A new restaurant championing the vibrant world of Middle Eastern cuisine has opened its doors in Glasgow city centre.
The launch of Roya has been a long time coming for owner Mehrab Fakouri, who has already enjoyed a busy year thanks to an appearance on Come Dine With Me: The Professionals which saw his cooking receive glowing praise from fellow competitors.
He said: “Come Dine With Me was a really intense experience with three or four days of constant filming, but it didn’t feel like a whirlwind.
“I’m really proud that we’re getting the word out about our restaurants and Middle Eastern dishes in Glasgow.
“It’s such an underrated type of food.”
There’s good news for those who know and love the authentic Persian fare at Mehrab’s family-run restaurant Saffron by Paradise on Great Western Road with many of the same flavours providing a backbone for the menu at Roya.
More space to play with at the new Elmbank Street spot, however, allows his chefs the freedom to experiment with fresh twists on the classics which showcase the incredible diversity across Middle Eastern cultures.
He said: “Saffron by Paradise is a Persian restaurant, so all of the food is Iranian whereas with Roya I really wanted to be able to cook the things I love.
“For the last three or four years, I’ve been travelling the Middle East quite extensively and visited so many different restaurants.
“I’ve taken back a lot of what I learned with me to Glasgow.
“With this menu, we’ve been really creative and mixed some dishes that are completely new inventions from our chefs with traditional recipes.”
Within just one week of opening, small plates packed full of complex flavours and spices like shawarma croquettes of lamb, onion and potato sauce or a Lebanese-influenced oyster mushroom kebab have established Roya as an exciting addition to the Glasgow food and drink scene.
If the menu alone isn’t enough to tempt you through the doors, then stunning interiors flecked with accents of gold and plush dining spaces make for an intimate and relaxed experience as crowds bustle past the neighbouring King’s Theatre and Griffin pub.
Thrilled to see his vision for Roya come to life, Mehrab said: “People always say location, location, location and it’s true.
“Roya has been about six months in the making but we’ve had the idea in our head for around six years now.
“It was a complete chance that we found the right unit this year.
“With Saffron by Paradise being so small it’s quite hard to be creative and you have to be quite business-minded with such a limited amount of space and seats.
“This space is something that I can really get excited about and hope to be here for years to come.”
Roya is located at 59 Elmbank Street. For more information, click here.
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