Gourmet Glasgow
by Alan Tomkins, Founder Member of the Glasgow Restaurateurs Association
Alan Tomkins is the author of ‘GourmetGlasgow’, published by Black and White, which takes readers on a whirlwind visit to many of Glasgow’s great restaurants to sample the dishes you can find there.
Visitors to the city have a culinary feast in store! Glasgow is now the envy of many European cities for its amazing and eclectic restaurant and café scene. Add the best shopping streets, outstanding Victorian architecture and the plethora of cultural attractions and you will find Glasgow a tantalising experience. No wonder one critic suggested that “Glasgow is the Barcelona’ of Northern Europe”.
Fifty years ago it would have been extremely difficult to imagine this grey and industrial city to be a trendsetter in European Culture and a centre of dining excellence. Although it would not be until the late 1970s and early 1980s that things really began to take off, the emergence of the ‘new’ Glasgow dining scene can be traced back to such glamour establishments as The Grosvenor in Gordon Street, The Whitehall in Renfield Street and The 1-0-1 and Malmaison in Hope Street.
Luigi, the infamous maître d’ at ‘The Mal’, resplendent in morning coat at lunchtime and full tails with wing collar for dinner, would typify the opulence of dining in the forties and fifties. Famous Glasgow stalwarts, amongst others, The Buttery and Rogano still held sway, but generally the choice for what was only an affluent customer in those days, was still very limited.
Change, however, is always around the corner and along came a certain Mr Rio Stakis who, in a short space of time, transformed the entire ethos of eating out, not only in Glasgow but also across the length and breadth of Britain. The Stakis Steakhouses of the late 1960s opened the doors of dining out to a hungry and expectant mass market.
Progression would continue into the mid 1970s with the arrival of more ‘individually entrepreneurial’ establishments like The Fountain, La Bonne Auberge, Poachers, The Pendulum and The Ubiquitous Chip in the West End and The Colonial and The Duke of Tourraine in the east. There was now no stopping the egg timer of change and arguably more trendy and style bar/restaurants would now appear. To name a few; Charlie Parkers and The Provencal, Smiths, Gatsby’s and Lautrec’s Wine Bar & Brasserie in Woodlands Terrace. Sprinkle the many excellent and diverse international establishments, including, La Parmagiana, Ashoka and Amber Regent, which would provide the platform and inspiration for the remarkable dining culture available today in Glasgow.
Other places worth visiting also include the Chardon d’Or, owned by Brian Maule, former head chef at the two Michelin star London restaurant, Le Gavroche and for a seafood experience, try Gamba, while the Stravaigin serves traditional Scottish cuisine. Glasgow also has the newly opened Terence Conran restaurant, Etain, in Princes Square.
These venues by no means represent a totally comprehensive and exhaustive list, and readers will undoubtedly have personal favourites and fond memories of other pioneering Glasgow restaurants.
Located within an hour’s drive of fresh oysters from Loch Fyne and the grazing glens of Perthshire, Glasgow has the world’s best produce at its fingertips – the rest of the world clamours to buy at a premium, Scotch beef, smoked salmon and fresh Atlantic seafood – we have this on tap.
Today Glasgow has the metropolitan feel of a major international city but still retains the village community where all the shopkeepers know each other. The restaurateurs in our city all understand that local spirit is a vital factor in presenting a town that is ’together’. Sharing experiences and knowledge is a culture in Glasgow, which allows us to progress at a pace which many spectators observe with envy.
The Glasgow Restaurateurs Association has grown over several years from a small number of restaurants to nearly 50 members to date. Of these members, all must fulfil certain exacting criteria and specific standards to be eligible. The association has uniquely allowed a group of widely diverse professionals to exchange ideas with the common aim – to promote the excellence that is the Glasgow restaurant scene.
With this in mind how better to share our successful partnership than with the discerning diners and aspiring chefs in their own kitchens!
High standards are expected. High standards are achieved. The famous New York restaurateur, Danny Meyer, President of the Union Square Hospitality Group said on a recent visit: “I am enormously impressed with the exceptional quality of restaurants in Glasgow. The commitment to top-flight local ingredients, warm hospitality, and compelling design make me want to return to Glasgow soon!”
I hope you enjoy Glasgow and its food!