The Lowland at Lynnhurst in Johnstone dinner review

Suzanne Oswald heads to The Lowland, the newly revamped restaurant within the Lynnhurst Hotel in Johnstone and leaves with plenty to write home about.  After a year of setbacks for the hospitality industry, it’s encouraging to see well-laid plans finally come to fruition and that’s exactly the case for Lynnhurst Hotel in Johnstone. After months... Read More

Book Review: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, reviewed by Keira Brown, co-producer of the Paisley Book Festival. Shuggie Bain, the Booker Prize-winning novel from Douglas Stuart, is a well-crafted joy of a read that embeds characters in your mind that prove almost impossible to shake. All the while, managing to convey the energy of areas of Glasgow... Read More

Arbo ‘Settle’ music review by Robert Blair

Although it flew under our radar at time of release, the past few weeks have allowed us to acquaint ourselves with Settle by Paisley-based producer Arbo. A purveyor of hypnotic soundscapes that encapsulate everything from the visionary work of Steve Reich through to Moby‘s creative height and contemporary forces of innovation such as Floating... Read More

Juniper Bar & Restaurant drinks review

Faced with an expansive and affordable cocktail menu, Robert Blair expands his horizons at Juniper Bar & Restaurant. Let’s make one thing clear from the outset. Generally speaking, I wouldn’t say that I’m a gin drinker. Although it’s not something that I dislike, I’d have described myself as an agnostic when it comes to... Read More

Family Style Dining at Carriages

As we reemerge from lockdown, Renfrewshire Foodies enjoy an afternoon of familial joy at Kilmacolm’s Carriages. There’s no doubt about it, the last six months have been hard on everyone. Simple pleasures such as meeting up with your family have been out the window, leaving us to try to make sense of the world... Read More

Bianco e Nero lunch review

After first visiting years ago, our editor Robert Blair was delighted to find out that Bianco e Nero has only gone from strength to strength.  Since opening it doors as the town’s regeneration was kicking into high gear, Bianco e Nero quickly asserted itself as one of the finest lunchtime eateries that Paisley has... Read More

Book Review: Scabby Queen by Kirstin Innes

Reviewed by Keira Brown, co-producer of the Paisley Book Festival After winning Not The Booker Prize with Fishnet in 2015, Lochwinnoch-based Kirstin Innes has exceeded the anticipation surrounding her new novel, Scabby Queen, In fact, five years later, she’s delivered an even better novel than her protagonist, Clio Campbell, does an album in this... Read More

Book Review: Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan

Reviewed by Keira Brown, co-producer of the Paisley Book Festival Andrew O’Hagan has done it again. Ever since reading The Illuminations, I have noted this author’s ability to revolve novels around sensitive subjects. Anchored by a succinct voice and wonderful characterisation, he does so marvellously in Mayflies. It’s Summer 1986 in the west coast... Read More

Multan Tandoori – Paisley’s award-winning Indian restaurant

Renfrewshire Foodies decamp to one of Paisley’s hidden gems for some exquisite Indian cuisine. Firstly, Multan Tandoori isn’t somewhere you happen to fall into. Although not far from the main thoroughfare of Paisley and easily walkable from Gilmour Street station, you really need to be clued up to come here. You’ll find it safely... Read More

Book Review: Resist: Stories of Uprising edited by Ra Page

Reviewed by Keira Brown, co-producer of the Paisley Book Festival At a time in society where political demos and protests are rife, Comma Press’ anthology Resist is a significant historical read, considering mass strikes and resistance since the times of Boudica to the neglectful incident of the Grenfell Tower. With fictionalised accounts from Kamila... Read More