The Luchador 

The local food scene has an exciting new recruit as Abandon Ship’s independent-minded bar menu from their home port of Dundee has arrived on the Southside. Deliveries have already started from a kitchen on Pollokshaws Road and there are bigger plans to establish a city centre venue when restrictions allow.  

Some background: Abandon Ship Apparel started out in Glasgow in 2011, growing from a bedroom business to establish one of their first pop-up stores at Princes Square and establishing a wider following. After a rollercoaster few years, they found their niche in the alternative clothing scene in Dundee, establishing a warehouse there.

Founder Richard Davies opened a barbershop and a café to further solidify the Dundee connection before introducing Abandon Ship Bar to bring together art, food, cocktails and apparel. It was a big hit and established a strong reputation for stylish drinks and bar bites demand attention.

Operation Director AJ McMenemy says the brand’s strong connection to Glasgow, and Richard’s recent move to the Southside, has led the company in a new direction. “Richard has moved to Glasgow and the intention was to bring Abandon Ship Bar there to. We didn’t have a property in mind so there has been around six months of looking, but we’ve now found it. All I can say right now is that it is in the city centre and it’s going to be a substantial offering”.

Work had already begun on another project, The Luchador, a South America inspired bar that’s currently waiting to get started. It’s the available kitchen here that’s enabled Abandon Ship to make an early debut.

AJ explains: “There was an opportunity on the Southside and we’ve developed The Luchador. We’re really happy with it and we are ready to open when restrictions allow us. At the moment, it means we can start to bring Abandon Ship food to Glasgow through delivery platforms.

“The Luchador will showcase flavours from across South America and different drinks. We want people to experience that in a bar setting first. We’ve a great relationship with our new neighbours and we are looking forward to adding an extra element of vibrancy to the area when we open.

“With Abandon Ship, we’re really confident in the menu for delivery as we’ve had it running in Dundee for over two years. We’ve got the premise, we’ve got the team and we just felt like we couldn’t lie low any longer. We’ll press forward now and bring some interesting food to people. We can’t wait to introduce the menu to people.”

Abandon Ship is now available on Uber Eats. They offer burgers on toasted pretzel buns, loaded fries, loaded nachos, chicken wings and sides. There’s also a pun-strewn cocktail selection to add to your order.

 

Byres Road Gets Juicy

Blow Colour Bar on Byres Road already has a strong local following so we expect good things from founder Fallon Carberry’s next project. Inspired by an overhaul of her own diet and lifestyle over the last year, she is on a mission to introduce a new range of fresh cold pressed juices alongside acai berries, protein lunch bowls and plant-based convenience food to go. Juicy UK is set to open in April. Fallon says: “When we saw the new location I instantly fell in love. We can’t wait to get our first shop open in the West End and we are already planning for new locations around the city and beyond”.

 

Art in the City

Art and creative expression were at the heart of Glasgow’s cityscape for a time, but at some point we lost our way. A sense of individuality has been lacking in modern developments. A conscious effort to add more character and brighten up the edges of familiar streets has seen a proliferation of street art in the last decade.

Walk around and there will be moments when you find yourself stopped in your tracks, staring at a floating taxi down a lane or an urban nature scene bursting out of a gable end or folk playing badminton suspended above cobbled streets.

A hub for the street art scene and an entry point for young graffiti artists has been SWG3, a complex of venues and studio space that has sprung forth from underused areas beside the Clyde. Now £540,000 has ben awarded for a Street Art District as part of wider plans for Yorkhill, Partick and Govan.

There will be a purpose-built home for hundreds of artists to create work. The area will also feature large-scale productions on wall space as well as training for community groups. The new funding follows on from the success of the Yardworks festival which established Glasgow as an international centre for street art.

Gaz Mac, SWG3 studio director and co-founder of Yardworks has not only created the opportunity for artists to find new urban canvases he’s made the local community part of the project. He says: “We’re extremely grateful for this funding, which is a vital step towards increasing recognition for all street-based art forms across Scotland. We’re thrilled to be able to provide a platform where artists can not only share their experiences and produce amazing works, but grow their employment prospects in the creative industry, develop their skills, and gain confidence, which is especially important amongst those from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

“It will also have a real impact within the local community, allowing us to continue our work with young people facing economic disadvantage, as well as working towards SWG3’s wider plans for regenerating the area.”

Expect to see gable ends illuminated with new large-scale murals along the riverside, creating a new open-air gallery trail.