Polish restaurant chain looks to pro-eu Scots for warm welcome

● Restaurateur believes classic dishes will appeal north of Border

A Polish restaurant chain is looking to Scotland for a major expansion due to the high proportion of people north of the Border who voted to stay within the European Union.

Ian Coll, owner of Londonbased Mamushka said he was looking to Edinburgh and potentially Glasgow and Aberdeen - as sites for new restaurants as part of a Uk-wide expansion following a “Brexit road map” where he believes Polish food would be welcome. Scotland voted 62 per cent in favour of remaining within the EU.

Mamuska, meaning “mother-in-law”, was inspired by the “milk bars” of Poland during the Communist era, which served dairy-based dishes when there was a shortage of meat and serves Polish classics, such as pierogi dumplings, borscht beetroot soup and bigos stew, as well as Polish vodka and beer.

Mr Coll, who was born in Canada and runs the restaurant with his Polish wife, told The Scotsman that Edinburgh was one of four cities outside of the UK capital where he was planning to open.

He said: “We’ve got a pretty good road map now because of the Brexit vote and we know where we’d be welcome. We are planning to open in Edinburgh and considering Glasgow as well – also my ancesteral

0 Mamuska was inspired by the ‘milk bars’ of Poland during the Communist era roots of Aberdeen. It is a pretty good indicator as to where the more liberal minded Brits are congregated en masse.”

He added that he was also looking to cities such as Bristol and Manchester – which also voted predominantly to remain in the UK, as well as further expansion in London.

He said: “We are limited in terms of some of the more provincial towns that voted strongly for Brexit.” The restaurant was originally set up to attract the expat Polish clientele in the UK when it opened five years ago, but Mr Mr Coll said 80 per cent of his customers were not Polish.

“What surprised me was that 19 out of 20 people turn out to be huge fans of Polish food,” he said. “I was introduced to Polish food early on by my wife and it is fantastic. The home kitchen is a fantastic anchor in the Polish cuisine.”

Mr Coll said he expected to open Mamuska north of the Border within the next year. He said: “If I am not in Edinburgh for Hogmanay 2018, I will be disappointed.”