Beard Care & Bar Management Executive Shaving & The Salisbury Bar

Brian Mulreany of Executive Shaving meets Kevin Jamieson of The Salisbury, Glasgow.

The Salisbury bar restaurantis based in Pollokshields, Glasgow it specialises in high quality food and beverages including craft beers and unusual spirts. It happens to be my favourite bistro/bar/restaurant in Glasgow. It’s only a 13 minute walk from my house to The Salisbury and I visit at least once a week.

Kevin Jamieson is the general manager at this busy bistro.
Kevin sports a well-groomed beard and one day I asked him to try out some Executive Shaving beard care products so I could go back and interview him on how he got on with the products and about The Salisbury too. So on 6th October ’15 accompanied by Alan Bunce Executive Shaving’s in-house digital marketer and ace photographer we paid Kevin a visit.

Q: Tell me a bit about yourself Kevin.
A: I’m 28, in a relationship with Roisin and I enjoy keeping fit by running and playing football. I have worked in the bar & restaurant business since I was 16, the hours may be long and hard but this is a job I really enjoy.

Q: What is your role at The Salisbury?
A: I have overall responsibility for the day to day running of the bistro, ordering stock, organising staff rotas, liaising with the chefs, planning menus and planning theme nights like whisky, gin, vodka and craft beer tasting nights. This is a busy establishment and it takes a lot of planning to make it run profitably and smoothly.

Q: Anything else?
A: I have a passion for making cocktails; I particularly enjoy making the classics, cocktails like Old Fashioned, Martinez and Manhattans. A current favourite with our regulars is ‘Oak Gin Sour’, it’s made with Eden Mill Oak gin from St. Andrews, house made thyme syrup, fresh lemon, bitters and egg white.
Often cocktail makers overindulge and complicate the drinks, my cocktails are uncomplicated, I use only the best spirits and mixers and I take my time. My all-time favourite is an Old Fashioned.

Here’s Kevin’s recipe for the perfect Old Fashioned.
Peel off some fresh orange rind, place this in the bottom of the glass
Add a healthy dash of good quality bourbon
Add ice cubes, add a dash of Free Brothers 1864 Bitters and a smaller dash of Free Brothers Orange Bitters
Add some Demerara syrup for sweetness
Stir slowly, top up with more bourbon and ice then stir slowly and serve.

Q: Describe The Salisbury to a stranger.
A: Local, relaxed, laid back and it’s a great restaurant / bar. We only use local, fresh ingredients, the fish as you would expect is as fresh as it can be and we go to a lot of trouble to source exceptional quality meats. Our chefs dare to be different, for example tonight one of our specials is roast guinea fowl with house made haggis, wild mushrooms and a white wine and cream sauce.

Q: What do you do in your spare time, what hobbies do you have?
A: I love going to gigs and I love playing music everything from rock to northern soul. The music we play here is mostly my own favourites, it’s important to have the right music in the background; it portrays what we are all about.
When I’m not working or gigging I like to keep fit by running and playing football.

Q: Ron McKenna of The Herald newspaper reviewed The Salisbury a while back and gave it 26/30, that's high praise indeed. Did his review have an effect on business?
A: Oh yes, bookings did go up and they've stayed high. He basically reported what customers were telling us, the food is quirky and clever and the vibe is relaxed. Pleasingly he described our food as 'great value for this level of cooking'.

Q: I know you’re not long back from a month long trip to the Far East, tell me about that.
A: It was an amazing time, along with a friend I visited Vietnam, Bali, Singapore, Indonesia and the Gili Islands which are three tiny islands just off the northwest coast of Indonesia. There are no cars or buses there, it was idyllic and such a contrast to busy, bustling Glasgow. 

Q: I saw you when you came back from your holiday and noticed your beard was much less bushy and shorter than before your trip, what happened to it?
A: The heat and humidity was too much for my facial forest, it went all frizzy and the skin underneath was itching; it was time for a severe trim. Now I’m home I’m growing my beard back to its former glory.

Q: You’re a stylish guy Kevin, describe your look.
A: I enjoy wearing smart, stylish, tailored, fitted clothes, smart casual I suppose. Today’s look is typical for me, a fitted waistcoat with skinny jeans, quality leather boots and a nice shirt with a bit of colour and my beard has to look just right.

Q: Tell me about your beard, what’s your beard care regime?
A: Since you gave me the Beard Wash to try out I’m addicted to it, it really does reduce frizz and nourish the skin under the beard, I can honestly say I no longer suffer from the dreaded beard itch and my beard is noticeably softer than before. Ask Roisin, she is well impressed with the softness of my beard!

Q: What else impressed you about The Executive Shaving Beard Care Kit?
A: The beard brush and comb are essentials, the moustache wax I’ll only use occasionally I think, I’m not convinced I need it as I use the beard wash daily in the shower then I brush the beard before applying a few drops of beard oil which I comb through from the roots to the tips. This quick routine is all I need to give my beard a healthy shine and keep it free from frizz.

Q: Any parting words to the people who will read this Blog?
A: Pop into The Salisbury if you’re ever in Glasgow, if you live here you’ve got to book in advance as our October menu has just been launched. If you have a beard, get yourself an Executive Shaving Beard Kit, it’s got all you need for a well-groomed, itch free, frizz free beard.

Visit The Salisbury:
72 Nithsdale Road
Glasgow
G41 2AN
E: info@salisburybar.com
W: www.salisburybar.com
T: 0141 423 0084

Kevin used The Executive Shaving Beard Box which includes:
1. Beard Oil to nourish the beard and moisturise the skin underneath
2. Beard Wash to wash and condition the beard, reducing beard frizz
3. Moustache Wax to style the whiskers
4. Beard Brush for styling and untangling the whiskers
5. Moustache comb for styling
6. Handy aluminium tin box – men love tin boxes!