Nico Simeone’s new Asian twist in Glasgow

Dynamic Glasgow restaurateur Nico Simeone has closed his fish specialist Sole Club to make way for a new pan-Asian concept, Extra_Ordinary, headed by Australian-born chef Tobias ‘Toby’ Fiegel (pictured).

Sole Club, which combined experimental seafood cuisine with classic fish ‘n’ chip shop fare, opened in February last year in the Finnieston premises where Simeone founded his original Six By Nico restaurant in 2017 – launching a mini-chain with branches in a dozen cities across Britain and Ireland.

Opening on January 31, Extra_Ordinary showcases dishes inspired by Toby’s travels to Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong such as kohlrabi kimchi, udon with XO mussels, char siu Chinese pancake and yuzu-kosho tomato sashimi – all “reasonably priced” for higher-quality cooking, under the Simeone formula.

Italian-Australian Toby was born in Sydney, where he fell under the spell of Asian food while working for Japanese-Nordic fusion restaurant Edition. Encouraged by chefs including Rene Redzepi of Noma, he moved to Scandinavia and worked in Copenhagen restaurants Geist and Geranium before joining Stuart Ralston at Aizle in Edinburgh then Six by Nico.

He says: “Opening Extra_Ordinary is an incredibly exciting opportunity which enables me to combine my passion for various Asian cuisines and share them with the people of Glasgow. In essence, this is the food I enjoy cooking and eating, and in this sleek and stylish environment, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with ingredients and creative approaches that I am genuinely passionate about”.

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