The in-laws were up for a visit and were in the mood for an afternoon on the tiles. I could think of no better place to expedite such an
afternoon than the 4 Mile Inn in Bucksburn - mainly as its cheap and close by. After hastily contacting my brother and his wife for moral support we made our way.
On arrival we were struck by the remarkable ambience. I particularly enjoyed the bored looking couple who have probably been dining there every sunday afternoon for the last 34 and a half years staring across at our table whenever I looked up. On to the menu, I fancied some nachos (as I see the Evening Express raving about them in every establishment they visit in their reviews) but we decided to skip on starters this time.
Myself and my wife ordered the fried haddock with chips - hold the peas and add onion rings on my order. The fish
was a whopper and its ends cascaded over the plate. Light crispy batter and tasty chips and they actually remembered not to put peas on my plate (this is a pet hate of mine - you ask for something not to be on the plate in a lot of places and invariably ends up being there when the meal comes). My only gripes were that the onion rings could have been crispier and the batter became soggy towards the middle of the fish (probably through sheer weight of the fish. My father-"outlaw" (guffaw) ordered the Steak pie with chips. It was topped with a flaky puff pastry but I heard cries of "Spot The Meat" - a little game that can be played in all too many bar/restaurants. However, he stated his enjoyment of the dish on completion so it can't have been all that bad. The other 3 on the table ordered the red thai and tikka masala curries - avec mini poppadoms, mango chutney and slices of naan bread. "A lot of chicken" stated my sister in law. My greedy brother mopped up the remainder of his curry with my, by now soggy, onion rings. I have had the chicken tikka masala in this place on a previous occasion and my abiding memory was yes, there was a lot of chicken but they were all suspiciously small pieces and really weren't all that "chickeny". I would like to see a lot of these type of places making the move over to free range chicken which is in most cases much more succulent and tasty. I realise this would add a couple of quid to the cost of the dish but I think its a price worth paying. Rant over.
My brother and his wife then rudely left prior to the end of the meal whereas I ordered the raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake - it was a tasty enough slice of cheesecake but could've done with being a little lighter and with a bit more raspberry flavour, perhaps a raspberry coulis to balance out the sweetness of the white chocolate. My father in law ordered the sticky toffee pudding - his clean plate at the end signalled to all his enjoyment of said pud.
All in all the bill came to just under £60 - for a tenner a head you can't really go wrong. Admittedly you don't expect much with your typical chain pub food but this filled an empty hole at a reasonable price.
Service: Very good, attentive and friendly
Food: Pretty standard chain pub fare but decent considering the price
Price: Very good, cheap and cheerful
Ambience/Atmosphere: OK but I'd probably not enter the staring competition next time
Overall: 6.5/10
Showing posts with label dining. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dining. Show all posts
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
Meldrum Arms – The Lower Restaurant – Oldmeldrum Aberdeenshire
It was a Friday, my wife and I had some friends staying with us for the weekend. Since neither of us could be bothered cooking for four we decided to go out for a meal. The Meldrum Arms had been recommended to us by a local, who claimed the food was good and the price reasonable. They should probably go in to hiding.
We arrived and waited; nobody was around. Finally a member of staff spotted us and shouted from the end of the restaurant inquiring as to whether we had a booking. My wife had gone earlier in the day to book a table. We need not have bothered as it became evident upon our arrival that tables are rarely in short supply in this restaurant. Whether that is due to the vast number of tables, or to other issues as yet undisclosed, I leave to the discretion of you the reader.
We were shown to our table next to a bay window that had a pleasant aspect to the road outside. Well it was pleasant in comparison to the décor inside the establishment. We took a look at our menus and wondered if we were in the right place. The décor said ‘pub grub’ the menu, without a sense of irony ‘a la carte’.
We placed our order. I went for the cream of vegetable soup initially. This started off very nicely until I started finding lumps of vegetable towards the bottom of the bowl. Had I been expecting a chunky vegetable soup this might have been acceptable. I was not, and it was not. The after taste of the soup lingered throughout my whole meal. This of course detracted from the rest of the meal. So they can’t do soup. Fair enough, I can’t either but then I’m not running a restaurant.
I should add at this point out that I had an urge to visit the little boys room, not something normally mentioned in a food review. However it does form part of the experience of eating out. The tiles are a lovely shade of brown; reminiscent of those mornings after a curry you’d rather forget. It was a reminder why we should be glad we’re now two decades removed from the 80’s. There was also a nice hole in the wall to investigate should you be so inclined. At least it was clean.
Anyway.
We ordered a nice bottle of red but were somewhat surprised when it arrived having already been opened. This should have been opened at our table. When serving wine in excess of £15 per bottle this strikes me as a sign that the restaurant may have ideas above its station.
On to the main course, we each went for the Char Grilled 8oz Scotch Fillet Steak accompanied with Sauté Mushrooms, Battered Onion Rings & Oven Roasted Vine Tomatoes that at £20.95 each were eye wateringly expensive. I’ve paid less in far more impressive establishments. However, I love my steak and am willing to pay extra for a good one. The steak itself was cooked to perfection. My request for a medium steak had been granted and I savoured the juicy flesh. The vine tomatoes weren’t quite to my liking. They looked quite unappealing and didn’t taste much better.
The menu states “All Dishes where appropriate are served with Fresh vegetables, Baby Boiled Potatoes or Hand Cut Rooster Chips”. What it doesn’t state is that the whole table has to share one bowl of chips. This is unacceptable when paying £21 for a meal.
When one is dining in an establishment for the first time you are very reliant on the knowledge of the waiting staff to guide you through the menu. When we inquired as to whether the Pepper Sauce Boat would be enough to share, we were quickly informed that it was “one per person”. We gave each other quizzical looks because at £3.50 per serving it seemed a little steep. We knew we’d been had the minute they arrived. When they said ‘Sauce Boats’ I wasn’t expecting three Titanics to be wedged on to our table. One would’ve been more than enough between us.
We ordered a second bottle of wine. Had they just slipped up last time? Evidently not, it arrived open once more.
For dessert I decided to go with the ‘Selection of Dairy Ice Creams’. I selected Chocolate. Or rather I would’ve until I discovered that the selection consisted of vanilla, vanilla or vanilla. They should try stocking up, it’s not as if they were really busy and they’d run out due to demand. I skipped dessert in the end but my companions went with the ‘Home made Sticky Toffee Pudding Coated with Toffee Sauce’. This went down a treat; conversation hit a brick wall as they devoured toffee heaven.
So at least the meal ended on a positive note. Err no.
When eating out with friends we usually just split the bill. I have never had a problem with this arrangement in my whole life. Until now that is. When it came time to settle up we were informed that it was not possible to split the bill, and that we had to pay with one card as it is ‘company policy’. It was suggested we could pay cash, but we didn’t have the £140 on us. The response to that was, “Well there’s a bank round the corner.” Yes you read that right. We should’ve taken him up on the offer and just not come back.
We asked to see the manager. The waiter stormed off in a huff. We waited and waited until eventually he returned and would you believe it all of a sudden we could pay with two cards.
So to summarise, the food is reasonable enough but there are real issues surrounding the prices and the quality of the serving staff. They really need to reassess what they are trying to achieve. If it’s exclusive dining then they need to refurbish the restaurant and hire trained staff that know how to treat customers. But in my humble opinion they should stop kidding themselves and stick to good quality pub grub at a reasonable price. That is something they could be more than capable of achieving.
Overall
3/10 (It would’ve been 1/10 but the steak and the toffee pudding earns them two marks).
We arrived and waited; nobody was around. Finally a member of staff spotted us and shouted from the end of the restaurant inquiring as to whether we had a booking. My wife had gone earlier in the day to book a table. We need not have bothered as it became evident upon our arrival that tables are rarely in short supply in this restaurant. Whether that is due to the vast number of tables, or to other issues as yet undisclosed, I leave to the discretion of you the reader.
We were shown to our table next to a bay window that had a pleasant aspect to the road outside. Well it was pleasant in comparison to the décor inside the establishment. We took a look at our menus and wondered if we were in the right place. The décor said ‘pub grub’ the menu, without a sense of irony ‘a la carte’.
We placed our order. I went for the cream of vegetable soup initially. This started off very nicely until I started finding lumps of vegetable towards the bottom of the bowl. Had I been expecting a chunky vegetable soup this might have been acceptable. I was not, and it was not. The after taste of the soup lingered throughout my whole meal. This of course detracted from the rest of the meal. So they can’t do soup. Fair enough, I can’t either but then I’m not running a restaurant.
I should add at this point out that I had an urge to visit the little boys room, not something normally mentioned in a food review. However it does form part of the experience of eating out. The tiles are a lovely shade of brown; reminiscent of those mornings after a curry you’d rather forget. It was a reminder why we should be glad we’re now two decades removed from the 80’s. There was also a nice hole in the wall to investigate should you be so inclined. At least it was clean.
Anyway.
We ordered a nice bottle of red but were somewhat surprised when it arrived having already been opened. This should have been opened at our table. When serving wine in excess of £15 per bottle this strikes me as a sign that the restaurant may have ideas above its station.
On to the main course, we each went for the Char Grilled 8oz Scotch Fillet Steak accompanied with Sauté Mushrooms, Battered Onion Rings & Oven Roasted Vine Tomatoes that at £20.95 each were eye wateringly expensive. I’ve paid less in far more impressive establishments. However, I love my steak and am willing to pay extra for a good one. The steak itself was cooked to perfection. My request for a medium steak had been granted and I savoured the juicy flesh. The vine tomatoes weren’t quite to my liking. They looked quite unappealing and didn’t taste much better.
The menu states “All Dishes where appropriate are served with Fresh vegetables, Baby Boiled Potatoes or Hand Cut Rooster Chips”. What it doesn’t state is that the whole table has to share one bowl of chips. This is unacceptable when paying £21 for a meal.
When one is dining in an establishment for the first time you are very reliant on the knowledge of the waiting staff to guide you through the menu. When we inquired as to whether the Pepper Sauce Boat would be enough to share, we were quickly informed that it was “one per person”. We gave each other quizzical looks because at £3.50 per serving it seemed a little steep. We knew we’d been had the minute they arrived. When they said ‘Sauce Boats’ I wasn’t expecting three Titanics to be wedged on to our table. One would’ve been more than enough between us.
We ordered a second bottle of wine. Had they just slipped up last time? Evidently not, it arrived open once more.
For dessert I decided to go with the ‘Selection of Dairy Ice Creams’. I selected Chocolate. Or rather I would’ve until I discovered that the selection consisted of vanilla, vanilla or vanilla. They should try stocking up, it’s not as if they were really busy and they’d run out due to demand. I skipped dessert in the end but my companions went with the ‘Home made Sticky Toffee Pudding Coated with Toffee Sauce’. This went down a treat; conversation hit a brick wall as they devoured toffee heaven.
So at least the meal ended on a positive note. Err no.
When eating out with friends we usually just split the bill. I have never had a problem with this arrangement in my whole life. Until now that is. When it came time to settle up we were informed that it was not possible to split the bill, and that we had to pay with one card as it is ‘company policy’. It was suggested we could pay cash, but we didn’t have the £140 on us. The response to that was, “Well there’s a bank round the corner.” Yes you read that right. We should’ve taken him up on the offer and just not come back.
We asked to see the manager. The waiter stormed off in a huff. We waited and waited until eventually he returned and would you believe it all of a sudden we could pay with two cards.
So to summarise, the food is reasonable enough but there are real issues surrounding the prices and the quality of the serving staff. They really need to reassess what they are trying to achieve. If it’s exclusive dining then they need to refurbish the restaurant and hire trained staff that know how to treat customers. But in my humble opinion they should stop kidding themselves and stick to good quality pub grub at a reasonable price. That is something they could be more than capable of achieving.
Overall
3/10 (It would’ve been 1/10 but the steak and the toffee pudding earns them two marks).
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
Chef Jang, Aberdeen Market
This small unassuming place in the bowels of Aberdeen Market may be deceptive (and hard to find) at first glance. However you will find some of the best sushi and sashimi in Aberdeen, if not Scotland, lurking within. Apparently the eponymous chef Jang, was formerly personal chef to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il, and the quality is fit for a king (or radical dictator in this case).
I took my seat at the bar style table along with my work colleague for a quick lunch and pored over the myriad options available. I finally settled on the Deluxe Sushi Selection (£12.50). This may sound expensive but it includes no less than 14 pieces of sushi and maki rolls. This dish includes salmon, sea bass, tuna, king prawn and (I think) octopus sushi. Also there is Tobiko (flying fish roe) sushi rolls and Tobiko maki rolls - served of course with the obligatory wasabi mustard, soy sauce & pickled ginger.
The fish was fresh and tasty, flying fish roe bursting on the tongue like fresh breaths of the sea. My colleague went for the Dragon Roll (£5.50) - a long maki roll with brown sauce and mustard rippled over it - may sound strange but it is a tasty treat.
We then pushed the boat out on some Unagi Maki Rolls ( a new addition to the menu) - smoked eel grilled with a teriyaki style sauce brushed over it and then put into maki rolls (£3.00 for 6). All in all a very enjoyable lunchtime sojourn. Perhaps a little on the expensive side but as my colleague who has recently returned from a month's tour in Japan stated - the sushi rivals that of any he ever found over there. A big thumbs-up - I take one point off only for the price which prohibits me from more regular visits!
Service: Excellent, very friendly and you can watch the sushi being made
Food: Top notch, to rival the sushi you would get in Japan
Price: A little expensive for a lunchtime snack but not too bad considering the quality of the fish.
Ambience/atmosphere: It is pretty basic as it is some seating in the Aberdeen Market but fine for stopping by for a few selections.
Overall: 9/10
On another note I have not tried Yatai on Skene Street yet so I haven't had a chance to compare this so it would be unfair to call this the best sushi/sashimi in Aberdeen - I shall inform in due course on this!
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