9/3/2022 0 Comments Restaurant Review - The HowffABERDEEN RESTAURANT WEEK 2022 [AD - PAID PARTNERSHIP WITH ABERDEEN INSPIRED]Well, it's certainly been a while since we've been here isn't it? But we're back, and with good cause, because it's the Aberdeen food fans' favourite time of year - Aberdeen Restaurant Week. As one of the ARW Brand Ambassador Team, I was asked to head along and review The Howff and their £25 dinner menu. Having missed out last time around, I'm delighted to be back on board as part of the team! One of Aberdeen's few remaining cellar bars, The Howff is absolutely a Union Steet institution. With its blink-and-you'll-miss-it entrance, it's unfortunately somewhere that can quite often be forgotten about. It first opened for business in the mid 80's under the name The Wine Cellar. Following changes over the years, it was renamed in the 90's and The Howff was born, where it is now part of the PB Devco group. Aberdeen Inspired covered the cost of my meal in return for me providing a review as part of my duties as a Brand Ambassador. Inside we were greeted by manager Calum who introduced himself and took some time to speak about the main menu, and what they are trying to achieve with the Aberdeen Restaurant Week menu. The Howff was actually one of the last pubs in Aberdeen to re-open following Covid-19 restrictions, so are understandably keen to get the crowds back. The FoodThe Howff's menu is certainly eye catching - there may not be something for everyone, but I knew exactly what I was going for. They offer three courses for £25 or two courses with 250ml of wine. For me, to start it had to be the Beef Stovie Bon Bon's, followed by Smoked Haddock and finished off with the Baked Vanilla Cheesecake. Kerry opted to go for the Soft Vegan Tacos, followed by the Smoked Haddock & Dark Chocolate Delice. It didn't take long for our food to arrive following the drinks, and boy did it look good. The golf ball sized Stovie Bon Bons looked outstanding! Photos out the way, I got stuck straight in - and I couldn't believe how good they were. Honestly... They are a revelation to the food world. Why hasn't anyone done this before?! And with the beetroot on the side, stovies and beetroot just work so well together. Wow, what a start! As for Kerry's tacos, she really enjoyed them. I also had half of one and can confirm that they were super tasty and I couldn't have guessed they were a vegan option if I didn't already know. After a short break, it was soon time for the main courses. For the record, I’m not really that much of a fish person, outside of “fish & chips” however, I really liked the sound of this on the menu, and when it arrived, it smelled and looked fantastic. It tasted great too – the fish was cooked perfectly; full of flavour, juicy and flaky. The crushed potatoes and black pudding, along with the creamed leeks were the perfect accompaniments. And the perfectly cooked poached egg on top just finished the dish off, lightening the whole thing up just enough. This main course was superb and I highly recommend it. Kerry agreed, she really enjoyed it too. It was then time to try and squeeze our desserts in. While we ordered one each, no one really has a whole one to themselves do they? So naturally, we shared. The cheesecake was delicious, light, fluffy and not too heavy and the whipped Chantilly cream on the side was absolutely superb! The dark chocolate delice was also tasty and full of flavour, however, it was just a little too much on the rich side for my liking. Again, though, with the Chantilly cream on the side, along with the white chocolate ice cream, it just worked. The VerdictWell, I cannot fault that at all. The food and service was absolutely superb from start to finish. The stovies bon bons are sure to be hit with anyone that tries them, and if I were to offer The Howff one bit of advice - make them a permanent menu item ASAP! £25 for these three courses is excellent value for money in my eyes and I cannot recommend The Howff enough. Also, after eyeing up the regular main menu, we will definitely be back to try that.
Thanks again to Calum and the team at The Howff for a great evening. If you decide to check it out for yourself, please be sure to let me know what you think. #arw #arw2022 #rediscoverABDN #supportlocal https://www.aberdeeninspired.com/festival/restaurant-week/ https://www.howffaberdeen.co.uk/
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ABERDEEN RESTAURANT WEEK 2020 [AD - PAID PARTNERSHIP WITH ABERDEEN INSPIRED]The bumper edition of Aberdeen Restaurant Week (Aberdeen Restaurant Fortnight doesn't quite have the same ring does it?) is now well underway & if you're still trying to figure out where you'd like to eat... well, you've come to the right place. As an Aberdeen Restaurant Week brand ambassador I was asked if I'd like to review The City Bar & Diner & their £20 dinner menu. The City is somewhere who's previous ARW menu's have really appealed to me, and yet I'd just never got round to trying it. The City Bar & Diner can be found at 37-39 Netherkirkgate, and has been a mainstay of city dining for some time now, offering up dinners, lunches & afternoon teas comprised of locally-sourced produce, along with a variety of craft beers & cocktails. Inside, we were greeted by the super friendly Polly, who took our details for track & trace, then showed us to our table. It's a really nice space inside, super clean, with a mixture of modern & traditional decor. It was well set up for social distancing too, with screens separating the tables in the main dining area. The was plenty hand sanitiser throughout, along with ample Covid-19 related information. The FoodThe menu offered up by The City Bar & Diner is certainly interesting, & at first glance it looks to be excellent value at three courses for £20. I opted for the Korean Fried Candy Chicken Wings, followed by The Maryland Rooster - now, banana & pineapple on a burger certainly seems like a bit of a bold choice, but I was all in for trying it out. Kerry decided to go for the Smoked Haddock Arancini, followed by the Tandoori Lamb Shank. For dessert, we chose the Banoffee Pie & Cranachan. The starters arrived shortly after ordering, & they were absolutely wonderfully presented - they looked first class. I wasted no time in getting stuck in, and the wings tasted great. The sauce was the perfect combination of sweet & spicy, without being overly spicy. There was enough meat on the bones too, which can sometimes be an issue with wings. It's safe to say they didn't look as good as they did when they arrived for long! Kerry also really enjoyed her arancini too, & finished it all - well, I helped slightly by having a bite, & can confirm that it tasted great. The fish was well flavoured & worked really well with the mango. When our starters were taken away, Polly dropped another plate on our table, saying that the chef really wanted us to try the Tandoori Crumbled Halloumi also. Wow! These were great, really great. If you're a fan of halloumi then I would highly recommend trying these out. After a short break, it was soon time for the main courses. They were placed down on the table, & both looked very impressive. The Maryland Rooster was absolutely huge with a giant fried chicken breast taking centre stage, smothered either side by loads of toppings. Served with accompanying fries & coleslaw, it really did look like an impressive dish. I can say much the same for Kerry's Tandoori Lamb Shank too - it was a mouthwatering giant lump of lamb, served with 3 great looking garlic puri & pilau rice. Time to tuck in! Tackling this burger looked like no easy task. I considered cutting it in half, but I squashed it all together & just decided to go for it. First off, the fried chicken breast tasted great - it was juicy & the fried breadcrumbs soaked up the sweet & sour sauce to give it a nice tangy, sweet flavour with each bite. Now, here's where things start to get weird... but, stick with me. Before you know it, you get a mouthful of banana, which combined with the chicken is a bit of a strange taste sensation to begin with, but the more you get into it, the more it works, & along with the pineapple, you get the perfect amount of juicy sweetness. Don't get me wrong, it is a really strange combination to begin with, but it all comes together quite well, & I enjoyed it, I finished every bite. Kerry also really enjoyed the Tandoori Lamb Shank. Having tasted it myself, I can confirm that it was delicious. The lamb just fell off the bone & the combination of the tandoori flavours was excellent. The garlic puri was great for scooping up the sauce too! Main courses done, & bellies bulging... we thought we just about had room left for dessert. They arrived on the table looking fantastic & I dived straight into the creamy Cranachan. Straight off, the whiskey cream tasted amazing - mixed with the oats and the strawberry ice cream, it was pretty much a perfect cranachan. With a few bites left, we decided to swap & I got to taste the outrageous looking bannoffe pie. Wow! The warm butterscotch sauce smothered over the bananas & the crunchy banoffee base was incredible. You couldn't go wrong with either of these desserts. We finished things off with a coffee before ending the evening with a quick chat to the ever friendly Polly, along with the chef & then we headed off for the night. The VerdictOverall, we had an excellent meal at The City Bar & Diner - the wonderful service provided by Polly, along with the first class food made for a great night. £20 for any those three courses is phenomenal value for money in my eyes, & I absolutely recommend that you check it out.
These are tough times for many of us at the moment, but it's just as tough a time for many of these restaurants too, & without our support, we might not have them around for much longer. So go out, treat yourself, enjoy some great food, & most importantly, stay safe. #arw #arw2020 #rediscoverABDN #supportlocal https://www.aberdeeninspired.com/festival/restaurant-week/ Aberdeen restaurant Week 2020Aberdeen Restaurant Week is almost here, and if you're still figuring out where you to go, then maybe I can be of some assistance... As I mentioned in my previous blog, as part of my duties as an Aberdeen Restaurant Week Brand Ambassador, I was asked to review Angus & Ale, ahead of ARW kicking off. On a similar theme to last year, where I previewed the Hop & Anchor - a beer and a burger seemed to be on the cards, which having been to Angus & Ale previously, I was more than happy about. Angus & Ale can be found in the Adelphi, on the Castlegate end of Union Street, operating out of the old Adelphi Kitchen premises, following their move from Schoolhill a while back. Angus & Ale is a haven for Aberdeen meat lovers, with them promising dry aged beef, on the bone for a minimum of 28 days, which guarantees melt-in-the-mouth, juicy burgers. Inside, we were greeted by our waiter (pardon me, for forgetting to ask his name!) and we were shown to our seats; a cosy booth beside the window. The restaurant already had a few occupied tables, with people eating and chatting away, which was good to see. The restaurant has a "traditional/rustic" feel with the decor consisting of tartan cushions and up-cycled wood panelling on the walls. After giving us our menus, our drinks order was then taken and I was able to choose from an expansive beer list, brimming with local beers. I opted for M'ango Unchained from my local favourites, Brew Toon - easily one of my favourite beers brewed in Aberdeen. If I had to pick up on one tiny fault, I think that the tables, certainly our one, could have done with a little TLC - the paint was kind of all flaked off and it felt slightly sticky. But that is a minor point, and even then, I'm probably just being picky. The FoodThe menu that Angus & Ale have put together for #ARW2020 is simple, but that doesn't take away from that fact of how appealing it looks. Offering 3 courses for £20, you can also opt for 2 courses for £17, although in my mind, £3 is small change when it comes to getting one of those starters or desserts. My eyes were instantly drawn to the Smoked Scotch Egg, and the Schoolhill Special. Kerry went for the tomato & parmesan soup, and the habanero chicken burger, and we opted to think about dessert later... The starters arrived shortly after, and I could not believe my eyes. The scotch egg looked absolutely incredible, and it was HUGE! I wasted no time in getting stuck in, and it did not disappoint one bit; the outside was crunchy, the filling (haggis and sausage meat) was full of flavour, and the egg itself was perfectly runny. Paired with the smoky, fruity HP sauce, it was the perfect starter - it was almost an entire meal in itself and I can't recommend this dish enough! Kerry's soup was packed full of flavour - it was creamy, wholesome, and the starter to choose for those wanting to save room for their main course. Starters out the way, it was now time for the main course. As I said earlier, I decided on the Schoolhill Special, which is a quiet nod to the old home on Schoolhill. Consisting of the signature 28 day dry aged beef, highland cheddar, bacon, onion rings, burger sauce, mustard mayo, lettuce & tomato, all sandwiched between a brioche bun and skewered with a sliced pickle - this burger was a towering sight to behold. Wow. Accompanied with a generous portion of the house rosemary fries, they were also kind enough to throw in a side of the gigantic onion rings for us... as if we didn't have enough food already! Kerry's habanero chicken burger, whilst not as immediately intimidating as my burger, still looked great - with perfectly charred, grilled chicken breast poking out the sides of the bun. I'm normally a pick up a burger and just go for it kind of guy, but I had to be sensible here, and opted to cut it in half to tackle it - which should you decide on this yourself, I'm sure you will agree was the right choice. With so much going on inside, it can sometimes be difficult to appreciate all the flavours, but that definitely wasn't the case here; the beef was cooked perfectly, and full of flavour, the burger sauce gave the right amount of tangy zing, the mustard mayo giving a hint of heat, the bacon added a smoky layer and the onion rings added a nice crunch to it all. I'll be honest - it was hard to eat, and I didn't finish it all, but I really enjoyed it. It was delicious. I really enjoyed the rosemary fries, they tasted great, and I finished the lot. The onion rings were also excellent, but proved to be slightly too much for us - the were gigantic after all. I didn't taste the habanero chicken burger myself, but Kerry assured me it was super tasty, and thankfully, wasn't quite as spicy as the name suggested. Finally, it was time for dessert. After a mammoth two courses so far, we decided that we'd probably only just about manage to share one dessert between us. So we opted for the Banoffee Sunday - because that was right up our street. It arrived fairly promptly, and looking rather delightful - a mason jar, filled with layers of whipped cream, caramel & vanilla ice cream, banana sauce, sliced banana and shortbread, topped off with a sprig of fresh mint. It was absolutely as delicious as it looked, but ultimately it was too much for us, and we never quite managed to finish it off... We were offered a tea/coffee/hot chocolate to finish the night off, but we politely declined and decided to be on our way, after a fantastic meal. Thanks to Angus & Ale for a great evening! The VerdictOverall, I was really impressed with what Angus & Ale had to offer. For £20, I think that their menu is absolutely phenomenal value for money - with huge portions, and great flavours, combined with a fantastic selection of local beers. As far as burgers go, Angus & ale are right up there with the best in the city, and in my opinion, they are well worth parting with your hard earned cash for. Be sure to check out the rest of the ARW Brand Ambassadors blog posts and get yourselves booked up! #ARW2020 #comedinewithus https://aberdeenrestaurantweek.com/ There's a New Boy In Town...There are few sentences more satisfying in life than the words "...there's a new pizza place opening...". So when I heard about Mac's Pizzeria opening, I was understandably excited! Mac's is one of two new ventures in the city by the McGinty's Group (the other being The Esselmont), and it promises to bring authentic Neapolitan style pizza to Aberdeen, freshly prepared on site using the finest, genuine ingredients keeping with the Neapolitan style. We were away for the opening day, so we missed out on all the excitement, but as soon as we were back, we didn't hang around in getting in and checking it out for ourselves! Mac's operates on a walk in basis (but will take reservations for groups of 6+) so you just need to chance your luck in getting a table, however, it is huge inside, and we didn't have any trouble getting a table, albeit on a Thursday afternoon... The FoodMac's menu is simple, but that doesn't take away from how appealing it is. There are six starters on offer, along with a range of sides to choose from too. As for the mains, you get the choice of ten Neapolitan style pizzas, ranging from £6.00 to £8.50. Pizza no. 2, Mac's Signature Pizza is one that may immediately jump out at you with its Scottish twist of "Blaggis" - a combination of black pudding and haggis, along with Scottish white cheddar. There is also a kids menu available for the little ones. I opted for no. 7, the spicy one, with the ndjua sealing the deal for me. I also chose to add hot roquito peppers to it for an extra spicy kick. To wash it all down, I went for a pint of the Menabrea, an Italian lager. Kerry opted for the no. 2 (Mac's Signature Pizza), along with a glass of prosecco. While we were waiting for the food to arrive, I took the chance to check out some of the cool decor on show inside Mac's. It really is a funky open space, with quirky touches everywhere you look, including retro Vespa scooters and Italian football memorabilia. It didn't take long for the pizza's to arrive, and the minute mine landed on the table, I couldn't wait to tuck in. The waiting staff offered some extra black pepper & Parmesan, which we happily accepted, and I added some extra chilli oil myself to spice things up a bit more. I cut the pizza up with the pizza cutter provided and went straight in with my hands for my first slice - the sauce and cheese were sweet and tangy, the chicken combined perfectly with the ndjua and the peppers gave the right amount of warming kick and a slight sweetness. The base itself was cooked absolutely as it should be, with the perfect amount of char and chewiness on the crust to round everything off - I just wished I'd ordered some spicy ndjua butter for dipping. It's safe to say that there wasn't a scrap of food left on my place by the time that I was done! As for Kerry’s pizza, the Mac’s Signature Pizza, she assured me that she very much enjoyed it. I tasted it for myself, and whilst I definitely preferred my own, it was still pretty tasty. The only thing that I can really say is that I found that the “Blaggis” was quite heavy and and a little stodgy for my liking. As for the rest of the pizza - the sauce and cheese were sweet and tangy, the onions provided a sweet crunch, and the base & crusts were cooked perfectly, just like my own. The VerdictIf you follow me on Instagram, you may have already seen my verdict on Mac's - I loved it and I can't wait to go back. Sure, it may be simple food, but some of the best food around is simple! I feel like I'm enough of a pizza fanatic that I'm qualified to be a pretty good judge, and I thought this pizza was absolutely fantastic, and probably some of the best you'll get in the city. It's hard not to compare directly with Mozza, with to the Neapolitan style pizza, and I really like Mozza, but in my opinion - it's certainly every bit as good (if not better?).
I would 100% recommend checking Mac's out if you haven't already. It is such a funky space, with great staff, in a great location, and as I've already mentioned - the pizza is worth the visit alone. Aberdeen Restaurant Week ContinuesI just want to start this post off by saying I wasn't asked to review McGinty's as part of #ARW2019, but after having a great night at The Hop & Anchor last week, we decided to head out again and check out another #ARW2019 menu and McGinty's menu caught our eye straight away. Having been open for around 10 years now, McGinty's is a firm city centre favourite - located at the top end of Union Street, McGinty's has been offering up hearty pub classics, along with a selection of premium & local drinks for what seems like forever. Admittedly, I haven't eaten there in quite some time, so sampling their #ARW2019 menu seemed like the perfect chance to reacquaint myself with this Aberdeen institution. When we arrived at McGinty's the place was absolutely mobbed! I forgot when I booked the table that there would be football on at that time - but that only added to the atmosphere! We waited at the bar until there was someone available, and we were served by our eventual waitress (unfortunately I didn't catch her name) for the night, who showed us to our table before setting it up for us, and taking our drinks order. The FoodMcGinty's have pulled together a selection of staple items from their main menu for their #ARW2019 £20 three course dinner menu, and it was this menu that made us book a table here in the first place. There is something for everyone on there, with vegetarian and vegan options included. For our starter, we decided to share the Nachos and Crispy Cauliflower Bites between us - I was absolutely buzzing for the cauliflower! The starters made their way over to the table, reasonably quickly after our drinks arrived, but long enough as to know that everything was cooked freshly. We didn't hesitate to dive in and I started to tackle the mountain of nachos, cheese and chilli that lay in front of me! The nachos were great, they didn't become too soggy with the chilli which is something that can sometimes happen, the chilli was suitably spicy and gave a warming kick to everything and the stringy cheese bound it all together perfectly. If I had to make one complaint - it's that it's quite a large dish, and I would say it almost has to be shared between two people or it could become too much. Moving on to the Crispy Cauliflower Bites, that were served with McGinty's "house" hot sauce. Now these were an absolute treat, and probably one of my favourite dishes of #ARW2019 so far. They were covered in a crispy batter that almost made them pakora like, and gave them the perfect crunch. The house hot sauce dip topped this dish off perfectly - it gave the cauliflower bites the perfect combination of sweet and spicy flavour that just went together so well. Looking back, I honestly wish we'd opted for two servings of these! At least it gives us a reason to hurry back... After we'd finished out starters, we got the chance to have a bit of a break from the food whilst we awaited the arrival of our mains - I'd opted for The McGinty's Burger, with Kerry choosing the Spinach & Falafel Burger. The burgers soon arrived, and we finally came face to face with the challenge that awaited us. Both burgers were pretty big, and served with a plethora of chips, coleslaw and salad. Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that The McGinty's Burger was going to be no pushover - stacked with a huge patty, cheese, onion rings and a big dollop of haggis...woah! I poured on some of the accompanying whisky sauce and got to work devouring this monster of a burger. The patty itself was cooked perfectly; suitably charred on the outside, and tender and juicy on the inside. The accompanying cheese, onion rings and haggis all brought their own flavours to the burger, with the haggis especially providing an extra layer of depth, almost like a second burger patty - which made it quite a feast. It all tasted great together, but I have to admit that I did eventually start to struggle with the burger - I think that the haggis, combined with everything else just made it a really heavy dish, but that doesn't take away from the overall flavours. I didn't taste Kerry's Spinach & Falafel burger myself, but she assures me that it was very tasty, full of flavour and overall, nice to try something different. Our plates were cleared away, and we placed our orders for dessert - opting to share the Sticky Toffee Pudding, with ice cream, and the banoffee Waffles an' Ice Cream. When the desserts finally arrived in front of us, my stomach was still bulging from the starters and main (and beer!), but when I saw how good they looked, there was no way I wasn't going to be tucking into these dishes! I started off with the sticky toffee pudding, and it was almost everything a sticky toffee pudding should be; it was warm, spongy, moist, and the accompanying sauce and ice cream worked well with the dish. There was something missing, however, that I couldn't quite put my finger on - it didn't taste bad or anything, it just felt like it could have tasted even better. Next up, the banoffee waffles and butterscotch ice cream, and I'd been looking forward to these ever since I'd first looked at the menu days before! And they certainly did not disappoint - the waffles were warm and fluffy, the already melting ice cream, combined with the sliced banana and toffee sauce worked absolute wonders for the dish. I couldn't pick a fault with this dessert, and if you choose to check out McGinty's anytime soon, I would 100% recommend it. Job done. The VerdictAs with The Hop & Anchor, and probably every other restaurant offering three courses for £20, McGinty's was absolutely fantastic value for money, and you really can't fault anything when you get value you like that. The atmosphere was awesome, the service was fantastic, and most importantly, the food was great. Like I said at the beginning of this post, I hadn't been to McGinty's for a while, so it was good to be reminded of what I'd been missing out on. McGinty's, we'll be seeing you again soon.
#ARW2019 #comedinewithus https://www.mcgintysmealanale.co.uk/ https://aberdeenrestaurantweek.com/ |