One chef, two visions: Graeme Cheevers on UNALOME and LOMA
“Ten years ago, I would never have opened in Glasgow.”
That is the honest admission from chef Graeme Cheevers, who achieved a lifelong goal of opening up a restaurant in his home city back in June 2021.
Just eight months later that restaurant, UNALOME, was awarded a Michelin star, which it has retained ever since.
Last year, Graeme expanded his portfolio, 20 miles up the road on the banks of Loch Lomond, opening LOMA at Cameron House.
From Cameron House to Michelin Success
Graeme, who spent time training in Singapore and New York, had a previous successful spell at Cameron House, earning a Michelin star while working at Martin Wishart’s restaurant there.
A spell as head chef at The Isle of Eriska Hotel followed, before Graeme’s return to Glasgow.
“The food scene in Glasgow has come on a lot,” he said.
“Ten years ago, I would never have opened in Glasgow. The food scene was stale, there wasn’t much happening.
“Over the last 10 years it’s become quite foodie. Places like Ox and Finch and The Gannet have really elevated what happens in Glasgow, and now it’s on the map - becoming a bit like Edinburgh, with more foodie destinations for tourists and locals alike.
“I decided to open my own restaurant in Finnieston four years ago, mainly because Glasgow is my home city. It’s where I enjoy being and working. It’s always been a lifetime goal for me to come home and open my own restaurant.
“Where else would you do it rather than Finnieston? It’s a little bit outside the city centre, slightly off the beaten track - quite an idyllic location next to the Kelvingrove Park, and up one floor from ground level.”
UNALOME: Comfort and Confidence
Guests at UNALOME start their journey with a glass of Champagne, followed by snacks such as parsley and garlic financier, with crème cru and N25 caviar.
Roasted scallop and cod loin dishes are among the next parts of the menu, before a dessert of jasmine tea set cream, with Scottish strawberries.
And there is time for petits fours to round off the meal, with recent offerings including salted caramel chocolate and orange and passion fruit pâte de fruit.
“Over the four years the food style has developed a little bit,” Graeme explained.
“We’ve kept the flavours I enjoy and the ones guests like. We’re in Glasgow, so people tend to have a less refined expectation - they like home comforts as well.
“Great scallops, langoustines cooked really well. They always tend to enjoy a roasted scallop rather than a poached or raw one.”
LOMA: Elegance on Loch Lomond
While UNALOME is the restaurant which holds the Michelin star, it is the more informal of Graeme’s restaurants.
LOMA’s surroundings are more suited to the traditional fine dining, with features such as white tablecloths.
“The style of food here and the style at LOMA in Cameron House are fairly similar,” said Graeme.
“LOMA is just slightly more refined, but we stick to my kind of way of cooking -techniques and flavours that I enjoy are what I always cook.
“The expectations are always quite high in both restaurants. In Glasgow, because we have that Michelin star, which is a quality stamp, guests come with that expectation already.
“At Cameron House, we don’t have a Michelin star yet - that is the aim. But because it’s a five-star resort hotel with all white linen and high-end glassware and crockery, people’s expectations are
already set quite high.
“So the expectations across both restaurants are fairly similar.”
He added: “High-quality food, good ingredients, cooked well with my little touch of European influences and a little Japanese seasoning.
“The main difference is the level of service - at LOMA it’s slightly elevated, with more trolley work and great views over the Loch.”
The LOMA Experience
Discussing further his new culinary destination, Graeme said: “At UNALOME in Glasgow, I love the vibe - nice, casual, relaxed. People feel welcome when they walk in; it’s not stuffy or pretentious.
“It’s Glasgow - a bit rough and ready. We’re heavily focused on cooking for our guests, not about cooking for me.
“The reason I opened LOMA recently was because I feel Cameron House, being a five-star hotel resort, offered a nice dining and kitchen space. We could elevate what we were doing in Glasgow - replicate it but build on it.
“To achieve greater things, we had to expand a little.
“Many of my team had been with me from day one, and they were struggling to grow. I want to keep them in the company and involved, so me opening another restaurant was the perfect opportunity for me to give these guys a promotion, give them something new, a new adventure, a new challenge and to challenge myself to try and achieve great things.”
He added: “UNALOME in Glasgow is a little more laid-back. The music’s louder, the food’s simpler.
“At LOMA, the experience is different.
“The food offering is raised a little higher because people here are often on holiday - they’re here to relax, they’re not going to a bar or a nightclub after, they spend the whole evening here with us.
“They’re in no rush, so we can really focus on slowing things down and getting it exactly how we want it and offering the best level of service from the front of house team.”
The type of food on offer at LOMA includes a steamed brioche canapé, dashi meringue, Hamachi, Anjou squab pigeon and chocolate gateau with almond genoise.
Leadership and Front-of-House Excellence
Graeme credits his front of house leaders, insisting he “could not have done it without” Ewan MacFall at UNALOME. Meanwhile, Paul Chambers has recently been brought in to oversee things as operations manager at LOMA.
“Paul is a great character,” said Graeme.
“We’ve known each other a long time. He brings warmth to the service and knows how to engage the guests and bring out his own personality.”
Asked what he hopes guests take away from their experience at LOMA, Graeme said: “I want guests to leave with a strong memory of one of the best dining experiences they’ve had.
“Not only the food, but the service, the drinks, the wine list, the sommelier service, and of course, the views of the Loch, which I believe are the best in the hotel.
“I want them to leave satisfied of what they’ve enjoyed.”
Reflecting on his achievements since returning to Glasgow, Graeme added: “My biggest success in the four years we have been open at UNALOME is retaining a lot of staff members from the start.
“Conor (McCollum), the head chef, has been here since day one. Max (Thompson), now head chef at LOMA, was also here from day.
“And, obviously, the Michelin star.”
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One chef, two visions: Graeme Cheevers on UNALOME and LOMA
