The Red Star Inn: Kirkton of Skene

I’D USE one word to sum up the Red Star Inn. Simple.

The menu is not too fussy, the decor is certainly not among the more outlandish and the outside is hardly appealing.

But, and this is a really big but, the food – and service – was wonderful.

When we visited on a quiet winter lunchtime, it was like stepping back into the early 1990s, with the maroon carpet and booths, and couthy pictures on the wall. We wondered what we had let ourselves in for.

But then the food arrived.

My home-made burger (£7.95 plus an extra 50p for a couple of rashers of bacon) was just great.

Packed full of meat and grease-free, the tenderness of the beef was to die for.

Even the chips were brilliant. None of this straight-out-of the-freezer-bag-into-the-fryer nonsense. These were clearly freshly cut from the potato.

With a blackboard outside proclaiming fish to be a speciality, my wife couldn’t resist the haddock and chips (£8.95). The batter was fine and crisp, while the fish itself was flaky and tender.

The only downside? Simply Red’s greatest hits on the CD player. That was just simplicity gone too far.