Homes & Interiors Scotland, September 2009
Style & sustenance
Gillian Welsh

He might have preferred a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich with mashed potato and a couple of deluxe cheeseburgers on the side, but there's no doubt the king of rock'n'roll would find something to love at the new 64-seater cafe-cum-restaurant named after him in Thornwood, Glasgow.

And it wouldn't just be the fabulous, eclectic jukebox either: Velvet Elvis is a welcoming, easy-going neighbourhood hangout that has locals dropping in from noon till midnight seven days a week. Brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner are all on offer, whether you want a drink and snack at the bar, or a more substantial sit-down meal in the restaurant area at the back.

Located at what not so long ago was a butcher's shop (the white-tiled walls and steel hooks instantly give the game away), the cafe has a funky mix of reclaimed furniture and original fittings. Tables spill out on to the pavement through floor-to-ceiling glass doors (kept open all day, weather permitting) and its youngish crowd helps create tha ambience of a fashionable continental cafe.

The menu offers plenty of classics (beer-battered fish and chips, moules frites, sausage and mash), with an emphasis on free-range, environmentally friendly produce. We stuck to Sunday brunch. The homemade chargrilled burger on toasted sourdough was prepared to my exacting specification (medium rare, plus 60 seconds for good measure!), and the accompanying hand-cut chips, cooked in their skins, were chunky and delicious. Eggs Benedict, a dish that is right back in vogue, was perfect: gorgeously runny poached eggs drizzled in just the right amount of homemade hollandaise, with rashers of crispy bacon (from a pedigree rare-breed). A glass of Australian shiraz came with the recommendation of VE's owner Allan Mawn, and was not too intense for an early-afternoon tipple.

Velvet Elvis is a pleasing addition to this West End outpost, offering locals, including the well-heeled inhabitants of Glasgow Harbour's luxe apartments, an alternative to trekking to the bright lights of Byres Road. Vava Velvet Elvis, we say!

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