In Glasgow, the B-listed North Rotunda building is enjoying a new chapter in its long and varied life as La Rotunda Italian restaurant establishes itself on the ground floor.
Located by the SECC and Transport Museum, the building started life as the entrance to tunnels which ran under the Clyde but, over the last three decades, it has instead housed various restaurants.
La Rotunda is a new Italian which has been set up by three restaurateurs – Kevin Campbell, Patrick Collins and Antonio Carbajosa. By coincidence, Antonio’s father, Jose Carbajosa, managed the original Italian restaurant which opened in the North Rotunda way back in 1987.
The current directors of the business are all steeped in the hospitality trade. As well as working as a chef director at La Rotunda, Antonio is in partnership with Kevin Campbell at Athena in Finniestoun while Patrick Collins was owner and general manager at Sartis for ten years.
Anyway, enough nostalgia and background. Contemporary authentic Italian cuisine is the name of the game at the new venture and it is served in a suitably modern interior.
The owners have spent over £200k completely refitting La Rotunda. The most striking feature is the open plan kitchen which looks through to the restaurant, complete with top of the range stone pizza ovens.
The dining area is bathed in natural light from the original floor to ceiling windows. Vintage photographs of the building in its old guise adorn the walls. You can check out La Rotunda’s 5pm offers here.
Yen Oriental restaurant continues to thrive on the upper floor.