FOOD ADS AND SOME HOME COOKING

After a wee flurry sampling some of the gastronomic delights from around the eastern side of the globe - it's time to get back to a few of our own homely spots in town who served up delicious delicacies for those of us who weren't too concerned about our westernized diet.

Going in date order this time - the Keiller Restaurant ad is from 1963 and is for their place in the High Street, while reminding us where their other eateries were located.

The ad for Nelson's is dated 1965 and is for their shops in Nelson Street and the Wellgate. Although it was a confectioners, I think their place in the Wellgate may have had a wee corner sitting area.

You'll all be familiar with the T-Bone Steakhouse I bet - their joint doon Union Street. The ad is from 1977 and the place would be doing a roaring trade around this era.

Raffles in the Perth Road was a nice cheery restaurant/café that had a very good reputation for it's food and service.

I just thought I'd include this basic ad from 1984 to remind you of their logo.

The ad for Shepherd's and the Baked Tattie & Pizza House is conjoined because they both shared the same address in Perth Road. It's dated 1984 - so pre Peking.

The Brooklyn Diner ad is dated 1985, and its location was on the corner pf Panmure Street and Meadowside. Typical American-style food, and lots of neon lighting as part of its look. You could also hire the place for private functions too.

The Town House ad is a 1988 one and emphasizes their pub lunches - Farfir bridies an' a' that.

But can anyone remember what David did? It says Wednesday, Thursday and Sundays were music nights, but they don't put David's appearance in that category. So what was in store for everyone - did he come up to you and smash you in the face with a frying pan, or what??

Mondays and Tuesdays to be avoided??!!

MORE PLEASE!

Some of you may think that just before I tucked into my meal on Christmas day, I snapped this picture of it on my mobile, but no, this spread of Scottish cuisine dates back to 1984.
Tasty treats on offer include Keillers marmalade, butterscotch sweets, OVD rum, pies plus a few other delights in the mix.
This leads nicely into the fact that it's time once again for me to whet your appetite and serve up a feast of goodies on Retro, with lots of Dundee morsels placed tantalizingly before you to chew over! Some of the items on show may make you want a second helping and the odd one might induce bile, but at least there will be the usual variety brought over to you on the Retro platter.
Having said that, 2011 will be my final year dishing up the local fare. Fun that it is, I haven't actually got a bottomless pit of material to delve into, and having made a recent assessment, I reckon that the quantity I have remaining will run out this year. I definitely do have loads of stuff to keep going for many months and will likely go beyond summer before I reach the end of the line.
Retro Dundee will of course remain on the net, so all the items that are on will stay on for you to rewind over, as and when you fancy.
For now though, better get back into the time machine and set forth on another weird & wonderful journey into our past!!

Happy New YEEEEEEEEAAAaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....... (enter time warp portal for 1980's).

2ND BASE ADVERT - 1983

Located beside the Keiller Centre, 2nd Base was the place to go in the 80's for a game of snooker and to try your luck on the slot machines.
Not sure if they had "next to the Keiller Centre" as their postal address, but it was to be found roughly around the back of Reform St/Meadowside area, 2 flights up...I think!

MAKING WAY FOR THE KEILLER CENTRE

This is what it looked like when they cleared the area in readiness for the building of the Keiller Centre, in the late 70's.
The surveyor is standing at the Commercial Street/Meadowside corner area. The picture looks over to the back of the buildings in the High Street, in the middle distance.
Photo by the Scotsman.

THE CITY SQUARE & HIGH STREET - 1970

This shot of the City Square from around 1970 shows The Val d'Or restaurant sitting pretty at it's prime location in the middle of town. The Val d'Or is the canopy on the corner of the Square with the window boxes being the upstairs dining area.
This corner premises later became Burton's.
Also in the image, across in the High Street, is another place selling grub, the Restaurant above Keiller, the white/yellow building on the first floor.

OKHAI THE NOO!

The ad at the top dates from the mid 80's and is for the Okhai Group.
They manufactured a variety of items such as product packaging, sweets, fizzy drinks, stationery, etc.
You can read the full list of what they produced in more detail on the ad.
Their main depot was based at 34 Mains Loan.
They also came up with an amusing slogan with a touch of double wordplay - "Okhai The Noo".
When Keiller's closed down in the early 80's, the Okhai Group ended up using their empty Dundee factory to produce their own range of soft drinks, including Meri-Mate. The picture of the factory interior above is dated 1984.
After about a decade in business, Okhai closed down in the early 90's.
Photo by The Scotsman.Tints by GG.