Azzurro

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, Apr 25, 1999 | by Janice Hopper

Azurro Zinc Address: 1st and 2nd floor, The Academy, Schoolhill, Aberdeen Opening Hours: Mon-Sat, 11 to midnight; Sun, 12 noon to 11pm. No Happy Hours. DJs on Friday night Aberdeen's Academy contains two things close to every Scots woman's heart - shopping and alcohol - and the bars also provide an excellent babysitting facility for shop-weary young men. Simply cross the courtyard and take the lift to reach Azzurro Zinc bar/grill and jazz cafe on the first and second floor.

Azzurro is refreshingly simple - clean, straight lines, a navy colour-scheme, no clutter and the occasional decorative feature. It is immaculately clean and orderly without being cold, stylish without being intimidating and smart rather than trendy.

Another refreshingly commonsense approach is the excellent service - the key to Azzurro's success. When you arrive you're welcomed, invited to take a seat and the waiter/barman takes your order. Your drinks and bill are brought to your table and you pay on departure - all incredibly civilised. In some bars your tepid beer is served in glasses straight from the dishwasher, in Azzurro you receive a frosted glass straight from the fridge; yes, from the fridge. Lastly Azzurro is a sociable bar. Although lively at the weekend, in midweek the jazz, funk and chart music is played at a reasonable level. Perhaps I'm growing old too soon, but customers were actually talking to each other. Even theweekend DJ plays soul and R&B - an island in a sea of happy house, chart and dance music. The jazz cafe upstairs was a bit of a let down as it wasn't dark and smoky with low ceilings at all, and although I looked for scorned lovers drinking to ease broken hearts they seemed a bit thin on the ground. In a nutshell Azzurro's owners have taken common sense and simplicity and applied them to their decor, personnel, atmosphere and prices - but beware, on your arrival the lift opens unexpectedly behind you so don't get caught doing something you shouldn't! Janice Hopper