A catch-up with Gamba supervisor Angus Murray-Nicolson
Gamba supervisor Angus Murray-Nicolson felt he had two career choices based on his family history.
“My uncle worked in Rogano in the 90s a little while after Derek was Head Chef there. The other career that seems to run in my family is dentistry and I didn’t fancy that. You must have a passion for it from a young age that I don’t have.
“But I do share my uncle’s passion for food and hospitality so it kind of followed that I’d work in a seafood restaurant. He was fascinated when he found out I had got the job at Gamba and he got to reminiscing about when he worked at Rogano.
“I’ve learned a lot in such a short time from Derek about the versatility of fish, while Gregor makes excellent customer service look so incredibly effortless. But there’s a real art to it that hopefully, I’m learning too.
“From the Gamba menu, you’ve got to love an oyster, and the halibut, but then there’s the scallops and monkfish too. The aroma of this dish is just incredible. For dessert, it must be the cheesecake.”
Life before Gamba
Angus is 26, from Glasgow, and joined us in the autumn of last year, prior to which he worked in a few pubs. Then he headed down the degree route before a change of heart.
“I had jobs in pubs and restaurants before my degree. I worked for Greene King for a while mostly in what you might call traditional boozers. Very different to Gamba. In Glasgow, I worked at Cairns Bar on Miller Street, while in Edinburgh, I was mainly at The Hampton Hotel, just across from Murrayfield. I still go across for the rugby because I’ve got a season ticket, helping out if they need me.
“Then came the Degree in Economics and Business Law in Edinburgh, but staring at screens and doing numbers all day isn’t something I want to do. I finished the degree and as soon as I did, I thought ‘I don’t want to be stuck behind a desk for the rest of my life.’
“Maybe I could apply the skills I learned at some point, outside of the actual degree but where I could still involve it. But not right now.”
Working in hospitality and what Angus loves about working at Gamba
How does working in pubs compare to working at Gamba for Angus?
“Working in that type of pub, you see the same people day-in day-out, so you build decent rapports with the customers. It’s quite similar to Gamba in that we have repeat customers with whom you build a relationship over time.
“Remembering is key to good hospitality and getting on with folk. Even for someone who’s a bit scatterbrained like me. I speak to hundreds of people a week and I like to keep it friendly but formal, and it’s been a great learning curve, building on what I already knew about lasting and meaningful customer relations. I especially love this aspect of the job at Gamba.”
What does Angus enjoy away from work?
“I’m not just a seafood lover. I’m a food lover. I usually try to cook a nice meal for myself on a Sunday or Monday when we’re off. Something like a risotto. Smoked salmon and prawn is a favourite. It’s my mum’s recipe that I tinkered with during my years at uni. It’s probably my go-to. You can’t go wrong with a steak either. But I’m still not that fond of cauliflower - I’ve had an aversion to it since being wee.
“At school I played rugby, and I would like to take it back up. I love watching it and other sports in the pub. Then there’s music and heading off to the occasional music festival. I’ve done Creamfields for the last few years and was at one in the Netherlands recently. All good fun.
“And I do like my travel. One of the best restaurants I found was in Barcelona. A wee tapas place called Seynor Vermut. During our week-long holiday, we went back three times it was so good.”
What about future career aspirations?
“Going with the flow is what I’ve always done, taking things in my stride, and seeing where life takes me.
“I haven’t really thought that far ahead when it comes to my career. I love working at Gamba and see myself staying here.
“I would like to move abroad at some point, but it’s a bit more difficult nowadays. It would be nice to move somewhere else because I’ve been pretty much between Glasgow and Edinburgh my whole life, so I could do with a change of scene in the future.”
By Jason Caddy