Aberdeen Restaurant Week 2019Aberdeen Restaurant Week is here, and as I mentioned in my preview blog, I've teamed up with a great bunch of local bloggers, along with Society Aberdeen to cover the event, as well as providing restaurant reviews to help you decide where to eat. I was thrilled when I was asked to review The Hop & Anchor as not only have I enjoyed my previous visits there, but where better for a beer blogger to preview #ARW2019 than from a craft beer bar?! Located on Exchange Street, The Hop & Anchor are owned by BrewDog, under their Draft House brand with it being their first of the chain outside London. It opened in March this year, and has been a firm favourite with beer and food lovers since. Offering up a more streamlined menu of craft beers compared to a regular BrewDog bar, and serving up classic pub food options such as pies & roasts alongside BrewDog staples such as wings and burgers - it has been a welcome addition to the city. The FoodThe menu that The Hop & Anchor have put together for #ARW2019 is simple, but that doesn't make it any less appealing. For £20, you get three choices for starter and main as well as two choices for dessert with a flight of the house beers thrown in for good measure...it is a pub after all! We were greeted by our very friendly waitress for the evening, Rachael (Rachel?) who showed us to our table, and then explained the concept of the menu to us, including the flight of beers. She then went off to prepare our beers for us while we decided what we wanted from the menu. The beers promptly arrived, and we placed our orders. For starter, we decided that we were going to share the chipolatas, and the curiously named "half pint of whitebait". The beers included in the flight were 1/3 pint each of Victory x Draft House Lager, Sierra Nevada x Draft House Pale Ale, and Schneider Weisse x Draft House Wheat Beer. Whilst they were all tasty enough, my favourite was the pale ale, followed by the wheat beer. The starters arrived quickly after the drinks, in a simple yet, well presented manner. The chipolatas were pretty much as described on the menu - sausages and a mustard dip, but that doesn't take away from the fact that they were a tasty, proper bar snack of a starter, we are in a bar, remember? The chipolatas themselves were perfectly charred, flavoursome and juicy and the accompanying mustard dip gave the right amount of kick to spice things up. If I could make one suggestion to improve them, then it would be to wrap those babies in bacon, because who doesn't love a sausage wrapped in bacon?! It quickly became apparent what the "half pint of whitebait" was... a half pint glass, filled with whitebait, and a slice of lemon. Whilst the half pint was a quirky idea, I could have used a side plate to empty them out onto as it got a little awkward trying to get in there with the fork. This was actually my first time eating whitebait also, so I was quite surprised to see how small they were - they were also extremely tasty! I really enjoyed them, they were full of flavour and the perfect bite size starter to start the meal. I'll definitely be trying out some more whitebait in the future. For main course, I ordered the awesome sounding Smoke Burger, which was right up my street, and Kerry went for the Spiced Butternut Squash & Spinach Pie. It was soon time for the main event and the Smoke Burger mountain was soon sitting in front of me. I could immediately tell, just from looking at it that this burger was cooked to perfection. It looked tender and juicy, with just the right amount of char on the outside. And boy was I right! After one bite, I was in burger heaven; the bun was soft, fluffy and buttery, the patty was juicy, slightly pink and cooked to perfection, the bacon added the right amount of smoky flavour and the chipotle mayo bound everything together with a fiery zing all without overpowering the flavours. It wasn’t messy either, something that can also be a problem with big stacked burgers such as this – I cut it in half and was able to tackle it with zero mess spilling out everywhere. The fries were also great - they are pretty similar to the fries you get in BrewDog (they might be the same?), but they made the perfect accompaniment to the burger. Over on the other side of the table, Kerry was tucking into the rather hearty looking Spiced Butternut Squash & Spinach Pie, and assured me that it was very tasty. I sampled it for myself, and can confirm that it tasted great – the filling was full of flavour and the pastry was delicious. I honestly wouldn’t have been able to tell that it was a vegetarian dish either! With the mains finished, Rachael, our waitress, kindly offered us a much needed 10 minute break from food in order to get ready for our desserts, which we gladly accepted! When the desserts eventually arrived, I had a slight moment of self-doubt whether or not I could accomplish the task that lay in front of me – they were massive! I had ordered the chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream, and Kerry opted for the sticky toffee pudding, also with ice cream. Naturally, we opted to share the desserts, and both were delicious in my opinion; the brownie being the perfect amount of gooey chocolatey goodness complimented wonderfully by the melting ice cream and the sticky toffee being perfectly sweet, spongy and sticky without being too sickly. Mission complete! Now the food was out the way, and stomachs were full, it was time to relax and enjoy one final beer before we were on our way. I opted for the Velvet Merkin Imperial Stout by Firestone Walker which came in at 8.5% ABV. This might not have been the smartest idea as it was quite a heavy beer to finish the night (I finished it, obviously!). The VerdictFor £20, I think this is absolutely amazing value, and well worth checking out over the course of #ARW2019. You're not gonna come here for a romantic dinner, but for a lunch stop, or some great food over a few, quality beers, The Hop & Anchor is definitely the place to be. A beer and a burger is one of life's most simple pleasures, and in my opinion - The Hop & Anchor have absolutely nailed it.
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26/3/2018 0 Comments Soul Bar AberdeenSay Hello To The New MenuSoul is without doubt an Aberdeen favourite. Its iconic facade is a jewel of Union Street, especially when lit up at night. Its range of dining, cocktails & vast beer selection alongside frequent live music is enough to keep punters coming though the doors all day and night. They have recently launched a new menu, and I was lucky enough to be invited along on launch day to check it out. This was pretty exciting for two reasons; Firstly, Soul is a favourite of ours, having eaten and been there for drinks on several occasions and secondly - this was the first official event that I had been invited to as a blogger, so it was a personal highlight for me. The MenuSoul's new menu has been developed by using the best of local produce and key dishes that are unique to Aberdeen in order to create the best range possible for all diners - these include a huge range of vegetarian, vegan & gluten free options. Head Chef Mark Taylor said: "What we did was ask a few people within PB Devco (the owning company) who are vegan/vegetarian/etc for their suggestions then built up on our choices and refined our recipes. We also did some research and tastings from other vegan restaurants/local suppliers of vegan products. This is how we made our choices for our Vegan Dishes on the menu. The other dishes on the menu were put together on the bases of using local produce and key dishes which are unique to the North East of Scotland which have been refined for our menu." The menu itself is minimalist in design and broken into starters/snacks, sandwiches, house mains, grill, classics, sides & desserts. Each section has a good amount of selection that are all reasonably priced. There was so much that caught my eye...choosing what I wanted to eat was probably the toughest decision I made all day! The FoodTo start with I opted for the braised short rib of beef & sausage bradie, that was served with a side of BBQ baked beans. This instantly stood out to me, as putting a BBQ style twist on a local favourite is always eye catching. When the food arrived, I couldn't wait to get stuck in, it looked so good! The bradie itself had a wonderful flaky golden pastry & the flavours inside were even better; deliciously seasoned tender beef & sausage meat that melted in your mouth. The BBQ beans were also great - sweet smokey flavours are complimented by a slick fiery kick. I think this was the best bradie I've ever had. It is such a simple concept (bradie & beans), but executed fantastically - my plate was clear in minutes. The only down point I would add is that the BBQ beans did have a slight kick to them & whilst it was totally fine with me - someone who may not be a fan of spicy things may not enjoy them as much. For main, I opted for the panko chicken kiev which was served with crushed herbed peas & garlic potato wedges. What arrived at the table was possibly one of the biggest chicken kiev's in existence! The huge lump of chicken was coated in golden panko breadcrumbs on a bed of the chunky garlic wedges and crushed peas. The chicken itself was cooked perfectly; juicy, tender & full of flavour and the panko coating offered the perfect amount of crunch. The accompanying herbed peas were also a very tasty addition to the dish. However, for met the only downside of the main was the wedges; whilst they tasted great & were full of flavour, they were a bit soggy - I'm not sure if this was a combination of them absorbing the juices of the chicken and crushed peas, but they definitely lacked a crispiness for me. The staff very friendly attentive throughout the night - offering to explain the menu & checking everything was OK. We also had a great table (one of the best in Soul in my opinion) & all the other bloggers there were very friendly & chatty. My only other disappointment was that I couldn't have a beer (because I was driving!). Soul have an expansive beer offering, including the glorious Lupuloid by Beavertown. No trip to Soul on a Friday night is complete without a performance from Myke Black. The local favourite never disappoints with his unique, high energy covers of the latest hit songs. If you've never seen him before, then I highly recommend getting along to check him out sometime. I just want to end by saying thank you to Soul for inviting me to test out the new menu. You should definitely get yourselves along to try it out. Be sure to follow them on their social channels to keep up to date on all the latest updates & events:
Before I sign off, I also met a great bunch of local bloggers at this event - so spread the love & check out their stuff at: thegrahamsmiths confidentlykylie teacupsandbuttondrops thelipstickdaily Proper HamburgersRecently, following a rather unsuccessful shopping trip at Union Square me & my wife Kerry decided to stop for some food at Byron; mainly because we were given a voucher from her sister at Christmas, but also because we were starving & we love burgers! Having visited Byron on two previous occasions (once sitting in & once takeout) - I knew that Byron made a good burger. However in a city with some great independent restaurants that serve up great burgers, I was still to be convinced that this was the place to come. Byron has been in the news lately with the company potentially closing some of their restaurants - Union Square being one of them, however I believe it has been given a 6 month period of reprieve, so I was interested to see if this had any effect on the crowds, food or service. The restaurant itself was relatively quiet - although it was only around 6.30 on a Wednesday. We were shown to our table by friendly waiting staff who asked us to sit at another table whilst they cleaned our table for us. There is quite a decent selection available on the menu; a good choice of starters, along with a huge selection of burgers - beef, chicken & veggie, along with plenty sides to pick from. Byron quite often run a special burger; a few weeks ago, they had the "Calvin Haggis" to celebrate Burns Night & just now they have the Bourbon King - which is what we opted for. I went for the beef version, whilst Kerry chose the fried chicken option. We opted to share sweet potato & regular fries along with sharing nine nuggets as a starter. When it comes to drinks, Byron again have quite an expansive menu. As I was driving I opted for a Soda Folk cherry soda, however the craft beer selection certainly caught my eye. I have previous when it comes to Byron & craft beer, with Kerry winning their birthday beer box last year - so it was no surprise to see names like Camden Town, Beavertown, BrewDog & Sierra Nevada on there. The waiting staff brought our drinks over promptly & the cherry soda was as good as I had hoped. Being a lover of all things cherry (including beer), this was a great tasting drink - and only 89 calories (if you worry about that sort of thing). The drinks were quickly followed by the starter; nine nuggets accompanied by a side of BBQ sauce. The nuggets weren't conventional chicken nuggets - they were more similar to KFC's "popcorn chicken" but they tasted great; the coating was crunchy & seasoned well & the chicken itself was juicy. Our main course arrived not too long after that & they looked like impressive burgers! Served on a toasted brioche bun, the juicy looking burger was topped with loads of crispy onions, sauce, cheese & lettuce. It tasted great too - the burger was cooked to perfection; charred on the outside & juicy in the middle, with still the slightest bit of pink. All of the other toppings complimented the burger very well. I think the only complaint we had was that Kerry's chicken burger was pretty messy & seemed to fall to pieces very easily. The accompanying fries were also tasty & plentiful - I think we could have even shared one portion between us. In the end, our bill came to just under £40, and whilst the food was good; I think that is a touch pricey for what we got, considering neither of us had an alcoholic drink & we shared a starter (although we didn't technically pay for it because we had a voucher to use). Overall, while it may not be the cheapest place to get a burger; I highly enjoyed our visit to Byron Burger & would definitely recommend it. However, I don't think it's enough to regularly pry me away from spots like Filthy Gorgeous, The Boozy Cow or Maggie's Grill. But in Union Square at least, it's certainly the best burger available & along with a fine selection of craft beers - Byron is well worth a visit.
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