][1]The 5pm blog has noticed that the restaurant trade is a cruel one with many ventures perishing before they have even had the opportunity to blow out two candles on their birthday cake. So, it’s an extra big round of applause for La Bonne Auberge in Glasgow’s Theatreland which is still going strong at 37.
It opened as the city’s first Mediterranean/French brasserie back in 1975, a time when most people’s grasp of French cooking extended only so far as ‘Do they really eat snails?’
New look
Our understanding of other countries’ cuisines has come on leaps and bounds since then and La Bonne Auberge has not stood still either. Just in time for the festive season, Maurice Taylor, owner of La Bonne Auberge, has just spent a six figure sum giving the popular brasserie a swish and contemporary new interior. The new look was unveiled just as La Bonne Auberge was shortlisted in the ‘Smart but Casual’ Category at the forthcoming Glasgow Restaurant Awards.
Among the changes are the addition of a central showcase wall separating the bar and conservatory. This houses the vast array of much loved objets d’art which have been collected over the years, and are now set to create a real talking point for visitors.
George Wylie
These include two specially commissioned George Wylie wrought iron pieces which were displayed in the Taylor’s original La Bonne Auberge in Park Circus in the 1970s. A longtime friend of Taylor, George Wylie is currently being posthumously honoured with a major retrospective exhibition, In Pursuit of the Question Mark, at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. The works on display feature a number never seen before, as well as previously shown works rescued from obscurity.
Bringing the look and feel of La Bonne Auberge right up to date, the restaurant will feature newly commissioned paintings by Nicol Wheatley, founder and head of Perfect Circle Art, one of Scotland’s leading Fine Art studios. Nichol’s previous work has included the ceiling of St Aloysius Church, the huge marble floor mosaic for The Corinthian, and artworks for Chelsea Football Club’s hotel. Nichol also continues to work on the mural cycle at Oran Mor with longtime collaborator Alasdair Gray.
Offers on meals
La Bonne Auberge is popular with 5pm Restaurant users who have left many a glowing comment on the 5pm Restaurant review site. They are also running some nifty looking deals should you wish to check out the restaurant’s plush new look.
This blogger liked the look of the couple 3-2-1 deal: £45 for two people to each enjoy three courses from the prix fixe menu plus a bottle of house wine.
Bon appétit!