Mains Of Scotstown Inn:Jesmond Square, Bridge of Don
Fantastic food that won’t break the bank
Published:
THE Mains of Scotstown Inn is a place that holds many memories for me.
For starters, I worked there as a kitchen porter when I was a lad, washing dishes and mopping floors.
Thankfully, my most recent visit to the award-winning restaurant and bar, tucked away in a quiet corner of Bridge of Don, was much less strenuous.
As soon as you walk in the door you’re greeted with a warm, friendly atmosphere – fit for a family feast or a quiet get together.
The decor had changed dramatically since my last visit with new dining tables and chairs, wall hangings and light fixtures – “comfy and cosy” are the words that fit best.
The menu had changed too – entirely for the better. I can honestly say it was a real challenge to make our selections because the choice of dishes was genuinely impressive.
I settled on battered garlic mushrooms with garlic butter dip (£4.99) for starters while my wife had the nachos (£4.65) with melted cheese, salsa and sour cream. My dish was terrific – a good number of properly battered, large mushrooms that were really crispy and not, typically, dripping with oil. The dip was tasty too.
On reflection, I would have gone for the nachos if I knew what Karen was getting – a load of crunchy round tortillas, smothered with a chunky salsa and sharp-tasting sour cream, smothered with melted cheese. It’s a pretty simple dish but I can highly recommend it.
I then tucked into a chicken BBQ and cheese melt with salad and chips (£10.99) while Karen had macaroni cheese with chips and garlic bread (£8.99).
We shared a side of onion rings (£1.50) but only managed one each because our portions were enormous.
The chicken was topped with a thick, juicy rasher of bacon and layered with melted cheese and a really tangy barbecue sauce.
The flame-grilled chicken breast was tender and tasty while the chips that accompanied it were huge and thick.
Incredibly (no really) I couldn’t finish it all.
Karen struggled too but only because of the size of the portion – the macaroni pieces were huge and the thick cheese sauce was just right.
Along with two drinks, the bill came to a recession-busting £35.77 which is cracking value for such a terrific meal.
On this form I suspect many more awards are waiting in the wings for my former employers.
