Asu, the latest culinary project from the team behind Glasgow’s Five March, will open at Brown’s of Leith on Friday of this week.
A new venture by restaurateur Joanna Nethery, Asu promises a menu of fresh and exciting Asian inspired dishes.
The menus and kitchen team will be led by Five March’s executive chef, David Cleary, who previously headed up the Michelin Bib Gourmand Vietnamese restaurant, Hanoi Bike Shop, in Glasgow.
The menu at Asu will include – Pho Ga – a chicken bone broth with poached chicken, rice noodles and aromatic herbs; Pho Nam – a shitake mushroom broth with oyster mushrooms, enoki, rice noodles, and aromatic herbs; Kimchi salad with wombok, black radish, rice cakes and sesame; and Five March favourites: Mango and crayfish salad with mangetout, crushed peanuts and nahm jim; their fried chicken sandwich with katsu, shredded hispi and pickled ginger; and their famous roast spuds.
Nethery said: “We can’t quite express how excited we are to work with Brown’s of Leith on our latest venture, Asu.
“We have huge respect for the project, the people and businesses they have already brought together housed within the former George Brown & Sons building, and their ever ambitious plans to grow and develop.
“To be a part of such an incredible journey is very humbling and we’re going to grab the opportunity with both hands. We can’t wait to bring a taste of Asia and a touch of Five March to The Shore.”
Creative director of Brown’s of Leith, Gunnar Groves-Raines, said: “Since its inception, our ambition for Brown’s of Leith has been to create a place where exceptional independent businesses strengthen one another, and where food, culture and creativity are deeply intertwined.
“Five March have earned an outstanding reputation in Glasgow where they’ve built a loyal community around generous hospitality and beautifully considered food.
“We’re incredibly proud that Joanna and the team have chosen Brown’s of Leith as the home of Asu in Edinburgh.”
Groves-Raine added: “Alongside Haze, Shrimpwreck and Civerinos, Asu further establishes Brown’s as a destination defined by quality, authenticity and independent spirit.”
Described as a major step in the regeneration of the area, Brown’s of Leith launched in late 2025 within the historic George Brown & Sons Engineering Works on The Shore.
The development came after the engineering firm vacated the building in 2024, and its management was taken on by the design hub Custom Lane, under the creative direction of Groves-Raines.
