A COUPLE of yards from the busiest road in the North-east is perhaps not where you’d expect to find a quiet and quality place to eat.
But in the Cock & Bull – less than a stone’s throw off the A90 at Balmedie – we found exactly that.
After a rain-soaked weekend the Roberts family decided a nice bite to eat – cooked by someone else – was well deserved.
We headed out to the beautifully-restored 19th century coaching inn where a blackboard outside proudly proclaims the head chef was none other than Ryan Paterson, two-time winner and the current Grampian Chef of the Year.
It’s another impressive accolade for a restaurant featured in the 2009 Eating Out in Pubs list for Britain.
Not only is it one of just 24 Scottish pubs to have made it into the guide, it’s also the only entry from the North-east.
Once over the cosy threshold, we were led to the much brighter conservatory and quickly looked over the menu.
There’s not a huge choice, but plenty to suit most diners. And children can choose from their own menu.
I started off with the pan-seared chicken livers with Aberdeenshire black pudding and a sort of curried tomato relish (£5.95) – fantastic! The black pudding was crumbly and tasty in equal measure while the melt-in-the-mouth livers were cooked to perfection.
Karen picked the bruschetta (£5.25) which – smothered with tomato toppings and olive oil – looked a bit well-fired to me, though she had no complaints.
I was really impressed with my main course – the lamb burger with chunky chips (£10.75).
The burger was nice and thick, juicy and covered in a delicious mint sauce that set it off brilliantly.
Karen’s Frittata (£10.25) was a good-sized portion, loaded with fresh vegetables and very tasty.
Our two-year-old son, Elliot, chased his bacon and cheese sandwich with fries (£4.95) around the plate, but was more interested in the chips.
There was a very big helping of bacon, and the cheese complemented the meat well.
With a coke, two milks and a glass of white wine the bill came to a fairly reasonable £46.55.
All in all, the food was good, the service prompt and the setting comfortable ... and we didn’t hear a single car rushing by outside.