A man has swapped Glasgow's southside for the south of Japan to set up the country's most southerly fish and chips truck.
Sam Galbraith, who used to live in Cathcart, runs the Bonnie Blue food truck on Ishigaki island, one of Japan's most southern islands, which is located nearly 2,000km away from Tokyo and is closer in fact to Taiwan than anywhere else in Japan.
Sam worked in Glasgow's famous Ubiquitous Chip restaurant on Ashton Lane alongside chefs who have since gone on to work at other popular city spots such as Stravaigin, Cail Bruich and The Luchador, having learned to cook professionally in Spain and during a four year stint in London - which saw him work at uber-chic fine-dining spot Fenchurch.
He left Glasgow to head off to Japan on a working holiday to the Niseko Ski Resort in the northern island of Hokkaido, and while there got offered the chance to help open a restaurant in one of the hotels on Ishigaki island, where he is now based permanently and where he met Kumiko, who is now his wife and partner of the truck.
Sam, who is originally from Aberfoyle, found an old Toyota quick delivery truck for sale and spent three months redesigning and fixing it before opening to the public at the end of March.
Speaking to Glasgow Live about the food truck, he said: "Opening the truck during the pandemic has been quite difficult as we are getting no foreign tourists at all and the hospital is at full capacity so people are being encouraged to stay in.
"But we are giving locals who can’t go out to restaurants the opportunity to try something totally different and as a takeaway option so it’s safe, the local people have been unbelievably supportive and helpful.
"Being a tiny island in the middle of nowhere, there is a real community feeling. Luckily we have been welcomed here and we are doing our best to give other people of Okinawa a taste of Scotland while also using local ingredients and catering to local taste".
And in regards to the menu, Sam added: ""We do fresh island fish in the local Orion beer batter and chips with Nori sea salt.
"Also on the menu are things like ishigaki banana fritter with local sugarcane powder and cinnamon, Hokkaido style fried chicken “zangi” as Kumi is a Hokkaido girl And our favourite deep-fried snickers because we can’t get Mars bar and it’s way better anyway."
