CREATING A COMMUNITY THROUGH COCKTAILS
game in Bluedog before he decided his heart lay behind the bar here.
“We opened the doors in September with a tiny team, only four of us.
“I knew that I wanted to be involved the first time I came in.
“Even from the start, before it was open, we wanted this space to be almost a local community venue. It should be somewhere that people can come after work and feel no pressure, where nothing is massively expensive or fancy.
“It’s just a place for people to come and have something decent to eat and see their pal from up the road or something,” he laughs.
Through the week and weekend, Bar Vini serves cheap and quality pasta and sides, with a view to serving only authentic and organic food.
Unusually for an Italian restaurant, with Jamie’s input it has a full cocktail bar. Next, they are aiming to introduce another trend that is taking Glasgow by storm – that of the natural wine craze, already touched upon by bars like Bar Brett and Vin Cru.
With its ambitious aims to educate their clientele as well as serve them good grub in nice surroundings, the team behind Bar Vini are giving others opportunities as well as taking their own.
“It’s simple, straightforward, using the right stuff that’s local and ethical,” explains Jamie.
“I don’t think anyone in Glasgow does aperitivo, so we were one of the first places that people could come in after their work and try something new – whether it’s a new drink or type of food that they haven’t had before.
“That’s a nice side bit, because we don’t make money from it but it gets people in and seeing what it’s like and trying new things, expanding their horizons without worrying about money or buying something.
“I suppose it’s about shared experiences, but also about doing what the community like rather than just what you want.”
Victoria House is quickly becoming a self-sufficient, bohemian precinct in the South Side, and the team at Bar Vini are behind its curation. They are a group of amazing young people, who all have something else to offer to the area and who have a role in the collaboration which Bar Vini has resulted in.
“It seems to be a melting pot for creative minds and we get a lot of artists, musicians, DJs coming in and just spending time,” says Jamie.
“It’s been a blur, the last six months – and they’ve gone so quick. It’s been amazing. When we started, Adri was cooking the pastas himself and shifting the plates. It was really intense but now we’re a full team.”
And what makes it unique is,