Copyright scotsman
A series of unexpected events have led Kevin Smith and his husband Tony Pollock - the duo behind The Heron House Group who own the Droughty Cobbler in Elgin and Bonnie Beastie in Forres - to the opening of their third venue, Babette. Eagle-eyed locals might know this new bar and brasserie, located in the Foundry Building in Inverness, as Betty’s but Mr Smith and Mr Pollock were forced to change the name at the last minute when a famous Harrogate teahouse got in touch. Mr Smith explained that he’d never heard of Betty’s of Harrogate and had initially named his new venue for his mother and her parties but also as a homage to the French brasseries in New York with their leather booths, concrete floors, velvet curtains and marble table tops that he and Mr Pollock love to visit. It was after a member of the public got in touch with Betty’s of Harrogate to ask if they were opening in Inverness that the tearoom owners contacted Mr Smith about the trademark issue. Mr Smith went back and forward with the team at Betty’s on various iterations of the name to include Betty’s but eventually had to settle with Babette - the French diminutive of Elizabeth - which he said “perfectly reflects the restaurant’s blend of French brasserie style and New York energy.” He said: “We really tried with (the team at) Betty’s and went back and forward several times to see if we could come up with something that would, very obviously, not be in conflict. It disappointed me that we couldn’t get to that point because their reply to the member of the public said ‘best wishes, good luck, we hope for the best for you’ and said there were no plans to open a Betty’s outside of Yorkshire. “That gave me a bit of hope that we’d be able to work with them on something that wasn’t in any way confusing to the public. We tried and tried, changing the logo with added text and different iterations of Betty’s - we didn’t just give up - but at the end of the day, going through that whole process has led us to a point that we’re really happy with. The name Betty’s just sounded like one of the New York brasseries we’ve come to love visiting. You could imagine it on a plate and it feels familiar. When we couldn’t call it Betty’s we started researching as we wanted to keep that DNA and we’ve ended up with a name that fits it better. Even my mum prefers it. The whole thing has been cathartic.” The venue was also something of a turn in the road, as Mr Smith and Mr Pollock were set to take over the Winking Owl in Aviemore, but a last minute change of heart by owners Heineken meant it was back to the drawing board, and back up the A9 to the Highland capital. Mr Smith explained this turn of events meant the couple got to know the outgoing tenants of the Winking Owl, Sam and Martin of Cairngorm Taverns, who are the landlords of the Foundry building. This led to Mr Smith and Mr Pollock taking on the lease and they’re in it for the long haul as Mr Smith explained: “They (Cairngorm Taverns) weren’t looking for anything temporary, so we’re in it for the long run and have signed a 15 year lease. But it has everything , including the industrial elements we’re looking for, as well as somewhere we know quite well.” While the interior decor is industrial-meets-luxury, a nod to those New York French brasseries, the menu will be full of Scottish seafood and seasonal dishes with decadent dishes such as lobster thermidor and wagyu burgers. The culinary team at Babette is led by head chef Darren Prideaux, with over 30 years of Michelin-starred experience, and sous chef Daniel MacDonald, an Inverness native trained at Rocpool and under Paul Tamburrini in Edinburgh. The kitchen is overseen by executive chef Kris McKie, who has worked alongside co-founder Kevin Smith for over a decade. The story of how Babette came to be is one of challenges but with a sense of everything falling into place as it should be. As the team gets ready to open on 7 November, Mr Smith is excited to welcome guests and to start the next chapter of his business, as well as getting to know more people in Inverness. He shared his hopes for the new venue, saying “I’d love to be part of that scene where people say ‘where do you go in Inverness?' and they say Rocpool, Mustard Seed, Cafe 1 and Babette. I’d love it if we become one of the places that people talk about going to.”
