GAMBA: SCOTLAND'S BEST SEAFOOD RESTAURANT CELEBRATING 25 YEARS IN 2023

Gamba: Scotland’s best seafood restaurant turns 25 in 2023 and our chef-patron Derek Marshall is giving some serious thought to the party plans.

“It’s still a work-in-progress but I’m thinking about a Sunday evening gathering with drinks and canopies for my regulars to mark this milestone. It’s TBC, and I’ll keep you all in the picture in future blog posts.

“The thought of reaching 25 years at Gamba is not only a great personal achievement, I also want it to be about encouraging chefs and young people learn to cook more with incredible seafood.

“I’ve always been passionate about it, particularly creating delicate dishes and balancing flavours.”

Gamba in The Michelin Guide Scotland 2022

Back to the here and now, and being included in The Michelin Guide Scotland 2022 - one of just 14 Glasgow restaurants and the only seafood restaurant - was a huge honour for all of us.

Every restaurant had to be approved or recommended by Michelin or have been awarded the Bib Gourmand - recognising places with good value and quality.

Best fish restaurant Scotland: A brief history of Gamba

Derek’s long association with Gamba began in October 1998 when fellow restaurateur Alan Tomkins opened the restaurant and appointed him head chef/director. Derek’s been running the business solely for about a decade after Alan’s departure.

But he’s been working in kitchens since the age of 15, and still gladly rolls up his sleeves to sear scallops and boil lobsters.

“I still cook five days a week, roughly 70 hours, and this includes peeling tatties and meeting the needs and demands of the business whatever they happen to be.

“I suppose I’m a control freak, and the way I look at it I have to be because nobody else notices if the lights are set at the wrong level, or if the music is too loud or too quiet. That’s not to say my staff aren’t wonderful, they are.”

And one of our longest-serving members of staff, Maitre’d, Gregor Munn, has likewise contributed massively to Gamba’s success, working alongside Derek for many years.

Business challenges over the years

Derek’s faced many business challenges in nearly two-and-a-half decades at Gamba but snapped the restaurant right back into shape every time.

“The last recession, for example, meant that corporate accounts were virtually wiped overnight and our lunchtime trade was badly hit as a result. We were able to cover this loss at dinner, however, and I know that not all restaurateurs enjoyed that same luxury.”

And he mustered the same vision, inventiveness, and drive to come out fighting after the ravages of Covid-19 had done their worst to hospitality.

Gamba: proud to be an independent restaurant

Gamba is an independent restaurant and Derek’s immensely proud of the fact.

“Being an independent restaurant stands us in good stead because customers have more loyalty. It’s all down to the personal touch, which is generally probably lacking in a chain restaurant experience.

“When I look around Glasgow today, I often wonder just how many of the restaurants will be here 25 years from now.”

Attention to detail

Attention to detail and those little touches that go a long way are also part of Derek’s successful Scottish seafood restaurant business philosophy.

“I like to eat out a lot and you go to some of these places and pay £150 for dinner and you get no bread and no paper napkin – which sounds simple but I expect these touches. This is the way that I think all restaurants should be run.

“It’s the details that count. I have to check the toilets in Gamba every day – I’m not down on my hands and knees cleaning or anything like that, but I am putting in freshly-cut flowers every day and making sure that there’s consistency.

“Inconsistency is the enemy in this business because we can all be restaurant critics in the social media age.”

Best seafood Glasgow: Customer service is king

Customer service is king at Gamba. This is why our customers keep coming back time after time, testament to the fact that this is one area where Derek and team particularly excel.

“All our customers are checked back on and we always go out of our way to make sure they have the most memorable time, and this is evident in customer feedback, not only for the food, but for the atmosphere and the attentiveness of the staff.”

Sustainability at Gamba

Sustainability at Gamba is close to Derek’s heart.

“To serve the best seafood in Scotland, we use only sustainable fish that is locally sourced. The freshness of the product is paramount, which is why we are closed in the first week of January because it’s virtually impossible to get fresh produce at that time of year.

“We celebrate our locally-caught seafood on our excellent menus and use re-chargeable LED lights on the tables rather than candles, as well as recycle and repurpose wherever we can too of course.”

Please do get in touch if you have any questions or view our menus and make a reservation.

By Jason Caddy 

Gamba chef-patron Derek Marshall