Until now, the Dakota Bar and Grill has flown somewhat under the radar in the highly competitive arena of Glasgow’s food and drink scene.
While they enjoy a hard-earned reputation for serving some of the ‘best steak' in the city, this year there’s a new head chef in town who is quietly determined to elevate the restaurant’s status with a menu that champions Scottish produce and sustainable practices.
It’s a Tuesday evening, and leaving a fleeting glimpse of sunshine behind, we’re ready to put his dishes to the test as we make our descent towards the subterranean level of the West Regent Street hotel building.
Make no mistake, dining at Dakota screams ‘special occasion’ thanks to its luxury interiors and an expert team who have a knack for knowing exactly what you’re looking for before it’s even been asked.
And yet, the cool self-assuredness of each person on shift manages to create a relaxed atmosphere as solo hotel guests sit shoulder to shoulder with larger groups who are raring to raise a toast.
We arrive at our own table to find a set of cryptic tasting menus, giving little away other than the focal point of each promised course, and a warm welcome from newly appointed head chef Jamie Cameron who explains the lack of fanfare is a deliberate tactic to keep us guessing.
Intrigued and with a refreshing Mezcal cocktail in hand, it’s not long before a dainty trio of bites appear to kick things off.
It’s worth noting here that we’re being given a whistle-stop tour of the bar and grill’s a la carte offering with variations to allow for more manageable portions, although there's excited talk of plans to introduce a similar tasting menu soon.
First up is its delicate east coast crab with kaffir lime, yoghurt and wakame, oysters packing a salty punch of Nduja and, by far the least refined of the three but a personal highlight for a self-confessed stodge lover, an Asian-influenced steamed bun filed with fragrant duck leg.
It's a promising start with high-quality, local ingredients presented as the backbone of the menu as Airdrie-born Jamie shares an ambitious vision for the restaurant that's inspired by both his Scottish roots and time spent in Australia.
The single, plump scallop sitting atop a chicken and pickled mustard seed sauce that follows? It’s sourced fresh from Orkney and specially selected to blow any frozen alternative on the market out of the water.
And that buttery soft roe deer tartare studded with pearls of black garlic ketchup? It’s a seasonal alternative to their usual venison that’s made its way from the Highlands to be scooped greedily onto wafer-thin potato and tapioca starch crackers that are liberally dusted with seaweed powder.
The lamb course, a creation that Jamie affectionately refers to as his ‘baby’, is promised to be the crown jewel of the night, and rightfully so, delivering a robust barbecue flavour that’s spiked with a hint of spicy kimchi.
Stealing the limelight, however, is a dish that appears on our menu simply as ‘halibut’ and arrives as a generous chunk of flaky fish, perfectly charred around the edges and sitting in a pool of concentrated broth made with pressed tomatoes from the Isle of Wight (‘about as far away as I’ll go for sourcing vegetables’ we’re informed).
With the kitchen team refusing to let the momentum drop, we’re soon dipping our spoons into the wonderful world of dessert at Dakota with a selection that’s cleverly designed to make use of leftover components from previous dishes.
A silky cream cheese-based affair topped with Barbie pink Yorkshire rhubarb edges past the French toast custard as a favourite, but only just, while a Scottish cheese board loaded with truffle honey, seeded oatcakes and chutney is a welcome relief for those lacking a sweet tooth.
From start to finish, not a single ingredient has earned its spot on a plate without careful consideration or a subtle nod to Jamie's globetrotting career that has seen him work in the likes of The Gannet, Dakota Eurocentral and Ondine in Edinburgh.
Our verdict? It’s well worth branching out from a steak to put your palate in the hands of this talented local chef and a team that is more than capable of establishing the Dakota Bar and Grill as a culinary force to be reckoned with.
Dakota is located at 179 West Regent Street. For more information click here.
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