Dean Banks Group executive chef Dan Ashmore to launch first solo venture

Launching in the port district of Leith in Edinburgh later this month, ASKR will feature a fire pit-style barbecue in the kitchen and serve a 12-course tasting menu that ‘celebrates the flavours of Scotland’.

The name of the 26-cover restaurant comes from the old Nordic word for ash and each dish will be designed to incorporate elements of cooking over fire.

Dishes set to feature on the launch menu include a glazed chicken wing with black garlic; and beetroot ‘cooked in yesterday’s coals’ with black apple and crème fraiche.

There will also be a two-part hogget dish. The first element will be a feature smoked consommé with morels cooked in hogget fat and wild garlic; while the second will see a loin served with sheep’s curd, fresh peas, and a hogget sauce poured tableside.

Alongside leading the kitchen at ASKR, Ashmore will continue his role at the Dean Banks Group, whose estate includes Edinburgh restaurants Dean Banks at The Pompadour and Dulse, as well as Haar in St Andrews​​.

Banks’ group is also backing ASKR.

Speaking to Edinburgh Evening News​​​, Ashmore said: “I am absolutely still part of the Dean Banks Group and very proudly so.

“I’ll still be working away in the background helping develop dishes and train staff for the other sites. For me it’s a huge plus to still be connected to the group, it’s a scary world out there right now in hospitality and to have partners, especially ones as experienced as Dean is nothing but a benefit for me.

“The fact he’s very keen to make this restaurant about me is such a testament to how selfless he is, I want to make sure people know we’re still very much working together.

"I think it’s a fantastic way to create growth for teams, it can often happen that people reach a ceiling at work and the only way to break that is by moving on. I think this is a very modern well thought out path that benefits everyone involved.

“It can show other team members that it’s absolutely worth digging your heels in and calling the Dean Banks Group home. I’m incredibly humbled to have been given this opportunity.”