Corn Kist at the New Inn Hotel: Market Street, Ellon

IT’S always a good sign when you walk into a restaurant and there’s hardly a table to spare.

Luckily for us, I’d phoned ahead to book and my instinct proved to be a winner.

My wife went for the crispy chicken fillet New Yorkers (£5.35). And the silence from across the table was enough to tell me she was more than impressed with her generous helping of battered chicken fillets smothered in cheese and barbecue sauce.

I opted for the haggis and black pudding fritters (£5.35) and was delighted with the feast served up. Four massive parcels, two filled with haggis and two filled with black pudding, quickly disappeared.

Next up, my wife opted for the chicken Corn Kist (£10.55), the hotel’s huge signature dish of chicken, oatmeal and cheese, served with chips and vegetables. Despite giving it glowing praise, she was unable to polish off her main.

But I was never going to fall at the final hurdle. My Cajun Texan steak and fried onion sandwich with chips (£9.55) was a delight.

Lean pieces of steak were crammed into the large ciabatta along with fried onions and, again, my plate was clean.

Though tempted by the selection of desserts on offer, we both had to admit defeat.

But after a Sunday of great food, great service and great value, I’m sure we’ll leave some space for them next time.

With two lemonade and limes and two cokes, the bill came to £37.40.