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July 23, 2014

Many would regard Rogano as Glasgow’s most famous restaurant. It is certainly one of its most celeb-friendly. Over the years, the Exchange Place venue has attracted everyone from Rikki Fulton to David Bowie – presumably not at the same table on the same night.

Although it first opened its doors in 1935, the city centre site has a long history as a hostelry. As far back as 1874, 11 Exchange Place was the Bodega Spanish Wine Cellar and it sold drink straight from the barrel.

How did the name come about?

The Rogano name came into being in 1879 when one James Henry Roger when into partnership running the premises with a Mr Anderson. The latter wished to be a silent partner in the business so the name Rogano was formed by combining the first three letters of Roger and the first three letters of ‘another’.

Perhaps the most famous and even defining phase of Rogano’s history came about some 50 odd years later when another owner, Don Grant, set about refurbishing the business in 1935. Previously a working men’s drinking establishment, he wanted to change it into a fine seafood restaurant and bar catering for Glasgow’s professional classes.

Art Deco style

Crucially, Grant had the restaurant fitted out in the same Art Deco style as the Cunard liner the Queen Mary. The liner was being built in Clydebank at the time. Persistent legend has it that workers from the shipyard paid their bar bills at Rogano with burr walnut and bird’s eye maple panelling originally destined for the liner.

Rogano legend

Whether true or not, it is a story which has added to Rogano’s considerable legend. The restaurant has long had a reputation as a place where the powerful and famous came to do deals and be seen. Or not be seen. One of the most sought after tables is Number 16 where diners can watch everyone else come and go without being seen themselves. Handy for those having a bite with someone they shouldn’t be.

Famous visitors

In its time, visitors to Rogano have included, deep breath, Mick Jagger, Winston Churchill, Helena Christensen, Elizabeth Taylor, Harvey Keitel, Bob Dylan, Kylie Minogue, Frank Sinatra, Madonna and Rod Stewart. Gerard Butler was in earlier this month.

There is even a story that Michael Heseltine was given a standing ovation from diners when he announced that he would be challenging Margaret Thatcher for the leadership of the Conservative party. That may not have worked out entirely successfully for Mr Heseltine but it’s still a great story.

Scottish seafood

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The history, the famous faces and the anecdotes are all part of Rogano’s appeal but it would count for nothing if the food didn’t live up to the legend. With veteran Head Chef Andy Cummings in the kitchen, the menus on offer in the restaurant, cafe and oyster bar still showcase the best Scottish seafood. In addition to annually selling over 7000 bottles of its house Joseph Perrier Champagne, Rogano gets through more than 10,000 lobsters and 100,000 oysters every year. Chef Cummings reckons that he has shucked at least half a million of the latter.

Classic dishes

Rogano is not afraid to move with the times. They even have their own Twitter account and Facebook page these days. However, along with much of the decor, some of the classic dishes on the menus would not startle a time traveller from the 1930s.

In Rogano Restaurant, the menu still offers lobster thermidore; a splendid fruits de mer platter and oysters from Cumbrae alongside lemon sole served simply grilled or a la meunière – cooked in clarified butter and finished with brown butter, lemon and parsley. Some things simply don’t need to be modernised.

Elsewhere on the restaurant menu, more modern trends are prominent in dishes such as the pan-fried scallops with five spice pork belly, a warm sweet potato salad and beetroot coulis. While Rogano is most famous for its seafood, there are plenty of other choices. A warm salad of smoked partridge with pancetta is a starter on the current a la carte. Meat-driven main courses include roast rabbit wrapped in Parma ham and a 28-day-aged fillet of beef.

Affordable luxuries

Top quality seafood is never a budget option and tackling a fruits de mer platter, washed down with a glass or two of fizz, is probably not the sort of meal that most of us have on an idle whim. However, there are plenty of ways to enjoy Rogano for a more modest outlay.

The early evening and lunch menus offer very affordable routes to Rogano. The current lunch menu has two courses for £16.50 or three for £21.50 and features main courses such as grilled cod with sun-blushed tomato polenta, chilli beetroot and radicchio dressing or a roast rack of lamb which is served with dauphinoise potatoes, spiced redcurrant jelly and rosemary jus.

Cafe Rogano

Another option would be to visit the less formal Cafe Rogano which is just below the restaurant. Open all day, it has a bistro style menu. In Cafe Rogano, diners could start with a Shetland crab and pickled ginger tart before moving on to a main course of grilled sea bass with a leek and potato rosti, sautéed green beans, king prawns and a lemon beurre blanc.

Alternatively, visitors can soak up the atmosphere in the Oyster Bar. The bar menu, best viewed over a G ‘n’ T or glass of Champagne, includes the famous Rogano fish soup, a dressed crab salad and the classic fish and chips with mushy peas and tartare sauce.

It goes without saying that they also serve oysters which are available, among other options, au naturel, with caviar or deep-fried in polenta with a horseradish cream.

Now within sight of its 80th birthday, Rogano is still rather sprightly for a Glasgow dining institution. By blending culinary tradition with Art Deco looks and modern cooking trends, Rogano seems set to serenely sail on to its 100th birthday and beyond.