AFTER a day of checking out Royal Deeside with guests, we wanted to find a nearby eating place fit for kings and queens.
Just off the North Deeside Road, we found worthy fare at Buchanans Bistro.
Set in a glass conservatory attached to the Woodend Arts Barn, the views on to the rolling hills are breathtaking.
When the waiter brought the menu, I feared the limited options, three starters, four mains and desserts, wouldn’t suit our guests. However, everyone found something on the creative list that worked for them.
My better half and I decided to share a starter and dessert so we opted for the risotto of Devenick crowdie – local cheese which is similar to goats’ cheese – wild garlic and asparagus.
With two pieces of fresh asparagus placed carefully on top of the neat stack of risotto and surrounded by carefully-placed drips of balsamic vinegar and oil everything about this dish’s presentation screamed finesse.
For mains I opted for the roast fillet of Loch Duart salmon with avocado and lime sauce.
Again, the salmon fillet by itself looked the closest to perfect I’ve seen. Cooked to melt-in-mouth standard, the ample portion of fish was delicious.
The sauce was a creamier version of guacamole with a delicate citrus kick from the lime.
Teamed with roast potatoes, onions, cauliflower and carrots, not to mention the tomato chutney with ginger and fennel flavours, the dish tasted like nature had handed it’s finest over on a plate.
Katy opted for a spinach and Parmesan quiche with salad. She said: “This makes you realise just how bad packaged quiches can be”. She was barely able to pick it up with her fork – it was so soft and fluffy.
The two flavours combined subtlety but avoided the blandness that spinach and cheese sometimes slips in to. The only problem was one slice alone was incredibly filling.
The salad consisted of sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, roast potatoes, feta, lettuce and beans – and everything about it was spot on.
After taking a pause to enjoy the view once more and recover from the feast, we opted to share the honey, pine nut and pistachio tart. As a fan of odd combinations this was an easy choice. Again it was a delicious combination – every crumb of the gooey, natural-tasting tart.
We asked out guests what they thought of the place.
And the cheeky Londoners replied they didn’t think they could get such a royal treat outside the Big Smoke.