A TALENTED cook believes he has found the recipe for success as he prepares to launch his new eatery in Greenock town centre.

Professional chef Ben Egan is putting the finishing touches on ‘Umami’, his new café takeaway which is set to launch at the former Massa’s Café on Argyle Street at the end of this month.

The move is a dream come true for Ben, who worked in high-end hotels and Michelin star restaurants before he moved to Inverclyde.

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Over the last three months the new café owner has transformed the interior of the old Massa’s, adding his own touches to make it reminiscent of an alleyway eatery in Vietnam or Japan.

He hopes his new venture will prove a hit with locals and add something new to Greenock’s town centre.

Greenock Telegraph: Ben Egan ready to launch new town centre cafe takeaway

Ben told the Tele: “Getting this up to scratch has easily been the hardest thing I’ve ever done, managing the project has been extremely difficult and I’ve had barely any sleep for three months.

“I’m in my comfort zone at last, but the last couple of months have been horrible.

“Now I finally feel like I can produce the food I want to in the environment I’d like to have.

“I could never have imagined things panning out like this when I first came to Inverclyde.

“A lot of people who approached me have said I should be opening in Glasgow or opening in a city, but I feel like from talking to the people here that they actually have a lot of knowledge and enthusiasm for Asian cuisine.

“Being close to the sea is brilliant as well because it means you’ve got an abundance of high-quality ingredients that are easy to get.”

Ben, who is trained in French classical cuisine, has previously run several successful pop-up shops in collaboration with Jax Snax at the James Watt Dock Marina.

He has also shared some of his favourite recipes with Tele readers through a variety of tutorial videos, columns and food blogs.

Ben said that he hoped opening his new café would help bring his cooking to more people in Inverclyde.

He added: “We’re going to be open between 11.30 in the morning and four in the afternoon from Tuesday to Saturday, starting on August 30.

"I want the space to be a relaxed environment where people can talk about and enjoy food.

“The back image is a street in Osaka, it’s the standard alleyway where you would find exactly the sort of food we’re doing, like ramen, gyoza and even some sushi.

“The menu will be seasonal and use local produce, there are so many dishes to go through that I want to keep it moving.

“I want to introduce new dishes constantly so people can try different foods and experience new things.

“I’m putting on the finishing touches now and I’m just so excited to finally open.”