The Times
Chitra Ramaswamy headed to Bearsden, an “Oooooh! Aren’t you fancy?” suburb of Glasgow, to visit “the first solo fine-dining venture” from Gary Townsend, formerly head chef at One Devonshire Gardens in the city, who has worked for both Sat Bains and Simon Rogan of L’Enclume.
Sitting at the granite counter watching Gary and his team in action, she sensed “the long-held vision of a long-grafting chef finally coming to fruition.” Significantly, there’s nothing stuffy about this iteration of fine dining: “I have the time of my life.”
The “cleverly judged, crowd-pleasing” eight-course tasting menu begins with a “sublime” wild halibut dish (cured, rolled in nori and poached) that is “one of the best fish dishes I’ve eaten.” The high standard holds through plates of Tweed Valley short rib, North Sea cod loin, Highland roe deer and caramel delice.
Chitra declared: “Elements is one of the most important openings of the year: a destination restaurant to which I can’t wait to return” – so we can take it that fine dining is alive and well north of border.
Chitra Ramaswamy - 2024-09-29
