Illicit Still: 22 Netherkirkgate, Aberdeen

THE Illicit Still is one of the great institutions of Aberdeen’s pub scene, renowned for a good night out.

But it also has a nice line in food, as I discovered on a recent visit with a pal.

And, as usual, the poor waiter was left waiting for our order while we gabbed.

In the end I decided to go for the classic burger (£6.95) with a couple of extras – cheese (50p) and a fried egg (50p).

The juicy burger was served in a sesame bun with chips, coleslaw and crisp onion rings. It was delicious – but I was beaten by the meal’s size.

My pal decided to go for the beef and ale pie (£8.95). Served with mash, she said the pastry and the gravy was lovely, but the meat was a bit chewy.

Still stuffed from my main I decided to have a lovely latte (£2.05) to finish off. But my friend was tempted by the Pavlova (£4.50) – a fluffy meringue served with grapes, kiwi, melon and fresh cream. She said it was perfection.

With a couple of glasses of wine the whole lot came to a reasonable £32.

And we made a New Year’s resolution not to leave it so long for a catch-up next time.