Maître d' Gregor Munn: the public face of Gamba since day one
Maître d' - short for maître d'hôtel - comes from the French for master of the house and Gamba’s Gregor Munn makes mastering this profession look easy. The public face of the restaurant and counterbalance to our chef-patron Derek Marshall while he remains mostly hidden in the kitchen, Gregor's been with Gamba since day one, 25th October 1998.
I caught up with him to chat about how he got to where he is and the skills you need to be blessed with to make this artful job look like a piece of cake.
Best fish restaurants Glasgow: How it all began – when Gregor met Gamba
“I was working at Glasgow’s Cathedral House Hotel, and Derek approached me and asked me if I’d be interested in joining him at the new fish restaurant he was planning to open with restauranteur Alan Tomkins and his wife.
“Alan owned a restaurant called Papingo at the time where Derek was head chef. We had also worked for the same company, Alloa Brewery, me at The Buttery and Derek at Rogano.
“I ended up working at Glasgow wine bar Vroni’s for a few months while Derek and Alan put the finishing touches to the restaurant, then I came onboard recruiting, looking for crockery, glassware, and candle holders, and generally preparing for the opening.
“We opened very quietly and built from there.”
Best seafood Glasgow: The qualities needed to be a successful maître ‘d
Apart from being unflappable and whizz with people from all walks of life, what other qualities does being a maître ‘d demand?
“You absolutely need to remember your regulars and what they like and don’t like and be able to anticipate what they want even before they know what they want. It’s about giving people the experience we want to provide without ever being too interfering.
“It’s about reading situations. Should we have financiers, TV or film executives in for lunch, for example, you instinctively know when you can chat and when you must remain unobtrusively on the periphery.
“It’s also about having that helicopter perspective of the entire restaurant so that you know what is going on and making sure that you read the room and the team is too.
“You also spot trends in this job. I’ve noticed that some of our more seasoned customers perhaps don’t eat as much lately, or that they may go for two starters or a main and dessert. We’re attracting a younger clientele at Gamba too, especially for the Surf & Turf menu on Wednesdays.”
Scotland’s top seafood restaurant: Cooking at home
Does working at Scotland’s top seafood restaurant inspire Gregor to cook much at home?
“I was vegetarian for a while, turning pescatarian when I started working here. I learned so much about fish working at the best fish restaurant in Scotland. Fish is perhaps the lightest, most versatile food.
“I don’t cook at home much, but I can cook. It’s boring for one person. During lockdown, I was a bit more experimental using my Gamba cookbook.”
Travelling and eating out
I stay local when I go out and I love Gloriosa on Argyle Street in Glasgow's Yorkhill (the former Firebird). Really knowledgeable, friendly staff. But when I go away somewhere on a city break, I tend to eat out more. The last time I was in London earlier this year, we went to Bob Bob Ricard in Soho which was amazing.
“We also went to Bibendum at the Conran Shop in Chelsea. I had fish there and it was lovely, so was the breakfast we had at The Wolseley in Mayfair.
Scotland’s best seafood restaurants: Favourite dish on the Gamba menu
What would Gregor choose from any of the Gamba menus?
“I’m quite dull really – I love the grilled lemon sole, but on the bone, and my favourite Gamba cocktail would have to be Aperol Old Fashioned – which can be a special, but it’s going on the new cocktail menu that we’ve just launched!”
By Jason Caddy
Gamba Maître d' Gregor Munn