Glaschu will bring a taste of modern-Scottish fine dining and a sophisticated new bar to the heart of Glasgow at the end of the month. Launching on the premises of The Western Club, the new bar and restaurant will offer brunch, lunch and dinner menus at the private members club, established by traders and merchants of Glasgow in 1825.
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The menu sets out local and Scottish produce. Gigha halibut and Loch Tay trout will be sourced from local fishmonger Bernard Corrigan, while Finnieston’s Stuart Wilson will bring crustaceans and oysters to the table.
Local family butchers Alan Davidsons will supply beef from Lanarkshire farms. There will be Ailsa Craig goats cheese and Katy Rogers crème fraiche.
There are nods to Glasgow traditions with the house pickled mussels, whelks and cockles appetiser.
The cocktail list includes a Marrochetti, made from basil, Limoncello and Beefeater gin, saluting the Italian-born sculptor who created the nearby Duke of Wellington statue.
Leading the kitchen is chef Dion Scott, who honed his skills in Heston Blumenthal’s kitchens. Previously Head Chef at one of London’s finest French restaurants Racine, he steered the team at London haunt The Anglesey Arms and closer to home, he was head chef at The Spanish Butcher.
Dion Scott said: “This menu has Glasgow at its very heart. Like the building we stand within, its roots are in Scottish history, traditional cuisine and cooking. But like the city around us, it has evolved, reflecting the brighter multi-cultural hub Glasgow has become. We celebrate Scottish produce at the centre of the plate, but I’ve drawn on international influences and experience from kitchens I’ve worked in to truly enrich the food with knowledge and flavour.’
‘’I want people to be surprised when they devour the dishes at Glaschu. We’re doing deliciously different things with ordinary produce. The menu reads ‘venison loin with sweet potato’, but this isn’t sweet potato as the customer knows it.
Our vegetarian main course of chickpea panisse, confit violet artichoke and smoked aubergine draws on Moorish, North African influence and is so filled with flavour, it’s not an after-thought, it’s the star of the show.’
“Sometimes I dislike this term modern, because all cooking is not modern, it draws on experience, age-old techniques and what we’ve learnt before. For example, we follow traditional fermenting to create the pickled mussels, cockles and whelks, but instead of using brown sweet vinegar, we draw upon the flavours of cinnamon, star anise and cloves. Trust me, this is unlike anything you’d pick up at your local chippy.”
General Manager Scott McLean has worked with the front of house teams at Gleneagles, Grand Central Hotel, One Devonshire and The Rusacks in St Andrews.
Scott said: “For years it seems people may have been under the perception The Western Club restaurant is just for members. Now under new ownership and bringing the incredibly talented Dion Scott into the kitchen, we can throw open the doors to Glaschu and invite people to come inside and enjoy a taste of fine-dining in the heart of the city, at any time of day.
“Our brunch menu carries all the classics, from epic morning rolls to be enjoyed with a pot of tea, to delicious buttermilk pear and frangipane pancakes and prosecco.
“We will offer a seasonal prestige menu of Bibendum wines, which has been specially selected by ambassador and expert David Prow to complement the delectable à la carte offering. There will be a wide range of premium wines available by the glass and an exciting cocktail menu to be enjoyed. Customers are welcomed to join us in our new bar, even if they don’t plan to eat, making Glaschu the perfect place to stop on a night out in the city.”
The new restaurant’s name, Glaschu (pronounced Glas-a-hoo) is the Scots Gaelic for Glasgow, meaning ‘dear green place’. It arrives at the end of March.