Restaurant Reviews

THERE must be some kind of special sensor at the Ferryhill House Hotel because whenever I set foot in its beer garden the sun magically disappears in an instant.

PERCHED on a waterfront wall with the salty sea air breezing in – it is one of my favourite places in the world.

LIKE any other parents, Mrs B and I love our kids beyond reason.

LOOKING around at the subtly-lit white walls, fish tanks, paintings and chic Saturday night diners, I was a tad confused.

I WAS simply delighted when my friend told me there was a new Italian restaurant in town.

MODERN life ... it’s all a bit of a hectic whirl isn’t it, with us caught in the middle of a dance of change.

AS I am currently the proudest mum in the world after my son received an A pass in his exam I thought he deserved a celebratory slap-up meal.

A RARE sunny day in Aberdeen demands a visit to a beer garden after work.

A CATCH-UP on girly gossip deserves a good meal to accompany it.

WHOEVER said “location, location, location” (Phil or Kirsty I think) has obviously never been to 210 Bistro.

I MIGHT be an in-aboot-comer to these here parts but I have noticed one refreshing trend in my five years of living here.

HOUSE-HUNTING can be a hungry business. So what better way to research my prospective new neighbourhood, than to head to the local chipper and see if it’s any crack?

IF I said I was dining at the ancestral home of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll you would probably expect me to be in Memphis.

ASK and you shall receive ... so when I asked Mrs B if she wanted to visit the latest Italian eatery in town I received a “yes”.

TWO things have been a source of constant pleasure in my life so far – food and films.

BEING on a health kick does mean some sacrifices – but it didn’t stand in the way of an overdue catch-up with the girls.

WITH Dorothy fever gripping the nation – well, according to Graham Norton anyway – we are constantly being told there’s no place like home.

A MEAL fit for a king is always the order of the day when a newborn baby enters the world.

BLINK and you’d miss this little Italian restaurant on Holburn Street.

SINCE it first opened about five years ago, Number One has always been for me one of the most reliable restaurants in Aberdeen.

HAVING a top restaurant at the end of your street can be a bit of a mixed blessing.

I‘M A bit of a nervous diner when outside of my comfort zone.

THERE’S a new concept being floated on the cobbles of The Adelphi – “bistronomy”.

HOW many times have you gone for a quick, cheap meal – only to throw caution to the wind and go for the full three-courser?

SOME restaurants are ideal for a romantic candlelit supper – and some are perfect for a gaggle in search of a party.

SOMEONE’S birthday had suddenly hove into view and caught me on the hop.

THERE are many great restaurants tucked away in the Buchan countryside.

ANY new restaurant in Aberdeen is always welcome ... especially one where the chef has the confidence to slap their name on the sign outside.

I HAVE always wanted to eat in a Nando’s for what is, possibly, the geekiest reason ever.

THE first time we went to Fusion it had only been open for a couple of weeks and was still very much the new kid on the block.

OF ALL the places to sit when you’re looking to shed some festive pounds, next to a conveyor belt of food is probably not the wisest.

WHY did I promise to go out for dinner on one of the worst nights of the year?

I WOULD like to say I’ve trekked the world in pursuit of the perfect Chinese beef curry.

I’M PARAPHRASING, but an old Chinese proverb says: On the coldest night of the year, it’s probably best not to misread the address and end up trekking round Aberdeen looking for Mister Li’s.

CHRISTMAS is coming, the goose is getting fat ... and the budget is getting tight.

GOING out for a slap-up feast and a visit to the panto is guaranteed to make you feel young at heart.

THE Mains of Scotstown Inn is a place that holds many memories for me.

AFTER an unusually early foray into the hideous world of Christmas shopping, I was out on my feet.

THE start of my trip to The Creel Inn was not as relaxing as I had hoped.

WHEN I order, say, a curry, I don’t really expect to see Peking duck on the menu.

OKAY I admit it ... I’m an unashamed food snob. I have always thought that people who order set menus in Chinese restaurants are lightweights.

NOTHING beats a luxury meal on a Sunday.

SOME of the oldest olive trees in the world have been growing on the same spot for more than 2,000 years.

ALWAYS enjoyable, occasionally brilliant and bright yellow.

IT’S always good to escape to the country for a meal in the North-east – provided you can get to your favoured restaurant.

I’VE got a confession to make – I’ve never even seen The Sopranos.

YOU know you’re on to a winner when you have to queue to eat in a restaurant.

TRUE confession time ... Derbar will always have a special place in my heart.

MY MISSUS loves France. Stick her in a beret, give her a glass of Sancerre and she’s sorted.

MUCHALLS is a lovely wee place, but I’ve never had too much call to go there – until now.

I’VE been going to the Mill of Mundurno for donkey’s years and over time it has changed in many ways.

WHEN it comes to celebratory dinners, my friends are nothing if not consistent.

LIKE Brigadoon, it arose from the mist. The haar had blown in and swathed the Inn at Heath Hill in thick mist.

FORTUNATELY my appreciation of French food is a lot better than my abilities with the French language.

GOING green seems to be all the rage at the moment.

A COUPLE of yards from the busiest road in the North-east is perhaps not where you’d expect to find a quiet and quality place to eat.

A FUNNY thing happened on our way for a curry ... it turned into a pizza instead.

THE glorious seafood smell hits you the second you step inside Bistro Verde.

ONE of the great joys of trying out a new restaurant is the anticipation of what it’s going to be like.

AH, CHOPSTICKS. No matter how many times we meet, I never quite seem to learn my lesson.

WITH cash tighter than ever thanks to a poorly car and fixed-rate mortgage, our posh nights out are few and far between.

THEY say that stress – or lack thereof – plays a big part in how good food tastes.

Can there be any finer place in the world on a lovely day than Cullen?

WALKING into this Adelphi eatery almost feels like venturing into Mr Ben’s wardrobe and finding yourself in the rustic dining room of a Hungarian family.

IF I’M ever in the bad books with the missus, I’ve discovered there’s one thing that is almost guaranteed to bail me out every time – a trip to an Italian restaurant.

STRICHEN is not the fanciest of places. Lying somewhere between the sea and the hills, it lacks the drama of a coastal town or the picturesque setting of those further inland.

WHEN curry fans get together, they can’t help but compare notes.

IT’S the age-old problem that faces every global food connoisseur – Chinese or Indian?

YOU’VE got to like tucking into fish and chips while sitting looking at the boats that caught your haddock.

IT SEEMED a shame to waste the sunny evening cooped up in the house.

IF OPPOSITES attract, my girlfriend must really fancy me when we sit down for dinner.

CHEAP, cheerful and simple is what you get at Frankie & Benny’s, down at Aberdeen Beach.

LA LOMBARDA can claim to be all things to all people.

HAVING eaten in Moonfish a number of times over the years I was a bit concerned when I realised it was closed for a revamp.

THE last time I had a meal in the Alma Hotel in Laurencekirk it was fine, wholesome, simple, honest-to-goodness Scottish fare.

THE mark of a great restaurant is not always just the food.

THERE is a fine balance to be struck at any restaurant between over-enthusiastic waiting staff and servers who linger in the corner almost willing you not to catch their eye.

FOR me, there are few restaurants in Aberdeen better than the Royal China – its February and we’ve already been twice this year.

I’M SURE I’m not the only person who is prone to the odd bout of Meal Envy at restaurants.

GEOGRAPHY has never been my strong point, but I’m fairly sure that Thailand is not a cold country.

WHEN it comes to really spicy food I am what is technically known as “a big girl’s blouse”.

WHY would you take someone who doesn’t eat fish to a fish and chip restaurant?

I DON’T know what it’s like to be snow-blind, but after eating at Restaurant 21, I now have some idea.

OH FOR a chance to get away from the grinding permanent grey of a dreich North-east January.

DOWNTURN, credit crunch, recession ... it’s time to tighten those belts.

A BITTER December wind ravished the cobbles outside as we settled ourselves in to La Stella for the night.

IF THERE’S one thing to snap you out of the holiday spirit it’s stepping on to a plane in glorious sunshine and stepping off in a snow storm.

THE bright flashing lights and stacking chips of casinos have never really pulled me in.

A SLAP-UP dinner was in order for the last night of a week’s holiday.

ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT isn’t exactly a phrase that makes you think of fine dining.

EARLY November is surely the most miserable, dank and dreich time of the year.

IT’S always good to think you’re doing your wee bit to help charity.