Subtle Scots makeover
Snifter is a committed pub man, happy to devote himself to the their homely, warm embrace. But every now and then his head is turned by something a little more stylish and, dare he say, sexy. Such a moment occurred the other night, when he walked into Albannach, a glorious bar bang on the southside of Trafalgar Square, and found himself swooning at its seductive stylishness.
The £2.5m makeover is extreme, styled as a contemporary Scottish bar, though it's all done so subtly no red tartan, McEwan's, or damp fag-branded carpets that its heritage escaped a dazzled Snifter.
But if the change of use is astonishing, even more extraordinary is that it's been achieved by a 31-year-old of no independent means and no experience of the drinks trade.
Niall Barnes, the passionately Scottish owner and manager, is an art-school graduate who spent his 20s pursuing management roles at Reuters, British Gas and BA. He then used the £25,000 he'd won on the stock market travelling round the world pursuing pleasure.
Barnes had fun but as Scots do, missed the auld country. Nowhere could he find a decent Scottish bar, so when he returned to London three years ago, he set about creating one in the heart of "Sassenachshire".
Funding was a struggle, and there were set-backs galore, but by December last year, Barnes had fulfilled his dream.
The 10,000sq ft bar is spread over three levels a ground floor bar, a cocktail and whisky lounge downstairs and a restaurant upstairs. Each is distinctive and dramatic. Snifter's not eaten there yet, but head chef John Paul McLachlan has shared kitchens with Gordon Ramsay and Raymond Blanc so that's a treat to look forward to.
Surprisingly, a few influential critics have had harsh things to say about Albannach. But Barnes is undeterred, and customers are flooding in.
