New Ale for February

The first month of 2009 has been and gone. I'm starting to notice it getting a bit lighter in the mornings. However there are still some nice winter ales to be had to keep out the cold. During February we will be featuring Williams Brothers Midnight Sun. A dark spicy porter with and ABV of 5.8%.
Although not a new ale to The Grog and Gruel, it will be new to most folk. We cannot guarantee it will be on all the time in February due to the unreliability of trade at the moment being balanced with keeping top quality ales. Just another reason to keep popping into the Grog to see what ales are on offer today.

Now open 7 days a week!! (again)

Finally the darkest part of the winter is drawing to an end. All the major work has been done in preparation for "the green shoots" of recovery of the economy to be grasped. This means will be returning to our usual 7 days a week opening for both The Grog and Gruel bar and restaurant. The coming year seems to be shaping up well. Some good music booked, exciting ales coming from our local breweries, and lots of e mail enquiries.
If we were to listen to local and national reports we wouldn't be so optimistic however it has never been our way to follow trends but to set them. If the credit crunch is getting you down then there has never been a better time to raise your spirits with a pint of cask ale and a nachos. Maybe some of our optimism will rub off !

Mr Lover Lover

For all you romantics out there, we're now taking bookings for Valentine's Day, with the rather catchy and unique tag line of '... avoid a row with the missus.'

Not my idea, but it makes sense to me. So, come on, you know it makes sense too!

Tommy's Turnips Continued..

Here is chef Tommy again, this time with his Burn's Night celebration feast. MacSween's haggis, neeps and mashed tatty. Simple but delicious. The perfect way to celebrate the life of Scotland's most famous bard. As well as the traditional haggis Tommy also spent time 'brewing' a tasty spiced turnip soup, perfect for the cold winter nights.

With all the great things going on that The Grog & Gruel this week, mainly with turnips. It's a great place to celebrate Burns Night 2009.

Tommy's Turnips

My, that's a fine pair of turnips you have there, Tommy!

January midweeks are very quiet here on the High Street, and having sorted out the kitchen and got on top of all the cleaning and maintenance, now's the time to have a bit of fun getting all creative. Well, time to have a bit of fun anyway.

With Burn's Night just round the corner, Tommy's got himself a fine pair of neeps and will be ensuring that there's plenty of MacSween's Haggis in too. This week you can expect to see some Haggis Neeps and Tatties and a' that.

Some hae meat and cannot eat.
Some cannot eat that want it:
But we hae meat and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.

Mission accomplished

How long does it take to do a job? Twice as long as you allow. Simple. Anyway, after a slightly longer than expected absence, our chefs are back with their brand new kitchen floor, ready to cater (see what I did there!) to your every need.

The new altro floor and a very shiney kitchen.

And all that clutter that we'd piled in the restaurant while we sorted out the kitchen, and also laid a new hard wearing and resistant floor in the food store, is now back in its rightful place. With a couple more weeks of restricted opening as is usual through January, we're ready for everything the coming has to throw at us. Bring it on!

So Long George Dubya

Quick quiz. What's rule number one when it comes to running a pub? Anyone? Yes, that's right. No football, no religion, no politics.

So, we're not about to break rule number one and get all political. Far from it. We just want to take this opportunity to wish George Dubya a fond farewell and thanks very much for all the entertainment that you've provided us with over the last 8 years. How much fun we've had with your 'Bushisms' and the odd game of 'Bush or Chimp'.


Please, support our favourite web site and buy a t-shirt today. And join us in wishing ol' Dubya well on his way - don't go misunderestimating him.

Hope that new guy is just as much fun!

What? No Food!

Happy New Year!

Another Hogmanay week over and done with. Good to see the place busy again. Lots of happy faces around, thirsty and hungry and somewhat red-cheeked after some stunning days out on the hills. Thick fog lying on the head of Loch Linnhe made the town a bit gloomy on a few mornings, and with a heavy haw frost and sub zero temperatures it looked like something off an atmospheric film set. However, head a few hundred feet up the hills and above the sea of clouds you'd find some stunning sunny weather (and a degree or 2 warmer).

So, doom, gloom recession, lack of Woolies on the High Street and all that, but we seem to have bucked the trend and had our own little oasis of prosperity at The Grog & Gruel. For one week at least!

A different story if you turn up hungry this week though! What? No food!

The kitchen is closed for a few days so that we can replace the floor covering and give it a bit of a makeover. Its now nearly 13 years since we last gave it a complete overhaul and, despite being an incredibly hard worked area, it has stood the test of time well. This essential work is sound investment and will undoubtedly help to keep our already high standards high. Unfortunately, as we need access to the entire floor area in the kitchen and wash-up areas, the sink is now in the restaurant, the griddle is on table 7 and no one has seen the fridge since Sunday. Normal service will be resumed shortly!