Inverness is thriving and Ash has a lot to do with that

By Jonathan Trew

Details Ash  Station Square  Academy Street  Inverness        01463 232403 At the risk of annoying Irate of Inverness, it seems fair to say the Highland capital used to be more Socks In The Bothy than Sex In The City. If you were looking for somewhere respectable, a little couthy, but well placed to enjoy the outdoors then Inverness ticked the relevant boxes. If you were looking for cutting edge nightlife and sophisticated bars then you might be better looking elsewhere. I'm not being mean but having conquered Paris, New York and Tokyo, expensive footwear flogger Jimmy Choo may not have put Inverness at the top of the list for his next shoe shop. Over the last few years though, Inverness has been something of a boom town. As well as gaining city status, they have gone and built themselves a spanking new shopping centre and opened up a raft of bars and restaurants for the trendy to flaunt all their purchases in. The most recent addition to city nightlife is the Ash bar. Part of the Royal Highland Hotel that sits next to the train station, this used to be a bog-standard watering hole called Sleepers. I'm not saying the name was entirely appropriate but it wasn't the most exciting bar in the world. Ash bar is in a different league and should work as a wake-up call for the rest of the city's pubs. Even if you had never been to Sleepers before it changed, the best way to appreciate how different Ash is would be to enter through the hotel's main lobby. The hotel is very trad Scottish with tartan carpets and function rooms named after historical Scottish figures. Ash bar, on the other hand, is sleek, chic and bang up to date. It's all stone, slate, wood and leather with moody black and white photos on the wall and exotic bird of paradise flowers on the bar. I have no idea if they operate any sort of dress code but it's the kind of smart looking place that will encourage its customers to make an effort anyway. Glass partitions, two bar areas and a mix of banquette, stool and window seating break the space up into different zones so it doesn't feel like one big barn. Perhaps wisely, Ash bar has resisted the temptation to be wildly adventurous on the cocktail front and has stuck to modern classics. Who needs a slippery nipple on the beach or some other horror when you can have a bloody mary or a sea breeze? Less convincing are the baby Moet bottles. At £10 a pop that seems an expensive way to make a statement. Still, if you must indulge those Footballers' Wives fantasies then I can't stand in your way. Anyway, I suspect Inverness is too bright to fall for the dafter aspects of style bars such as drinking quarter bottles of champagne through a straw. Proof of this was the two women taking a break from their Saturday shopping to have a cup of coffee. 'Would you like cappucino, latte, mocha or espresso?' asked the waitress. 'We have decaff, regular and . . .' 'Just two coffees, please hen,' interrupted one of the women. The website for Ash invites customers to 'ask for a heart warming cocktail and imagine you are sitting on the veranda of the Singapore Ritz'. It might take more than one cocktail before anyone confuses Inverness with Singapore but never mind. Ash deserves a slap on the back for making a good stab at a style bar. Open: 11am-1am, Mon-Thu; 11am-2am, Fri-Sat ; 12.30pm1am, Sun Drinks: Pint of lager, £2.35; vodka and coke, £2.40; glass of wine, £2.75; cocktails from £3.50 Rating: Three out of five

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