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!

Malmaison Aberdeen - The Sunday Lunch of dreams

There's nothing  quite like getting together with your friends and family, indulging in a good feed, and chilling out in a relaxing setting on a Sunday afternoon. The best thing about eating out obviously has to be the fact that you leave the full cooking experience in the talented hands of a chefs team - and that you don't have to tackle a mountain of dishes once everyone's done.

More and more people are now looking to restaurants to offer up something rather special and when it comes to giving customers what they want, Malmaison Aberdeen does just that with their Sunday lunch. A four course menu incorporating an abundance of stunning dishes, the menu is great for those looking for a good feed, and for those looking for a great foodie experience. 

For only £24.95 per person, you can fill your boots, fill your boots again, and go back and fill them one last time with the unbelievable four course Sunday lunch at Malmaison as my best friend and I found out a few weeks ago.

To kick start your experience you can expect a scrumptious soup of the day, and once you've ordered that you'll then be invited up to the chef's salad table to indulge in a selection of unlimited hors d'oeuvres. With everything from the salad classics like Caesar, Caprese, Greek and numerous other types, to shellfish and seafood cocktails, to hand carved meats including serrano ham, ibérico, salchichon, different terrines and various freshly made artisan breads, not to mention the different cheeses, chutneys and dressings on offer there's plenty for guests to tuck into. With so much on offer its hard not to tempt yourself eating too much during this second course, but with a main and dessert still to follow diners should try be mindful of this - if they can resist that is.

A few favourites of mine had to be the selection of breads and hams, as well as the rocket and parmesan cheese salad and the sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella cheese dish. Not wanting to miss out on sampling the red pepper and tomato soup, I was extremely delighted with the delicious flavours it boasted. Coming in a mug, it was the perfect amount and wasn't too heavy either. Everything was extremely fresh and there was so many different things to choose from it was hard to figure out what I wanted to try out first.

Once you're done with the chef's salad table I'd suggest you take a break before embracing the creme de la creme, the main event. Getting the choice of something from the brunch section, or something from the main's section there's a strong array of dishes available including the classic Mal burger, a whole Normandy corn fed chicken to share, Severn and Wye haddock fish cake, as well as eggs Benedict, malted blueberry pancakes or California eggs from the brunch options.

Deciding on completely different dishes, my best friend opted for the USCA black Angus Picancha rump with thyme and rosemary Yorkshire pudding, whilst I decided on the big brunch breakfast which included pork sausages, sweet cured bacon, mushrooms, Ramsey's black pudding, tomato, Mal's signature steak sauce and two eggs cooked to preference - poached for me. The breakfast brunch option was extremely filling, so much so I had to opt out just over half way through. Delicious it was, I had eaten too much from the chef's table. Looking on in sheer jealousy, there were no complaints from Lauren about her three huge slices of beef and giant Yorkshire pudding which she drowned in the rich, gooey gravy. The jug of gravy lasted forever and went beautifully with the beef.

Moving forward to dessert a wee while later it was a really tough choice. A massive sticky toffee pudding lover, I was extremely tempted to order the sweet sponge dessert, that was until I spotted the Mal hot chocolate. A cup full of marshmallows, white chocolate and vanilla ice cream with a pot of hot chocolate sauce served on the side I was in sugar heaven. Pouring the rich hot chocolate sauce over the cold ice cream it took seconds until they started to mix together, melting to make a creamy chocolate dessert. With a sweet tooth like mine, this was an excellent choice of dessert, however, having ate almost my body weight in food, I found it very hard to eat it all and had to leave some due to being so full - not a bad dilemma to be faced with I guess.

Lauren decided to tackle the warm Valrhona caramel chocolate brownie with brown butter pecan ice cream. She loved every bite of the moist brownie which was soft on the inside and boasted a slight crunch on the outside, she even managed to polished off the last morsel on her plate with great ease.

Turning to the coffee menu I admitted defeat and we sat gossiping over some juice instead, relaxing in the Brasserie area where majority of the food is served within the hotel. The restaurant was buzzing and was really starting to fill up. It was clear we weren't the only two in Aberdeen who had got the memo on this incredible lunch and I was glad we'd managed to bag a big comfy booth where we could watch the other diners experience this dining extravaganza.

Deciding to head home, we gave up our comfortable table for the net lucky customers to snag.

If you haven't already I urge you now to don your stretchy pants and get a table booked - trust me, you won't be disappointed.

And if you're not sure what you'd order you can check out the full lunch menu here - I guarantee there will be something on it you'll be dying to get your teeth into.

   For Now...

Just Julia

Malmaison: An Aberdeen staycation

It's not often I decide to take on the role of a tourist in Aberdeen. So often I get to experience the exciting things going on within the city and  regularly visit some of our much-loved landmarks, however its clear to me that I guess I've never truly appreciated just how great our beautiful Granite City really is.

The hotel industry is one of the biggest in Aberdeen with numerous incredible establishments located across the City and Shire. It's very rare for me to visit one of these brilliant hotels, so when Malmaison Aberdeen invited me to check out their humble abode located a stones throw away from my home, I accepted at haste and booked my best friend and I in for a sleepover.

A staycation is not not something I've experienced before really, but it's definitely something I would do again after staying at the hotel a few weekends ago.

To me, it was obvious that as soon as we'd stepped into the reception area that this was a weekend we were truly going to enjoy....

Front of house was busy, and I could hear laughter filling the bar located just to the left of the reception area. Welcomed by two extremely friendly faces, they swiftly checked us in and directed us to our room.

One floor up we meandered through the stylish corridor passing over the brassiere on the ground floor and fell into our room and straight onto the bed. It was comfy, too comfy, and we just lay there in a heap relaxing and gossiping. 

I was pleasantly surprised at how big the room was. It was modern, beautifully decorated and had hints of tartan throughout which I very much enjoyed. There was a mini bar, a snacks rack, great storage space and plenty of mirrors - ideal for two girls sharing - not to mention the chocolate which went down a treat.

As well as the room being very spacious, the bathroom was really big too. It boasted a four-piece suite with an amazing power shower which I could have stayed in all day, a number of Malmaison toiletries and big fluffy towels which were perfect for wrapping ourselves in whilst we got ready for our night in.

Located on Queen's Road, its ideally located and is just a short walk away from the city centre making it a great hotel to stay in if you're looking for something central but not bang in the middle of the busy centre. With 79 bedrooms in the establishment, the building is quite deceiving form the outside and what's truly fantastic, is that it's got complimentary parking to the front and rear of the property.

Where comfort meets style we slowly got ready in our trendy room prepping ourselves for our evening meal. Trying out the new spring menu we had the appetite for it it and we were really excited to get our teeth into it.

Heading down to the Malbar for a cocktail or two, I questioned the knowledgeable bar staff about which drinks to try out, what was popular and what I should try be adventurous with.  A few cocktails later, we were invited through to the dining area, passing the  cute whisky snug as we ventured through to the brasserie for dinner.

Having launched the spring menu a few weeks ago, I was looking forward to trying it out. Featuring everything from spring lamb Benedict to fresh spring vegetable and wild garlic risotto, not to mention grilled masala spiced mackerel, we were spoiled for choice.

Opting for something light to start it was the fresh burrata with creamy mozzarella cheese and heritage tomato salad with yellow and red tomatoes topped with a herb puree that caught my eye. My date - Lauren - decided on the spring lamb Benedict which included slow braised Dorset lamb shoulder, American glaze and mint Béarnaise on a thick slice of brioche bread. The salad was extremely delicious and was bursting with flavour. Lauren's lamb was succulent and cooked perfectly. Partnered with a generous slice of brioche bread the savoury dish had a slightly sweet hit to it which she absolutely loved.

For mains we had both eyed up the chicken milanese, however Lauren changed her mind at the last minute to the fresh spring vegetable and wild garlic risotto. It came with pea shoots and extra virgin olive oil to finish the dish off. 

My flat breaded chicken breast was accompanied by a Burford Brown fried egg, delicious, heavenly truffle mayonnaise and rainbow chard - the whole dish was utterly scrumptious and the egg was perfectly cooked so when the yolk was burst, it oozed across my plate. On the side came a plate of anya potatoes with chive vinaigrette which we shared. They were beautifully cooked.

Turning to dessert, we held off ordering for a while to give ourselves a breather. After all, there was a chocolate brownie with my name on it.

Trying hard to order different dishes, it was merely impossible for the both of us to turn down a chocolate brownie, so two warm Valrhona caramel chocolate brownies with brown butter pecan ice cream it was. The rhubarb trifle and seasonal fromage slate sounded divine too but in the end we just couldn't resist the sweet taste of chocolate. Coming alongside the brownie was a jug of warm melted chocolate sauce which we doused our brownies in. No words can describe that dessert - it was lovely and creamy, and just gorgeous. Rich in flavour and texture it melted in my mouth.

Throughout dinner we ordered a few cocktails off of the spring drinks menu, with the grapefruit and lychee collins and the rhubarb and basil gimlet being firm favourites. The grapefruit cocktail had Finlandia grapefruit vodka, lychee liqueur, grapefruit, lemon, sugar, elderflower tonic and cranberry bitters in it - it was refreshing and quite sweet even despite having grapefruit vodka in it.

A gin lover, of course my cocktail was going to include the juniper-based spirit. With Brockmans gin, Chase rhubarb liqueur, lime, sugar, cranberry bitters and a basil leaf to finish it off it was the stand out cocktail for me.

On the menu there was a selection of Maltonics which included numerous premium spirits paired with the best tonics which had been carefully selected by the bartenders of Malmaison.

The brassiere was busy, and although there were many big tables in, the staff looked completely composed and made us feel relaxed. The high ceilings and the stunning decor in the restaurant is something I've always loved about the space, and the fact there's a partly open kitchen area for diners to watch the chefs in action boasts another tick in my book.

Heading back to our room we got into our pyjamas and did what most best friends would do when sleeping over - we chilled out with a box of chocolates (with very few touched) and talked the night away. A couple of bottles of prosecco, one too many laughs and a sore bottom after somehow missing the bed and landing in a heap later, we headed to sleep to get a good nights rest.

The beds were so comfortable I didn't want to move, and the curtains hid the sun beautifully ensuring we we weren't woken up too early. We decided to spend the morning in bed flicking through our favourite magazines discussing the latest fashion and beauty trends - or more to the point, how impressed we had been with the hotel.

Malmaison Aberdeen had been an excellent experience and the idea of a staycation has really spurred me on to find out more about the different services the hotel offered. From popular afternoon teas, to relaxing and therapeutic spa packages to romantic weekend away packages and outstanding dinner and drinks options, there's something to suit all tastes at the contemporary, stylish hotel.

With Sunday brunch booked for later on in the afternoon we headed to reception saying our farewells to our gorgeous room. And just like that we were sat in the lounge area, raring to go on our next Malmaison adventure...

P.s If you love brunching, then you'll want to check out my next blog post on Malmaison Aberdeen.

  For Now...

Just Julia