'm looking to buy some kitchen units at the moment and the bar in Citrus looks a little like one of the kitchen catalogues, but without the built-in washing machine.
If Citrus was in a brochure itself, then I imagine the blurb would say something along the lines of: ''The shaker-framed doors and light-oak effect panels react with the granite work surfaces to create the perfect blah, blah, blah.''
Translated from brochure speak, this means Citrus is very tastefully done. There are leather bucket chairs, spotlights, potted plants and high tables. It's not over the top luxury or bare minimalism it is just teeth-achingly well mannered and a bit bland.
The plasma screen on the wall was switched to BBC 24 News, breaking the story about Ray Davies being shot.
Citrus keeps two powerful aces up its sleeve.
The first of these is the friendliness of its staff. Our waitress was on the ball, appearing almost immediately our glasses were empty and returning sharpish.
The other big plus point is the food. I'm not going to step on Tam Cowan's ponderous toes, but the tapas and pizza we ordered were cuts above the usual pub grub.
And the place is open from 8 am for office workers who fancy breakfast before manning their keyboards.
On the drinks front, Citrus has a more interesting range of booze than the chain bars without anything too exotic. When we were there, they had just launched an introductory cocktail menu of mojitos, cosmopolitans and daiquiris.
It all adds up to a comfortable little package that will make it a favourite after-work watering hole for people in the surrounding offices.
I'm less sure the bar alone is enough of an attraction to pull the crowds back into Bothwell Street after they have gone home to get changed out of their work clothes.
By no means is Citrus a complete lemon, but it's not an absolute peach either.
It's good to see new areas getting a bit of nightlife injected into them, but Citrus might find it a bit lonely out there for the time being.
Open: 8 am-midnight, seven days 
