No Chips, No Compromise: The Ubiquitous Chip Returns in Style

Cate Devine
Sep 17
3 min read

The Ubiquitous Chip at the entrance to Ashton Lane with its white walls and Alasdair Gray mural — Ashton Lane

When it first opened 54 years ago in 1971, the Ubiquitous Chip quickly became renowned for several things, not least of which was its name. Its late founder Ronnie Clydesdale’s intention was to confound assumptions that, since it was in Glasgow, chips would be on the menu. They weren’t and, so far, they still aren’t. Or not quite.

Ronnie Clydesdale also pioneered the modern trend of putting the provenance of local ingredients on the menu alongside traditional Scottish dishes. Oban-landed cod, Mallaig-landed squid, clapshot, beef hough and salted ling were among the dishes served, sparking a revolution in the Scottish eating-out scene which at the time was dominated by Italian and French cuisines.

Now, under owners Metropolitan Pub Company, a subsidiary of Greene King, who bought “the Chip” from Clydesdale’s son Colin and his wife Carol in 2022, it has undergone a much-needed and rather magnificent £1.2m facelift. This includes the replacement of the glass roof over the iconic cobbled

courtyard restaurant and mezzanine, new chandeliers, and a new private dining and events space behind the Wee Whisky Bar in Ashton Lane. An extended kitchen and the much-needed addition of a prep kitchen on the ground floor has clearly given long-standing head chef Doug Lindsay - and

his newly expanded kitchen brigade of an extra seven to make a total of 15 - space for more creative thinking and dish development, while retaining some of the dishes the Chip continues to be known for.

This is apparent in his showcase eight-course tasting menu, prepared for the opening dinner in the courtyard restaurant to mark the start of the Chip’s new era.

A chilled, super-salty whipped cod roe from John Vallance fishmongers accompanied house soda bread and awakened the tastebuds in readiness for the culinary journey ahead. When this first dish was brought in to the sound of a lone piper and much applause, I imagined I saw Ronnie standing in the

corner with a smile on his face.

A pretty-in-pink dish of tiny dice of Loch Melfort trout belly tartare and cucumber on a bed of - wait for it - seaweed salad cream (how 1970s is that?) - followed. I particularly loved the throwback flavours of the cream married with on-point bright green lettuce oil dotted around the edges and the crisp of trout skin on top.

A whole tiny confit egg yolk beautifully elevated a deeply flavoured, woody broth sautéed mushrooms supplied by Paisley-based Coeur Sauvage foragers, served with barley and pancetta: a thoughtful and delicious foil for the preceding raw fish dish.

Chef Doug Lindsay in the leafy courtyard of The Ubiquitous Chip — Chef Doug Lindsay

Another stand-out element was the wee heap of fermented kohlrabi that accompanied a Teriyaki-glazed beef and onion bun in a nod to the continuing South-east Asian foodie trend. And the Shetland cod dish with oyster emulsion was simply stunning for its perfect flakes and subtle flavouring but also for its presentation in a little clear glass bowl. A version of this delightful dish is on the main restaurant menu, as is the manjari chocolate pavé dessert.

Beetroot, cocoa and peanut were accomplished companions for the final savoury dish: rump of Newtonmore venison, supplied by Barnhill Farm in Renfewshire, perfectly pink and giving a satisfying seasonal flavour of a Scottish autumn.

A gentle buttermilk sorbet enrobed in pistachio mousse preceded the dessert of Manjari chocolate pave with cherry sorbet and sweet woodruff cream. Altogether the tasting menu marked the triumphant return to the city’s West End after a three-month closure for the renovation.

In his various menus across the what could be called the Chip’s estate (the Restaurant, Brasserie, Corner Bar, Big Bar, Wee Whisky Bar and Rooftop Terrace), chef Doug - who has led the kitchen for 20 years - has retained the iconic Chip dishes made famous by its late founder Ronnie Clydesdale and

retained by his son Colin. These include oatmeal ice-cream, haggis neeps and tatties and turnip broth alongside innovations like scallop taramasalata, salmon pastrami, house-cured and smoked seafood, fermented garlic. And still no chips; instead, contemporary crisps, croutons and crackers.