Reviews

The List 06/07 p106 HITLIST

Café Hula
321 Hope Street, City Centre (Map 6:7) 0141 353 1660
Mon-Tue 8am - 8pm;
Wed 8am - 9pm;
Thu 8am -10pm;
Fri/Sat 8am -11pm;
Sun11 am-5pm.
Veg; Pre/Post; HW £9; Kids; T/A; NS £7 (lunch) / £13

In the shadow of the Theatre Royal, Café Hula has established a reputation for pre-theatre dining. Be Careful, however, as some mysterious juju, emanating from perhaps the assortment of Creole voodoo icons on the walls, makes it a very difficult place to leave on time. Hula trades in the sort of warm, pose-free eating that's too rare in the city centre. The evening fare arrives in hefty bowls rather than on plates, and its the sort of satisfying stuff best mopped up with a wedge of just-baked bread. Moroccan lamb casserole is subtly spiced and slow-cooked until the meat falls apart, for example. The seafood gumbo groans with calamari, tuna steak and fat mussels, and there is a daily-changing mountain of good gummy risotto. A Blue Peter feel is given the lunchtimes as customers are positively encouraged to improvise sandwich fillings and salad ingredients from the deli counter. Omelette-centric Sunday brunches work well with a table full of conversation and a pot of very good coffee. Be warned, though: solicitous staff press puddings upon you, and so dying a small, sweet death of raspberry, dark chocolate and ginger crepe can seem preferable to any other plans you have.

+ Cleanse yourself of the style bar experience.
- Those wasted theatre tickets.