Peckham’s: Union Square, Aberdeen

THE atrium of a major shopping mall might not seem the ideal place for dinner with a pal.

But the cafe outside Union Square’s new deli Peckham's manages to provide a perfect balance between hustle and bustle and a cosy spot for tea.

Being a wine retailer the eatery has plenty of drinks to choose between. We opted for a chilled bottle of sparkling Italian prosecco (£13.25) – just to be a bit decadent mid-week.

The bubbly went down well as we looked over the menu of snacks, salads, pizzas and heartier main courses.

My pal and I went for the non-veggie sharing platter (£8.95). The plate was piled high with salami, hams and cured meat coated in peppercorns. Salad, sun-dried tomatoes and chunky green olives were also included as well as toasted bread shot through with fennel seeds and sweet chutney.

For an extra £3 we added a baked Camembert to the main. The warm, creamy cheese was deliciously gooey and perfect for dipping crusty bread into.

As an indulgent extra we ordered the Cajun onion rings (£2.95). Enormous discs of onion were coated in light, tempura-type batter and were sprinkled with a hot and spicy pepper.

The food was fantastic, giving us the feeling we were in some Mediterranean destination.

Peckham's offers a perfect spot for people watching with some seriously good grub.