Harlequin mentor Balbir buys Glasgow restaurant

Indian restaurateur Balbir Singh Sumal has added a fourth restaurant to his Scottish portfolio with the acquisition of Urban Grill in Glasgow.

He bought the property in the city's Shawlands district from Alan Tomkins, former chairman of the Glasgow Restaurateur's Association and owner of a number of local venues including Gamba, Urban Bar and Brasserie, Manna and Vroni's.

Urban Grill, which occupies a prominent position in Kilmarnock Road, can comfortably seat 120 customers in the restaurant and another 60 in the bar.

Balbir opened his first restaurant, Ashoka, in 1973 and subsequently sold it to one of his waiters, Charan Gill. Gill, who went on to found the Harlequin Restaurant Grill, credits Balbir as his mentor.

Balbir also owns Balbir's @ Route 77 in Ayrshire, Balbir's on Church Street in Glasgow's West End, and the former Karisma restaurant on Sauchiehall Street which he bought earlier this year and will reopen as the Tiffin Rooms by Balbir.

The Glasgow office of Christie + Co sold the leasehold off a guide price of £275,000.

By Angela Frewin