Whipped burrata croustade: Grilled peas and very old balsamic vinegar
Depending on the night, that might be the first of 8 or more courses that Jack Montgomery serves you. A foodie and self-taught cook, Jack created an 8-seat chef's table establishment in Edinburgh, Scotland. Called Argile, French for "clay," the name turns out to be an homage to the custom earthenware and pottery he had created for the restaurant, not to mention the malleable way he uses ingredients.
Steamed Shetland mussels: Dressing of Gordal olive juice and fig leaf oil
I asked him where his passion for food comes from. "The love of restaurants definitely comes from being dragged around France as a child. My parents weren't seeking luxury, but they did have a deep fondness for provincial French restaurants with a certain charm. My sister and I didn't appreciate our luck at the time, but we were quietly being indoctrinated into what the French would call 'les arts de la table.'"
Ayrshire potato "cacio e pepe": Cured egg yolk, onion ash and red cabbage reduction
Jack moved to France while in university and lived above a market. While there he worked his way through Escoffier's 1903 bible of French cooking, "Guide Culinaire." He made it his mission to toy with ingredients he had never seen nor handled, be it fish, shellfish or spices. That led to some real kitchen experience in two French restaurants – "100 hour weeks were common" – followed up by training as a butcher and front-of-house roles to learn the world of wine.
Slow-cooked egg: 96hr onion-broth, lardo and togarashi
But his own restaurant? "For me it was never a destination I was rushing towards. Rather, I was fascinated by the intricacies of cooking, and my aim was simply to absorb as much knowledge as I could. Reading, dining out and working in kitchens all provided useful angles to learn from, and I literally ate, slept and breathed it." It was only later that the lightbulb lit: "Having lunch at a restaurant in London which sat 12 guests gave me the idea that maybe small is beautiful. This also seemed to provide a more realistically affordable route to opening somewhere of my own."
Dry-aged monkfish: Chamomile-confit tomato and a sauce of carrot and piment d'Espelette
The menu at Argile is a multi-course journey reflecting Jacks sensibilities and history. At its heart it's all about the component parts: "I think it's important that you should be able to identify and it should taste of what it is - ideally the best or most amplified version of itself." As to the cuisine itself, "we take the best Scottish produce we can find, we cook it with solid French technique, and sometimes we inject some global top notes, but that's mainly because I love Japan!"
Venison "kobujime": Purée of beetroot and cocoa butter; chewy beets glazed in smoked soy
Visit Argile and you are basically sitting with friends in Jack's kitchen. A sleek counter space in the quiet Marchmont section of the Scottish capital, Jack works with minimal equipment, the centerpiece being a Konro grill, a small Japanese indoor barbecue which runs on smokeless Binchotan charcoal. Along with his assistant Elliot, he cooks, serves, explains, chats, teaches and makes you feel like you are in his home. The night we were there we joined another couple from Washington State and one from Genoa, Italy for a three-hour journey, filled with wine, stories, unexpected tastes, conversation and laughter.
Sake lees cream: Strawberries macerated with elderflower,; lemon verbena meringue
I asked Jack why a small, limited-seat restaurant with a tasting menu vs. a more traditional establishment. There are practical considerations to be sure: "We are a small team. For each dish to have more than, say, three components, service would be slowed to the point that we'd struggle. So instead, smaller, more concise dishes - and more of them! - give us the chance to show more breadth across the menu." But it's got an upside as well: "Creating a multi-course menu opens lots of avenues to explore. It means dishes don't each have the same requirement to be 'complete,' but can highlight less-expected elements. For example, we were cooking a nice fennel garnish for a fish dish earlier this summer, and decided to make it a dish of its own."
Black sesame Bakewell: Roasted cherry compote and Valrhona Ivoire namelaka
What does he want diners to come away with? "I want my guests to enjoy something new. Maybe to come away with a changed perspective around some aspect of the food they've eaten. Maybe even just 'I didn't know an onion could taste like that.' We sometimes have guests who tell me at the end of the meal, 'I didn't think I liked mushrooms, but after tonight I think maybe I do.' That can be fun, but I'm not here to educate, challenge or lecture. My job ultimately is to give people an enjoyable night. I want to keep exploring, keep doing what we're doing, and try to make it better."
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You can find Jack and Argile online at argilerestaurant.co.uk. Marc's column appears weekly via email and online on Substack and Blogspot as well as Facebook, LinkedIn and X.
