Matthew Major had mentioned that his new Glasgow restaurant was small.
And yet, it’s not until our visit to NOLA Soul in the city’s Southside that we realise just how cosy the space truly is.
The 28-year-old stands shoulder to shoulder with Ryan Wood and Kieron Mullen, his fellow chefs and business partners who appear to move perfectly in sync, second-guessing each other’s every micro movement as a colourful assortment of dishes from their soul food-inspired menu begins to line the pass.
“We all bounce off each other really well,” Matthew says, “If someone is lacking a little one day then another of us will always pick up the slack.
“Aside from that, we’re all completely obsessed with food.
“We’ll work all day, go home, and then start sending each other new ideas that we’ve been looking at.
“I had worked with Ryan before, and he had worked with Kieron, so we knew that we shared that similar mindset.
"After lockdown, we seriously started to consider opening our own place which would give us the chance to get creative.
“When the opportunity to take over this unit came up, we jumped at it and decided we would give it everything we had.”
Many will recognise the Victoria Road address as the former home of Nanika, a noodle and bao bun bar which shut up shop earlier this year.
NOLA Soul (shortened from ‘New Orleans, Louisiana Soul') now adds a taste of the Deep South to a street which already offers a culinary world tour from Japanese Karaage at Daku to New York-style pizza Errol’s.
Matthew, originally from Ardross in The Highlands, continues: “We were so ready for opening weekend.
“Seeing the first people enjoying our food was just absolute euphoria.
“There was such a buzz about the place and we were so happy to be joining a vibrant community which has such a dynamic food scene.
“Our customers, but also neighbours like Big Counter, have been fantastic and so supportive of everything we’re doing.”
And who wouldn't be supportive of a team that’s bringing a gut-busting menu of gravy-topped fried chicken burgers, tangy barbecue wings or shrimp and grits to the neighbourhood?
There’s Gumbo too, with either a hearty combination of sausage and chicken or a vegan-friendly cauliflower alternative that’s begging to be followed by a pillowy soft beignet for dessert.
As beads of condensation begin to drip down a pint of homebrewed iced tea, Matthew tells us the goal is to put their own spin on soul food staples as they adapt recipes to suit Scottish seasonality and produce.
He said: “We make everything from scratch at NOLA Soul including our buns and pickles.
“We’ve got experience in fine dining, so what we’re trying to offer is comfort food that’s of a really, really high quality.”
“Not all of the traditional ingredients can be sourced here, but we do try to keep it as authentic as we can.
“We’ve swapped collard greens for kale, for example, and don't serve Crawfish because it’s an invasive species that’s not found in Scotland.
"We strongly believe in serving tasty food that's affordable and will always be thinking about how to develop our recipes. ”
Almost three weeks in, the trio of young chefs has left any hint of opening-day nerves behind them and now operate with quiet confidence as they prepare for another weekend service in the hazy summer heat.
Getting ready to carry out both front-of-house and chef duties, Matthew said: “We’re all in our twenties and definitely had a lot of people who shook their heads or asked us if we knew what we were getting into throughout the process.
“But, having spent so long working in other people’s kitchens, we all know exactly what we want and have realised how liberating it is to be able to make our own decisions as a team.
“One of the guests the other day asked if we were family, and it definitely feels that way.
“When you’re working somewhere as busy as this it's almost closer than that, and not just because of the lack of space.
“We’re all really happy to see people are enjoying it so far."
NOLA Soul is located at 72 Victoria Road.
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