Head Chef behind one of Glasgow’s most beloved restaurants the Ubiquitous Chip

We spoke to Doug at the Ubiquitous Chip on curating a menu around Scottish produce and what it’s like to work in Glasgow’s flourishing food scene.

Transcript

00:00I'm Doug, I'm the head chef here at the Ubictus Chip.

00:03I've been here for approximately 13 years now.

00:06Well, we have two different kitchens here, I guess, which not everybody knows,

00:10which allows us to offer a variety of different products to different people at different price points.

00:16So, the main restaurant, we have our tasty menu, a la carte menus.

00:21Upstairs is a little less formal, more relaxed.

00:24But I mean, I guess the sort of thing behind the food is the same.

00:27We try and use as much Scottish produce as we can.

00:31As the seasons come and go, the sort of produce we have are disposable also changes,

00:36and that's kind of reflected in the menus that me and the rest of the team put together.

00:40Well, as I said, I've been here for quite a long time, so it's obviously been a job that,

00:44while it's definitely challenging at times, it's one that I've found enjoyable and rewarding at the same time.

00:50I guess it kind of touched on the different offerings that the business has.

00:55Essentially, you're coming in and doing sort of the same, like no two days are the same.

01:00We might have a private hire event, we might have a function in one of the other rooms.

01:06There's always something going on to keep you on your toes, I guess.

01:10It's obviously changed quite a lot for the better.

01:14I think the sort of choice and the diversity that customers have is completely different to how it was when I first started.

01:22As a customer, that's great. It does make it more of a challenging environment to work in.

01:27If you are working in a restaurant, you have to try and do something to get those customers to come to you.

01:32Equally, you're all sort of vying for the same staff as well.

01:36So, for all, it is a great thing that there's an explosion of restaurants.

01:40There seems to be a new one opening up all the time.

01:43But I guess to have stayed the course and still be here is quite good as well.