Andy Neilson is back in the kitchen at BLOC+ on Bath Street in Glasgow, three years after leaving the independent bar and live music venue.
Neilson is perhaps best known for leading BLOC+ to victory on Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me: The Professionals, seeing off Amore d’Italia and Maki and Ramen to take the £1,000 prize. But it was his day-to-day kitchen style that built the venue’s reputation, with specials that mixed humour with technical ability and an irreverent approach that produced cult dishes including the turkey dinosaur burger.
With Neilson back, the venue is looking to reintroduce the kind of unexpected specials that have previously driven footfall and online attention, across both meat and vegan menus.
His return as Head Chef coincides with BLOC+ turning 25, a milestone for one of Glasgow’s longest-running independently owned grassroots venues that has maintained free entry to live music and club nights, and late-night opening throughout.
A spokesperson for BLOC+ said, “25 years as an independent venue in Glasgow isn’t something we take lightly. The city’s changed a lot, but we’ve always tried to keep things accessible with cheap food, free live music, and a safe space for everyone.”
In case you missed it, you can watch the Come Dine With Me episodes here.
