Gamba, based on West George Street, Glasgow, edged above the rest as the national winner against a strong field of five shortlisted restaurants in a ceremony in London held at the Michelin starred Benares Restaurant, home of judge Atul Kochhar.
The already two AA rosette award-winning seafood restaurant, owned by chef Derek Marshall, impressed the judges - which included several award winning chefs - during the various judging rounds of the competition, which included mystery dining judging visits by Seafish auditors.
Chef Derek Marshall. Picture: Contributed
During the process Gamba demonstrated a passion for responsible and local sourcing, displayed robust sustainability policies and practices, as well as excelling in customer service – providing diners with a truly unique dining experience. Derek and his team also excelled in promoting lesser known species and supporting its staff’s seafood product knowledge through its training programme.
On top of holding the title for the coming year, Gamba was presented with a bespoke trophy for their restaurant and a range of other prizes including attendance for some staff at a seafood masterclass course at the world renowned Billingsgate Seafood Training School.
Seafish CEO Paul Williams said: “Celebrating the people and businesses that are the public face of our industry and who do such an amazing job in promoting the great wealth and variety of fish and shellfish available to the UK consumer is extremely important.
“That is why Seafish is honoured to be part of these awards, crowning Gamba as the 2015 Restaurant of the Year, and demonstrating the importance of the responsible sourcing of the freshest, sustainable produce which, thanks to the skill and expertise of chefs like Derek Marshall and his kitchen and restaurant teams, goes into creating inspiring cuisine for everyone to enjoy.
Amanda Afiya, Editor, The Caterer said: "The judges absolutely fell in love with Gamba and praised the established Glasgow eaterie for staying true to its original concept of serving the finest Scottish fish and shellfish alongside sustainable produce from further afield. It just goes to show that you don't have to cook innovative or complicated food to stand out from the crowd. Straightforward, tasty dishes which shout provenance seem to win over their loyal customer base, and it won over the judges of the Restaurant of the Year too."
"Overall, the judges were blown away with the standard of entries in the competition, illustrating the fact that industry knowledge of the sourcing, preparation and service of fish and shellfish is of an extremely high standard - knowledge that they are only too happy to share with customers and consumers."
