Bilson Eleven chef on move to Princes Square restaurant

The Herald Scotland

4 hours ago

'It's just gorgeous inside, with all the wooden bannisters and the lovely glass ceiling.
'My sister visited me recently with her son, and they had never been, so I took them up that long escalator from Buchanan Street. You know, the one that feels kind of like a stairway to heaven or something?
'When you get to the top, you're greeted by the whole shebang of it. It's such an amazing place.'
Pictured: Zibibbo is the latest venture from the team behind Ralph & Finns, Vroni's Wine Bar and Malo. (Image: Supplied)
A relatively new addition to Princes Square's collection of luxury retail stores and entertainment offerings, Zibibbo opened late last year with a Mediterranean-inspired menu and extensive wine list.
While Rietz now heads up their kitchen, many will recognise him as the former chef-owner of Bilson Eleven, a Michelin Guide-recommended neighbourhood restaurant which he ran in Dennistoun for close to eight years.
Asked why the venture's time had come to an end in 2024, he said: 'I wouldn't go as far as to say you're rolling the dice when opening a restaurant, but there will always be forces you can't control.
"If you're not able to adapt very quickly, it can be really tough.
"Being in the East End was especially hard because we relied on people making their way there to dine with us.
'There aren't a lot of hotels, so they had to travel that little bit further.
'We relied heavily on tourism in Glasgow, and after covid and the start of the cost-of-living crisis, people visiting the city for conferences or events seemed to drop away.'
Pictured: Chef Nick Rietz at Bilson Eleven in 2023 (Image: newsquest)
Evolving to suit the needs of customers, for a time, Rietz and his team rebranded as relaxed brunch spot, Bilson's in an effort to stay in business.
'We decided to try running Bilson's as a café to see if we could cut costs and bring a different vibe to it,' he continued.
'It was slow to begin with, until an influencer came in and made a TikTok, which kicked things off a bit.
'Then, unfortunately, we had a few family issues, which meant I was often travelling back down south, and we could only open on Saturdays and Sundays.
'We lost a fair bit of clientele because of sporadic opening times, and to be honest, our hearts just weren't in it, so we started to look at exit strategies.'
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And so, Glasgow's East End said its last goodbye to the fine dining restaurant which had for years made headlines for its funky interiors and inventive menus led by the best of Scottish seasonal produce.
A return visit to Princes Square, however, would soon set Rietz on a new path.
Pictured: Zibibbo is located in the courtyard space at Princes Square (Image: Supplied)
'I hadn't heard much about Zibibbo other than it being a new bar and restaurant in Princes Square from the people behind Ralph & Finns," he said.
'When I came to see the unit myself, it had such a cool vibe, and as soon as I met with the owners, I knew it would be the perfect fit.
'I came in as a sous chef at first in January of this year, and that's really all I was looking for after Bilson.
'I wanted to ease myself back into the 'gigging' game, but later, when their head chef said he was leaving, they asked me to take on the role.'
Pictured: Rietz soon knew Zibibbo was 'a perfect fit' (Image: Supplied)
Officially announcing Rietz as the venue's new head chef in April, Zibibbo owner Emma MacSween said: 'I am very excited to be working with Rietz after knowing of the success he had with his own venture at Bilson Eleven.
'We have this stunning venue, brilliant staff and a new exciting menu.
'It's a sign of good things to come.'
Just a few months later, this prediction already rings true with Rietz having found his feet with a new team and taking full advantage of being given creative 'carte blanche' for the summer ahead.
'Moving into a new season, you can definitely see a lot more of my stamp on the dishes,' he said.
'For example, there's a feather blade steak which we're cooking in Rioja and cayenne pepper that's sat simply on cucumber with lime zest through it to contrast heat with cool freshness.
'Or a bergamot posset topped with wee limoncello meringue and pistachios.
'These are all ingredients I've never had the chance to work with before, and I'm really excited about it.
'At Bilson Eleven, it was all very much Scottish seasonality, and although we had outside influences, we would never use something like aged balsamic or truffles.
'At Zibibbo, we've really honed in on the Mediterranean vibe, which means vegetables like peppers and courgettes and continental cheese like burrata.
'It's lovely to work with so many different flavours and see how I can fit them into my style.'
Zibibbo is located on the basement level of Princes Square at 48 Buchanan Street, Glasgow.
For more information, visit www.zibibbo.co.uk.