Gary Townsend to launch first solo restaurant in Glasgow

Called Elements, the 40-cover fine dining restaurant will serve an ‘evolving’ tasting menu and à la carte option for evening service, with the addition of a smaller four course menu at lunch.

Dishes will utilise ingredients from Scottish producers and farmers including game from Millbank Farm in Lockerbie; and fresh shellfish and seafood from The Fish People in Glasgow.

Townsend was previously head chef at Glasgow’s three AA Rosette One Devonshire Gardens restaurant, and before that cooked at the Michelin-starred Restaurant Martin Wishart in Edinburgh.

“Opening my own restaurant has been a lifelong dream and has taken nearly two years of planning,” says Townsend.

“My vision for Elements was always for us to be situated in the heart of a welcoming and tightknit community. With close friends in the area, Bearsden has always felt like my home from home, and I couldn't think of a better location for us to be in.

“Our aim is to provide both the local and wider community with a new go-to for fine dining, delivering exceptional food and an unparalleled level of service, a special place where people can go to celebrate and create life-long memories in a relaxed and comfortable space.”

With around £400,000 of investment, Element’s site on New Kirk Road will undergo a major refurbishment before opening with the addition of an accessible toilet and better utilisation of current floorspace for improved access.