Here's a nice piece of artwork depicting the interior details of Cafe Americain, the pub that opened in the early 80's in Union Street.It's a kind of half architectural design & half artists impression - modern chic with a touch of art nouveau.
Once you delve into the collage, you can see a few of the pubs main features - the spiral staircase, the wooden panels, the potted plants and it also includes 2 birds-eye views of downstairs and upstairs, where you can make out the layout of the tables, the bar areas and even the toilets.
There is the reminder on the downstairs plan that the bar was on a raised part of the floor which had a couple of steps connecting it. It was quite a common sight to watch people stumble on these as the night wore on, leaving them with the sensation that they were not quite as cool as they thought they were!
Never happened to me though!!!!!!
To refresh your memory, there are a few photos of Cafe Americain already up on Retro. Just type it in the search box to find them.
Image by Nicholl Russell Studios.
I used to go there quite often when I worked in town. Once, me and a colleague got very drunk trying out Bezique (remember that!) We'd never heard of it so decided to give it a go - tried it with all sorts of mixers. Bezique and coke was disgusting.
ReplyDeleteThere was a story going around not long after Cafe Americain opened, that some gunshots were fired at the building. Word on the street was it had something to do with some kind of pub territory wars going on behind the scenes, the shots being a warning to the owner!
ReplyDeleteNo idea if the story was fact or fiction!
maybe true, who was the owner ? as for the step thing , did it myself :) but not near as bad as Frews , i go there every second week and still fall down it .
ReplyDeleteI might be wrong but did the late Alec. Brown not own it. If so, he had various other pubs at different times.
ReplyDeleteThat's the chap, Alex Brown.
ReplyDeleteThere is an old item on the net from the Sunday Mail about Alex's shady past, including guns, so perhaps the "gunshots" story was factual.
He died mysteriously in Spain not so long ago apparently.
I got my 80's stylee patent stilettos caught in the open ironwork of the spiral staircase in Cafe Americain. Incidentally...although never worn these days, I do still have those very shoes!
ReplyDeleteAlex Brown did own Cafe American and also McGinnogles and Sammy Khans up the Perth Road, I worked in both of them. And you were right there was gun shots fired, I remember it making the local news on tv and Alex's wife Margo being interviewed sitting inside Cafe American. The manager at the time was Tony, the original medallion man, who also managed McGonnagles at one time and also the Barracuda. He once said to his bar staff, that all bar staff were frustrated pop starts just wanting to hog the limelight!!!! Think he thought everyone was like him!!!!!!
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