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October 30, 2014
You want burgers, shakes and good times? Head for The Rotunda Bar and Diner.
You want burgers, shakes and good times? Head for The Rotunda Bar and Diner.

There are new restaurant openings afoot on both sides of the M8. In Glasgow, The Rotunda Bar and Diner is dishing up American-style favourites on Tunnel Street while Annette Sprague has opened Redwood Bistro in Edinburgh’s Corstorphine.

Close to The Hydro

Part of the Rotunda complex and handily situated next to The Hydro, The Rotunda Bar and Diner could be called a Ronseal restaurant in that it does what it says on the tin. Like any good American diner, it serves a wide variety of burgers as well as barbeque and other southern American dishes. ‘Burgers, Shakes. Good Times’ is how the new venture sells itself and that seems a pretty compelling set of reasons to visit. We reckon that a starter of the hickory smoked BBQ ribs followed by the classic cheese burger and a boozy ice cream float would be our pick of the goodies on offer. The Rotunda Bar and Diner is now on 5pm Dining with a 25% off a la carte offer. It joins other Rotunda restaurants such as the Italian restaurant La Rotunda; the Asian Yen Rotunda and the Spanish Fino.

Cali cuisine

Forty or so miles to the west, Redwood Bistro bills itself as a ‘California style neighbourhood bistro’. Chef patron Annette Sprague is Californian. Some readers may remember that she previously ran the Redwood restaurant on St Stephen Street in Stockbridge. After a series of trial pop-ups, her new restaurant opens for dinner on Meadow Place Road this evening. Reflecting Annette’s Cali background, the menus at Redwood take their culinary cue from all around the world. On the plate, this means starters such as the crispy squid salad with pumpkin, broccoli, chilli, rice noodles, fresh coriander and a Thai-inspired dressing along with main courses like the herb-marinated leg of lamb skewers with chickpea, feta, spinach, red onion and a red pepper salad with mint and coriander pesto. The 5pm Dining blog wishes them both the very best.

Redwood Bistro serves dishes from around the world.
Redwood Bistro serves dishes from around the world.