Pub Reviews

TIDYING up the flat before putting it on the market is tiring work.

PASSING a pub with a huge menu on my way back from work was always going to be a recipe for disaster.

HOLIDAYS are great fun ... planning for them isn’t.

IT HAD somehow slipped our minds that the first Friday after pay day means pandemonium in town.

WALKING through town, I saw something wondrous – a bar that wasn’t packed to the rafters with singing footie fans.

WITH the World Cup in full swing, the quest to watch as many games as I can while keeping the good lady vaguely happy is up and running.

WHAT could be better than a day by the seaside?

NOTHING can beat a hearty meal after a long journey.

IT’S OFFICIAL ... I’m getting old. At the tender age of just 19 (okay, 26), I’m all set for the pipe and slippers.

IT’S always a quandary when you stumble unexpectedly across somewhere serving really good food.

WITH the kitchen looking like a storm had hit it, cooking was out of the question.

USUALLY when it’s a Champions League match night you would expect to fight for a table in Ma Cameron’s.

WITH the doom and gloom of clouds of volcanic ash hanging over Scotland and snow in April, I jumped at the chance to shake off the blues at the pub.

SATURDAY afternoons when the sun’s beating down are perfect for a nice pub lunch.

THERE’S a certain buzz about Wednesday nights at this time of year.

THERE’S nothing like catching up with friends over a curry.

POPPING out for a quiet bite to eat with a pal, we stumbled upon burger heaven.

REGULAR as clockwork as a kid, my family sat down to a traditional roast dinner every Sunday.

IT’S the little, unexpected things that can sometimes make a meal, as I found when taking a friend out.

I’VE LIVED in Aberdeen for more than a year, so it was high time my brother and his girlfriend paid me a visit.

SOMETIMES travelling into the town centre for a meal can be too much hassle.

AFTER a fairly unroman-tic Valentine’s card featuring a tiger and no gift, I had some ground to make up with the missus.

A MEAL in a monkey house might not sound like your idea of good eating.

I WAS always told by Ma Groundwater to do what she told me to.

YOU’VE got to keep your strength up during a hard-And what better way of doing that than with a hearty lunch – which is why I nipped out to The Cross Keys for some tasty grub.

IT CAN be hard to find a quiet pub for some grub on a Friday night.

TUCKED off the hustle and bustle of Belmont Street is a haven of cool.

WITH the festive season over, my friends and I were desperate for a break from stodge.

CHRISTMAS is coming and the geese (much like myself) are getting fat.

THE last thing you would expect when you go out for a pub lunch on a Saturday is to encounter a magic carpet.

I DON’T think a bowl of soup by a roaring fire has ever seemed so tempting.

WITH a lot of gossip to catch up on my pal and I decided to head into town.

SO, WHAT first attracted you to the two courses plus your pint for £9.99 deal, Mr Begbie?

AFTER a hard day, there was no better remedy than meeting up with friends for some wholesome food.

WITH the rain dinging down outside and a distinct lack of edible food in the fridge, there was only one thing for it – let’s go to the pub.

THE one thing I love about taking a drive out in the country is when I find a wee gem of a pub serving good food.

SUNDAY afternoons – they were invented for relaxing.

AFTER spending the day moving house, cooking a meal was never going to be on the cards.

WITH its gothic looks dominating Belmont Street, Slains Castle has long been the eeriest place in town to get a bite to eat.

AFTER a long day at work cooking seemed like an awful strenuous task.

IT’S always a joy to find some new culinary delights and dinner haunts.

THE North-east is full of little nooks and crannies with great eateries to discover.

PUBS contain three of my favourite things in life – food, beer and football on TV.

I’M ONE month into my healthy-eating kick and things are getting dire.

STONEHAVEN harbour is the perfect setting for a sunny Sunday.

HIDDEN inside an unassum-ing stone building, The Bieldside is a bit of a surprise.

ONE of my pre-night out rituals is to have a good meal before I paint the town red.

WELL, one thing you can say about the Filling Station is that it does exactly what it says on the sign – it fills you up.

I HAD been promising to take my friend to this sumptuous former mansion house for years.

HOUSED within a former church, Soul Bar is pretty dark on a sunny day – even with light streaming through the stained-glass windows.

WITH the credit crunch biting, dining out has to be done on a budget, these days.

WITH one of my good pals heading off for a new start in New Zealand, I decided to treat her to lunch at one of Aberdeen’s newest bars.

AFTER a very chilled-out day on my own, Saturday night was a time to catch up with friends.

DRIVING, I hate it. And after the stress of the Haudagain roundabout at rush hour I was ready for somewhere to relax.

With its relaxed, child-friendly atmosphere, comfy couches and phenomenal value, Archibald Simpson’s was an obvious choice.

FOR some reason the Begbie household always seems to be in a rush.

IT’S ALWAYS a good sign when a restaurant is full and there is nowhere to sit.

IT CAN be handy having a layabout student for a brother.

AFTER a serious number of invites to friends’ weddings, I was starting to feel old – and I didn’t like it one bit.

WHAT better antidote for the hustle and bustle of Aberdeen on a Saturday afternoon than stepping back in time?

ON A cold night, the cosiness oozing out of Ma Cameron’s was too alluring to simply walk past.

THE steeple-topped Cocket Hat is a landmark in Mastrick – just off the busy North Anderson Drive.

THEY say you never explore the things that are right on your doorstep.

MY PAL was on a flying visit and we decided to try a new pub for tea.

IT’S that time of year I always secretly dread – my girlfriend’s birthday.

SATURDAY afternoons when the sun’s beating down are perfect for a nice pub lunch.