Celebrity chef Nick Nairn, together with his wife Julia, has opened Nick’s on Henderson Street in Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire. Nairn, who first found fame on Ready Steady Cook in the nineties, is currently taking a hands-on approach in the kitchen with his team, which includes Leon McIntrye, formerly of Edinburgh’s Baba Restaurant in Edinburgh, as head chef.
The all-day restaurant occupies the former site of the British/Scottish restaurant Jam Jar, which is on the town’s main street. With space for 75 covers inside and a further 60 in the garden out back, Nick’s on Henderson Street is being marketed as a family-friendly restaurant where folks can drop in any time from 8am until late for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.
It’s also family-run as Nick, who was born and bred in Stirling, is joined by various members of his family who are taking shifts front of house. It’s the chef’s first joint venture, though he also runs a cookery school in the Port of Menteith and Kailyard by Nick Nairn at the Doubletree Hilton in Dunblane.
On the menu at Nick’s on Henderson Street, diners will find classic café and bistro dishes given a contemporary twist. Breakfast items include reasonably-priced dishes such as toasted Wild Hearth sourdough with butter and jam; house pancakes served either with maple syrup and smoked streaky bacon or forest fruits, skyr and fresh mint; eggs Benedict, Florentine and royale, plus a selection of morning rolls.
From noon onwards, the kitchen serves up a range of sandwiches with hearty fillings such as chargrilled minute steak, Grana Padano, caramelised onion and wild rocket, and a “proper” cheese and ham toastie, along with a selection of pizzas with toppings as simple as garlic butter, rosemary and Grana Padano, and as elaborate as miso aubergine, rose harissa, chermoula, toasted pine nuts, brandy soaked raisins and pomegranate.
Main dishes cover the spectrum of meat and fish, from venison to North Sea haddock, and there are several options for vegetarian and vegan diners.