Aberdeen Restaurant Week - Seven café, bar and restaurant: Review (Aberdeen)

There's nothing better than finding a new restaurant that you immediately fall for. Whether that be for the food and drink offering, the friendly service, or the venue is general, nothing can beat that feeling of finding a new place you know you'll be visiting a lot.

It was only recently that I visited Seven Café, Bar and Restaurant and I've already been back twice since.

A small independent business, the independent eatery which serves simple, wholesome food, has also signed up to Aberdeen Restaurant Week (ARW), and has decided to run their ARW menu for the whole of February - which means that there's plenty time for everyone to visit the eatery for the month.

Focusing on good food done well, the eatery is all about quality and has a real focus on making customers feel right at home from the moment they walk in,

I've enjoyed every visit to Seven, however I have to say that my first visit was my favourite so far. 

I'd recommended the restaurant to my boyfriend's parents to for lunch a week or so ago, and lucky for me, they invited me along for a catch up over some tasty lunch. Having never visited, I accepted their offer and caught up with them for lunch one Friday after work.

The eatery is gorgeous inside, with a big open-plan area, a trendy bar with stools, and plenty of seating available - booths or tables, there's plenty of space for smaller and bigger groups. Not to mention the upstairs area which is an over-spill section if the cafe gets too busy. And the lovely sofa area upstairs is the ideal place to enjoy a few drinks with friends.

We sat on one of the booths and were instantly greeted with smiles all around. We ordered some drinks and scanned the menu. One of the owners, Sharon, informed us of the specials and she had me sold on the homemade chilli. It had been so long since I'd had chilli and with the temperatures outside pretty chilly at the time, I wanted something warm to heat me up.

Calum's parents were keen to try out the soup of the day which was vegetable, and they were also intrigued to try out the lunch platters.

Placing our order, I decided on the special of the day, the homemade chilli with sour cream and tortilla chips and Calum's parents both ordered the soup, as well as a hummus lunch platter and a three-cheese platter.

I immediately fell in love with the bar and the drinks offering Seven boasts. With a focus on gin and local spirits, I was delighted to see a few Aberdeen businesses on show including Esker Gin, Lone Wolf Spirits and BrewDog's beers.

Sadly, on the occasions I've visited I've not be drinking, but I'm looking forward to returning and checking out their gin flights and wine selection - not to mention their bar snacks.

We didn't have to wait long until our food arrived which was great, and it means those who are looking to grab a quick, nice lunch, can still frequent to Seven and not have to worry about running back to work late.

I stuck into my chilli which was the perfect size. The chilli beef was delicious and boasted a nice wee heat to it. The sour cream was lovely and cooling, and the tortilla crisps were great for scooping up the remains of the chilli beef and rice. The rice itself was lovely and fluffy, and I was pretty full after polishing the bowl off.

Calum's parent's platters looked incredible. I was eyeing up his mum's hummus platter and I actually ordered it for myself the second time I visited Seven. 

The hummus board was delicious and came with regular hummus as well as a beetroot hummus, focaccia bread, an array of oatcakes, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and a side salad. There was more than enough hummus to go around, and I would have happily shared my platter with another person as it was a little too much for me to tackle on my own. The bread was delicious and the sun-dried tomatoes were superb. I don't really like olives so I left those for the others to get stuck into when I visited with Calum and his friends, but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Calum's dad ordered the three-cheese platter which consisted of three house cheeses, onion marmalade, balsamic onions, focaccia bread, a side salad and a mixture of oatcakes too.

He really enjoyed the selection of cheeses he got, and was chuffed to see a blue cheese included, as well as a brie. He scooped the onion marmalade onto the oatcakes and topped it with some cheese. It looked like he was really enjoying the platter, and the balsamic onions too.

As well as lunch platters, Seven also has a wide selection of sandwiches and cakes available throughout the day, however, I couldn't bring myself to tackle a cake as I was completely full and couldn't eat another morsel.

In the evening, the restaurants offering completely changes and you can find everything from black pudding bon bons with a pink peppercorn sauce, to confit duck leg, to chicken satay. They also have some delicious desserts on offer including homemade sticky toffee pudding, chocolate brownies and pink Champagne sorbet. Having recently taken on a new chef, the food offering has sky rocketed and is proving to be rather popular with the regulars.

With a great lunch and dinner menu available throughout Aberdeen Restaurant Week for incredible prices, Seven is definitely one place you'll want to check out for both.

It's cute, quaint interiors partnered with the friendly staff and outstanding food and drink options, there's no excuse not to pay the team there for a visit.

Located just off of Union Street a door up from Pizza Express, it's one independent you'll want to go searching for. A hop, skip and a jump away from where I stay, I'm definitely excited to return yet again.

  For Now...

Just Julia

Aberdeen Restaurant Week - McGinty's: Review (Aberdeen)

There's nothing better than good ol' pub grub. However, it's sometimes a challenge to find a really good pud, that does really good food. Too often little thought goes into the food offering at local pubs, but with McGinty's this is definitely not the case.

It's clear from the moment you walk in this is a local bar for local people, supporting local businesses at any opportunity. With a wall of spirits - with a large majority hailing from as close to the North-east as possible - it's refreshing to see a local pub take such interest in supporting local businesses around them.

Not living too far away from the pub, it was a must-visit in my mind ahead of the inaugural Aberdeen Restaurant Week which kicks off on the 1st February. And as a participating restaurant, this was even more of an excuse to pop in and check out what the food offering was like.

Creating two menus for the week (a two-course lunch menu at £10 per person, and a three-course  dinner menu at £20.18) I was intrigued to find out more about the day-to-day offering and see if their chefs catered for all.

Heading to the bar last Thursday, it was really busy with lots of people eating and drinking, and catching up with friends. We were seated at one of the booths at the back, away from the hustle and bustle of the bar front, and handed two menus. This was going to be a tough choice...

Having deliberated between ourselves, I decided to go with the well-recommended nachos with homemade beef chilli which came with lots, and lots of gooey melted cheese on top.

At this time, I hadn't had nachos in so long, and having been told by the server that it was one of their most popular dishes, it was a must. He'd also informed me the dish had been on the menu for years due to the amount of people who loved it - so naturally, I had to try it.

The crunchy tortilla crisps were lovely and crisp, with some slightly more chewier than others due to the melted cheese traveling down the crisps. They came served with a few large spoonfuls of chilli on top which was great as I was never short of mince or sauce - even when hitting the bottom of the nachos there was still plenty for me to scoop. A lover of kidney beans, I was delighted to see lots of them used in the dish too. I also quite enjoyed that the sour cream was in a ramekin on the side of the dish which meantI could use it as I pleased. 

There was an option to add BBQ chicken or salsa to the nachos too, but having not had chilli in a while, it was the homemade chilli that won it for me that night although definitely think I'll have to return to try out the BBQ chicken option next time as that sounds super tasty too!

Having both initially eyed up the Stornoway black pudding stacker, it was Calum who ended up ordering it. 

The two big bits of Stornoway black pudding sandwiched the crisp tattie scone and delicious homemade chilli jam which had a lovely sweetness to it. A dollop of the chilli jam was also presented on top of the stack of black pudding and tattie scones, and Calum loved how much of each ingredient was included in the dish. 

The black pudding melted in his mouth and the crisp, slight crunchiness of the tattie scone complimented that perfectly. It was the size of the black pudding pieces that took Calum by surprise - not that he was complaining - as there were huge big bits. Alongside the stacked black pudding and tattie scones was a fresh side salad with a lovely dressing which I can only presume was a French dressing

Moving on to mains, I had decided to try out McGinty's ale battered haddock. A lot of people I know prefer to order their fish and chips from a chipper, but having tried out The Ferryhill House's fish and chips a few months ago, I just had to find out if McGinty's was as good.

To start, the haddock was massive. Beautifully cooked, the batter was light and crispy on the outside, and the fish was cooked extremely well. It was moist on the inside and the flakes of haddock peeled away as I tore it apart with my fork. I squeezed my wedge of lemon across it which added a real citrus zest to the fish.

The perfect pairing with any good piece of fish has to be well-cooked chips, and I'm happy to report these chips were pretty bloody good. Crunchy and crisp, and fluffy on the inside, they were exactly what I needed. The peas were also spot on, and the salad went down a treat too - all it needed was some homemade tartare sauce and it would have been the ultimate hearty main meal.

Looking for something extra filling, Calum decided to try out The McGinty's burger. A 6oz beef burger topped with haggis, onion rings and cheese, and served with a whisky sauce, salad, coleslaw and chips, he had met his match.

Not to be tackled without a napkin, he dived in, and the look on his face tole me everything - this was a bloody good burger. 

Oozing with the whisky sauce which he had poured into it, I knew this was going to be a quiet dinner.

The burger patty itself was very well cooked and didn't boast that charcoal-esque, over-cooked taste and texture a lot of burgers can have. It was soft, and tasted great. The abundance of haggis hiding under the burger bun took Calum by surprise, and the onion rings added some crunch and texture to the burger as he bit into it. The bun was nice and light, which was good as it allowed him to enjoy the burger as a whole, rather than have to dissect parts of the bun to make room for the burger.

The coleslaw was also really fresh and crunchy, and was quite light which was good as it wasn't too overbearing with cream or mayonnaise like the majority of coleslaws. As well as the coleslaw, there was a fresh side salad and a mountain of chips which came with the burger too.

Having tried The Pig burger before - a wild boar and chorizo burger with pulled pork served with BBQ sauce, salad, coleslaw and chips - I can highly recommend McGinty's for their burgers. You can also customise their 6oz classic beef burger with toppings such as cheese, chilli, bacon and haggis, the options are limitless.

Having had a sneaky peak of the dessert menu when I was ordering, I was keen to try out one or two of McGinty's desserts, however, available space in my stomach was telling me I wouldn't be able to face this alone.

I was really keen to try out the sticky toffee pudding, but instead we decided to share the chocolate cookie brownie cake as this was what Calum really fancied.

With a gorgeous brownie base topped with a tower of chocolate mousse and clotted cream ice cream, this was one dessert you wouldn't mess around with. The mousse was  indulgent and rich, and the ice cream was super creamy with a nice buttery texture. Topped off with chocolate sauce poured all over it and crushed biscuit pieces on top, it was any chocolate lovers dream, and with my sweet tooth, it was the ideal finish to our meal.

Offered the choice to have a scoop of ice cream and pouring cream, on the side, ended up with both. Having tried it with the ice cream, we then drowned the cake in the pouring cream and went to town.

With a recent refurbishment last year under its belt, the bar has since added a number of local/national craft spirits to it's offering. 

It now has a gin wall dedicated to one of the most popular spirits of the moment, and provides a welcome space for all. With subtle hints of tartan throughout and a now much more modern decor, it's no surprise that this place is heaving majority of the time - especially when any big sporting matches are on.

Looking to release their Aberdeen Restaurant Week menu's soon, I have a funny feeling McGinty's is going to be very popular throughout the week. Keep an eye on the Aberdeen Inspired and McGinty's Facebook pages for more info coming soon.

   For Now...

Just Julia

JUST JULIA TRIES: The Butcher (Amsterdam)

I bloody love burgers. Be it beef, chicken, seafood or veggie, I'm all over it. It's always my go-to if I can't decide what to have when I'm out for dinner, and I find there's something really familiar about a burger that you will almost most certainly know exactly what you're getting in any country across the world.

So it was no surprise that when my boyfriend and I jetted away to Amsterdam for his 30th birthday in November, that we hunted down the best burger place in town, The Butcher.

The best way to describe The Butcher is a similar set up to Five Guys in the UK - it's a sit-in/takeaway restaurant, but the burgers are margins above. Not to say Five Guys isn't good of course...

The menu is simple, but the flavours are complex, and with five locations in Amsterdam alone, one in Berlin and one in Ibiza, it's no surprise they've become so successful.

The high-end, casual burger bars are located across Amsterdam and we were lucky enough to be staying not too far from the Nine Streets location.

It's interiors are simplistic. White tiles surround the restaurant and feature old fashioned illustrations on them. It's a little industrial, but it's the brand's famous life-sized cow hanging in the window of the premises that really captures diners attention.

On entering, we were greeted by a chirpy guy who guided us through the menu, giving his recommendations after hearing our preferences.

True to himself, Calum ordered the butcher burger with cheese and I went for the truffle burger.

What I love most about these burgers was the fact that they use prime Aberdeen Angus beef patties. Hailing from the Granite City it was awesome to find out that they source their beef from near my hometown. And for that, this place was already winning in my eyes.

The Butcher with cheese was a succulent burger topped with lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, gherkins, Dutch Edam cheese and the secret signature The Butcher sauce.

My Truffle Burger was also very juicy and boasted lettuce, tomato, grilled onions and was cooked in a fragrant truffle glaze which smelled very pungent and tasted utterly delicious.

I personally would usually have my burger cooked well done, but I decided to let the chef take the lead on this one and he cooked it to what I would assume was medium-rare. Calum was more than happy with the way his burger was cooked, however I may have had mine cooked a little longer - but that's just personal preference and it didn't' take away from the burgers overall taste in any shape.

To accompany our burgers we both added a side of Butcher fries to our order (regular fries) and two soft drinks. There's mayonnaise and tomato ketchup on tap for diners to take advantage of, and the open kitchen is really cool as you get to see your burgers hand crafted right in front of you - and you can also see when it's almost ready.

Served on a metal tray, the burgers are pretty big, as was the bag of chips too. The branding is fun and playful with the napkins having 'wipe that bloody smile' printed on them.

The burgers were extremely filling due to the size of the burger patty. Not to mention the bunch of chips that I ended up having to sacrifice as I was so full.

With over 15 different burgers on the menu, hot dogs and vegetarian options, as well as numerous side options including sweet potato fries, popcorn chicken and quinoa, avocado and feta salad, the eatery offers up a variety of options for lunch or dinner.

Having arrived so early (we were literally the first people there), the eatery got busy just as we were leaving which was perfect timing for us. We'd had the chance to see how the kitchen works and got the opportunity to chat the the chefs working which was really cool, so I was glad we ate a little earlier than usual.

Definitely worth checking out if you're ever in Amsterdam - and with five locations, I'm sure you'd stumble across one of their restaurants sooner rather than later.

  For Now...

Just Julia

JUST JULIA TRIES: Mackie's 19.2 (Aberdeen)

Located 19.2 miles from the Westertown home farm where the Mackie family first started making their infamous ice cream 30 years ago lies Mackie's 19.2 - the Scottish ice cream company's first parlour.

Having captured the hearts of the nation with their delicious staple favourites, and some new ones too, it was natural for the ice cream empire to eventually pop-up in the city centre of Aberdeen with their own digs.

A local company, Mackie's has been keen to put its mark firmly on the city and with the new Marischal College development now open to businesses, it was natural for them to find their new home in front of one of Aberdeen's most prestigious buildings, Marischal College.

Meandering down to the other end of town where the ChristmasVillage lies, Calum and myself decided to pay Aberdeen's newest ice cream joint a visit late last Sunday afternoon - because eating ice cream right before dinner is the done thing, right?

It was dark by 4pm, but the parlour was bright which ensured I spotted it from the corner of my eye immediately. It was cosy, with lots of people and plenty of staff on to hand to tend to all.

The ice cream parlour is well-decorated. It's sophisticated, but at the same time, the ripple of multi coloured lighting which changes colour frequently, partnered with the giant neon cow sign in the window screams fun and edgy.

With room for 40 covers, it's spacious, although when we visited, it got busy really quickly - so if you want to grab a seat at one of their booths or the beautiful marble tables, grab one when you can.

As we delved into the menu I didn't quite know what to do with myself. I have a really sweet tooth, and I love desserts so when the menu consists of crepes, waffles, ice cream, cakes and more, I must admit, I was a little overwhelmed. Sticking to my guns, and what Mackie's is most famous for, I decided to go for ice cream.

Calum had already eyed up the sundae's and was on the case of picking his three flavours. Me on the other hand, back to square one. A cone, a tub, a lolly, a sundae or a milkshake? I wanted them all.

With more than 20 new flavours of ice cream to choose from including buttery and jam, raspberry Eton mess and rhubarb and custard, there was something for everyone.

Calum ordered his sundae; one scoop of banana rainbow ice cream, one of salted caramel, and one of cookies and cream topped off with a flake, freshly chopped bananas, chocolate sauce and a large serving of whipped cream. A branded wafer finished the dessert off.

Being greedy (it was Sunday so it's allowed) I also decided to get a sundae - three scoops; one chocolate orange, one white chocolate and coconut, and one toffee popcorn with rainbow sprinkles, tiny meringue pieces, coconut sauce and a lots of whipped cream plus a wafer on top.

The sundaes were huge, and we both loved them. I was pleased how well my flavours went together, and was happy with the size of the sundae. At £6.20 you want to make sure you're getting your monies worth - and that we did.

Sadly in the end, I had to admit defeat as it was just too much for me. The flavours I picked were fabulous. The chocolate orange was by far my favourite, but the coconut sauce which lined the glass was lovely and sweet and worked really well with the toffee popcorn and the white chocolate and coconut ice creams I had chosen.

Calum finished his in record timing, so I didn't manage to get a whiff of his, never mind a taste, but by the clean dish, I figured he enjoyed it...It seems I was correct.

Other than the ice creams, we didn't really manage to sample much more than that so I can't comment too much on the other dishes, but from what I could tell my the looks on customers faces, Mackie's has nailed it.

A supporter of local businesses where it can be, Mackie's tries its hardest to use as many local suppliers as it can, which was great to see from a consumers point of view. I loved that they had numerous local business' on show including Bon Accord Drinks, So...Aberdeen and Rora Dairy to start.

The company is also well known for it's chocolate and crisps, so it's no surprise they had plenty of chocolate on sale too, as well as huge slabs which would be perfect as gifts. I spied the smaller, individual handmade chocolates but decided to wait until my next venture to put them to the taste test. I was far too full for that. 

There as a little bit of everything in the parlour, from savoury choices, to tray bakes, to chocolate and ice cream and everything sweet in between.  A lot of time and effort has clearly been spent in finding a layout which not only works for the consumer, but works for the staff too. There's something for all ages, and it definitely seems like a place where all generations will come together. Besides, there's nothing better than seeing a grandparents out with the grandkids sharing an ice cream made by local people.

I for one was very impressed.

 

Overly satisfied and bellies full, we were really pleased with how our first experience of Mackie's ice cream parlour had panned out.

Not only do they have an array of sweet treats to keep you going until the cows come home, the savoury offering was also much better than I had anticipated and it was fantastic to see so many other local business' I support included in the offering.

A great space which I have no doubt will be a busy one at that. See you again soon...

  For Now...

Just Julia

FUN FACT: For every sundae you purchase you get one stamp on your loyalty card - buy six sundae's and the seventh is on Mackie's!