ANDREW TEMPLE is the Chief Creative Office at The Simeone Group. The Glasgow restaurant business has embarked on a remarkable period of expansion, opening in major cities across the UK, with the launch of their first European restaurant set to take place this week as Six by Nico opens in Dublin city centre.

They are not done with bringing new openings to their home city. Beat 6 in Dennistoun is a fine-dining concept that will benefit the Beatson cancer charity. In the West End, Chateau-X will open at 10 Claremont Street on December 8.

The steak restaurant is another example of lockdown innovation becoming a part of the local food and drink scene. Chateau-X was a home delivery concept that quickly found a receptive audience – over 10,000 boxes have been delivered in the past year. Nico Simeone’s team introduced a range of dining at home solutions to bridge the gap when restaurants were closed due to pandemic restrictions. Andrew was then tasked with designing a menu for a debut in Finnieston.  

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Originally from Largs, Andrew was living in Ireland when he started as a chef. When he moved back to Scotland he based himself in Glasgow and started to focus more on his skills. “I learned a lot of French techniques at La Vallée Blanche, I was with Cail Bruich for two years then House for an Art Lover after that. I came onboard with Nico after that. He asked me if I was creative. This was when he was starting off the Trust menu at 111 by Nico” he explains, talking about the dining menu where chefs would design dishes based around ingredients selected by customers. “I came back with my own ideas and that went well, I went into a development role and for the last three and a half years I’ve been working on that creative side to the business.”

Andrew says they are concerned with “an entry level of fine dining where you get to see multiple styles of food”. Traditionally the view is that not all food can be fine dining but Andrew says he works with Nico to turn this idea on its head: “We can take international dishes and turn them into something that’s fun and tasty and interactive”.

Dining at home boxes continue to be a part of the group’s aspirations, last year they opened a new 7,000sq ft facility at Anniesland Industrial Estate. This is the first time they have taken one of their delivery ideas and put it into a permanent home.

They will offer Chateubriand, priced at £30 for two in a 60-seater restaurant across two floors. The 500g steak will come with a choice of sides including barbecue hispi cabbage with black garlic and aged ewes cheese, bone marrow and oxtail or beef dripping rooster chips.

I ask how they can deliver quality at that price. He says it comes down to the relationships they have developed through the growth of the business. “We have been working well with our suppliers and they work hand in hand with us. We work with local farms and butchers. The brothers at John Gilmours Butchers, Simon and Dan, in Tranent, they are hand-selecting a phenomenal product, we are looking after it and serving it as best we can.”

“We are also working with Cairnhill Farm in Girvan. We want to surround ourselves with local suppliers and the customers will see the results and the quality.”

Andrew says it’s too early to predict whether Chateau-X will grow beyond its first home in Finnieston like Six by Nico to start everything off, but they are ready to shake up expectations, with booking now open HERE.

Talk of the Town

The Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel has one of the most impressive dining room settings in the city, now home to iasg, a restaurant centred around the Scotland’s outstanding seafood. The launch weekend was accompanied by a soundtrack from guest DJs including David Barbarossa and The LaFontaines’ Kerr Okan.

Blethered podcaster Sean McDonald was there ahead of his live interview event tomorrow night at Saint Luke’s which will include an entertaining chat with Karen Dunbar and Darren McGarvey. Writer Paul Black was also enjoying the shellfish starters and cooked salmon main course – he has a new theatre show, Self Care Era, that will debut at Oran Mor in January next year.

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Group chef Stuart Thomson will work with iasg head chef Sean Currie on the new menu who returns to the hotel after seven years away, during which time he was head chef at Number 16 in the west end.

Meanwhile, an offer has been accepted to take over the former Hutcheson’s Hall on Ingram Street. The historic landmark, maintained by The National Trust for Scotland, had previously operated as a restaurant from Rusk & Rusk. Plans are currently underway to reopen the property early next year.

The latest update from the Michelin Guide, ahead of the launch of their 2022 edition, has confirmed that Unalome by Graeme Cheevers will be included in the book. The announcement doesn’t clarify at this stage what level we will see the new Kelvingrove Street fine dining restaurant included. Their verdict so far says “The eponymous chef, in his first solo venture, uses his considerable culinary skills to pay respect to the finest of Scottish produce, be it Gigha halibut or Ayrshire lamb. The bold, sophisticated dishes display his classical leanings. This is a restaurant for all occasions, so expect a contented buzz.” A previous social media post from the prestigious guide had added Bar Brett as a new entry for next year. Cail Bruich won a one star Michelin rating in the current guide.