Many of us eaten in basement restaurants that had more in common with a dungeon than a dining room but, unless your CV lists a stint spent at Her Majesty’s pleasure, then few of us have eaten in an actual prison.
That could change after The Clink unlocked its many doors this weekend. A gourmet restaurant in High Down Prison in Surrey, it trains inmates as chefs and uses their culinary skills to feed the staff and visitors. As you might imagine, headline writers have had a lot of fun coming up with porridge-based puns but, at least according to this review, the food is more of an easy stretch than hard labour.
As well as housing the Blood Transfusion service HQ and an asylum (not at the same time), Edinburgh’s Hotel Du Vin used to be a debtors’ prison but that seems to be as close as Scotland gets to The Clink.
Could the same thing happen here? Anyone fancy a Bar L Breakfast or a Saughton Sandwich?
On a completely different note, Glasgow’s Byres Road has a new Indian restaurant. The Curry Leaf serves tapas and thalis. Nearby 5pm members include Ashoka Ashton Lane, Brasserie at Oran Mor and La Vallee Blanche.