When you see an empty restaurant, the absence of people is one of the first things you notice.

These are spaces that are custom-built for socialising and no matter how beautifully the room may be designed, there’s something missing if the scene isn’t punctuated by customers. This was particularly noticeable in the last stage of lockdown. Restaurants and bars sitting forlornly on furlough made for a grim sight. 

This week, indoor hospitality returns in a limited fashion. There’s a new name in the city centre, with Ralph & Finns opening tomorrow. It’s arrival was announced with great fanfare as the family behind Urban Bar & Brasserie have decided to take their venue on St Vincent Place in a different direction. 

Glasgow Times:

I visited for a first look this week and the difference is really striking.

Although the kitchen and front of house staff are essentially the same, this is a totally new proposition. The original bar is gone, opening out the space into the dining room that’s now fitted with smart booths along both walls. The room is now dominated by a substantial 22-seater marble bar with leather stools that sits at the heart of the restaurant. You can imagine this being a popular meeting spot for buzzy gatherings, when such things are possible again.

It feels like a real invitation to make Ralph & Finns part of your city centre routine. 

Glasgow Times:

Meanwhile, the front of the restaurant, which has been owned by the Tomkins family for over 15 years will provide all-day dining a Garden Room that is casual while retaining a sense of occasion.

You can imagine this will be a new brunch spot. Meanwhile, there’s an impressive new whisky room and private dining room, named The Boardroom in a nod to the building’s history as the former Scottish headquarters of the Bank of England.

The menu is moving in a small plate direction. Head Chef John Paul Lappin remains in the kitschen and stand out dishes from his new menu include a beef carpaccio starter with charred artichokes, pickled walnuts and peppered goats cheese, and some retro classics with a contemporary twist, including the signature chicken Kiev.

Emma Tomkins takes the reins at Ralph & Finns after over a decade in the industry, running southside hotspot Ollie’s Bistro and Vroni’s wine bar. She’ll be joined at the helm by Andy MacSween, who takes on the role of Operations Manager after spending the past seven years managing the teams at two of Glasgow’s most successful restaurants, Ox and Finch and Ka Pao.

Glasgow Times:

I spoke to them both just before they began their first training session for the staff ahead of tomorrow’s opening. 

Emma says the idea for the restaurant came from a desire to update the appearance of the restaurant and then became a new concept.

“At first, we weren’t sure if we were going to change the name, but then we realised that we had made so many changes that it wasn’t Urban anymore.

"We have moved away from a brasserie feel. We started off thinking that we would use this period of lockdown to make some appearance changes.

"Then before you know it, we had Mark Brunjes of CM Design in talking about interiors. My dad’s goal was always to have an amazing bar in this room and now we have that as the centre point of the whole operation.

"It was hard to say goodbye, the place means a lot to us, but what we have now is new and fresh.”