Restaurant Highlight: Blasta

I,like many students right now, was made to stay at home for longer than I had ever planned on being at home in my twenties and with that three month experience came a lot of highs and lows. However, one high I was lucky enough to experience when at home was a new homegrown takeaway: Blasta. Just a quick drive to Stanley from where I grew up. Blasta often does a range of weekly specials, and there was always excitement in our household when they were announced for the day. Some of our favourites absolutely being the euro burger, the venison burger and the chicken and peppers pizza.

Blasta’s chef, David, has 22 years of professional chef experience and trained many years before that. David is so addicted to the kitchen that he worked part time in three different places whilst studying at Perth College, and you can absolutely tell in the best way when you have any of Blasta’s dishes. Throughout his career, David has worked as a patisserie chef, private chef, sous chef, head chef, executive chef, and of course owner and head chef of Blasta. David amounts much of his success to the people he was lucky enough to train and even get to know on a personal level throughout his career such as Jeremy Wares and his wife Shona, Martin Wishart to name a few.

However, David did not get such a lucky start to the start of his business adventure with Blasta as he received the keys in February 2020, and we all know what happens next. So naturally David’s plans had to adjust but the jump from working eighty hours a week to none is a real shock for anyone so David went overboard with getting the restaurant ready for when it could open: reframing, rewiring, replumbing and

“It is so undeniably clear to me how much Blasta and making good quality, delicious food.”

redecorating the building himself, all through the use of YouTube videos as this was all a first time for him. Unlike the rest of us though, when Blasta still couldn’t fully function as a restaurant instead of relaxing, David rented a property whilst finding out him and his wife, Marie, were expecting their third child and thus Blasta takeaway was born.

In the first three day of being open Blasta takeaway sold ten stones of haddock, 175kg of chips and their fryers broke down twice, and although this might sound like a staggering amount to you, to me it is completely unsurprising because their food is immaculate. Blasta is a homegrown, family business with a true community feel and that comes through in the taste of their food and the impeccable customer service. Their team is growing but with more expertise and as a result is just becoming more and more unbeatable, and yet they do not have sky high prices. Blasta are soon going to be offering a vegan menu, a dessert bar and a grab and go lunch.

It is so undeniably clear to me how much Blasta and making good quality, delicious food is to David and his team. As even on his Sunday off with his family the whole family are out foraging for seaweed so they can develop the banana blossom in their menu. If you are lucky enough to live near Blasta I absolutely recommend ordering for them and if you are far away I recommend travelling to Blasta when we are able to again. I just have one request David, as a scampi lover, please add scampi to your menu. If the story of Blasta and it’s delicious food taught me anything it is to never underestimate your local takeaways.

Words by Kirsty Taylor