Lemonade Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Right, there seems to be a lot of talk of restauarants and the like in various threads at the moment so how about centralising the whole lot into one thread. A one-stop shop of opinions to recommend / warn people away. Restaurants, pub dinners, takeaways, if you eat out, give your thoughts on food quality, service, ambience, value for money etc... I'm sure we can do a lot better than the Evening Express' cock-sucky efforts.Last night I went to Mister Li's, the new Chinese restaurant on Crown Terrace. It's owned by the guy who owns Wok Wok on Crown Street. The restaurant itself is really nice, a relaxed, quiet atmosphere, and it all looks quite shiny and new. The staff are very warm and friendly, they all make a point of greeting you as you are walking past them and heading for your table. They kept an eye on our table the whole time and made sure we always had drinks, etc. they really tended to our every need and made us feel really welcome. For starter I had Dual Seafood, which was deep fried eel and squid slices, and it was excellent. The wife had prawn toast, which was big and thick and filling. For main course I had Salt Baked Chicken with Egg Fried Rice, which was also very good, but unbelievably salty (the clue was in the name), and the wife had Honey Chilli Chicken with vermicilli noodles, which she enjoyed very much and couldn't finish. I can't fault the food at all, it was first class.The only thing that let them down slightly was a few communication breakdowns. While they treated us like royalty , the waiters made mistakes with both the starter and the main course - when the waiter brought my eel and squid starter, he said "Here are your prawns sir". I told him I didn't order prawns, and he had to shout over the manager to tell him what it was. After a short discussion they decided it was squid. I still don't know if it was the eel and squid that I ordered, or just squid, but it was fine anyway. When we ordered a side of Vermicilli noodles, the girl had to come back five minutes later and ask to confirm that we had ordered Vermicilli noodles. Then when the order came, we had two portions of vermicilli noodles. The manager then came over and apologised for the mistake and said he would only charge us for us for one, but we could eat it if we wanted. So that was fair enough. It's a brand new restaurant, new staff, new menu, so I'm sure these little teething problems will be ironed out soon enough. It didn't make any difference to what was a really nice meal.The whole lot (2 starters, 2 mains, 2 desserts, 2 coffees, a few glasses of wine and a couple of soft drinks) came in at just north of 60, which wasn't bad at all. AND you get a fortune cookie!All in all, top notch Chinese fare. I would recommend giving it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paranoid Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 We went to Skippers down at the beach last night.Nice clean place; very friendly, helpfully staff and a good menu selection. Huge fish selection on the menu and a good choice of other options. They had decent background music that was just that, in the background. It wasn't just Northsound One either, so that is only a good thing.Bar selection is a little poor, but they had Deuchars IPA so it's not all bad.Food is damned good, portions are ace and you get the option of chips, boiled or baked tattie, something sorely lacking from most places these days.Dunno how much it was as my Dad paid, but the prices are reasonable, and they are in the new Spree book so that is always a bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkt Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Ayisha Tandoori in Balnagask is the bee's knees for food when they get your order right. I'm particuarly fond of their Pakora Curry. Yum! Can't wait to go back to Bollywood again too (next to Bruce Millers/Howff)...5.99 for starter and main course and great service.Worst experiences in recent months was with Cinnamon and Triple Kirks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigsby Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 FORTUNATELY my appreciation of French food is a lot better than my abilities with the French language. My French verbal skills are limited to announcing that Im 11-years-old and that the bus goes to the local swimming pool.And both examples arent that easy to work into conversation while sat in a French restaurant (unless I want the waiter to think Im mad as cheese). Luckily, Cafe Montmartre makes it easy, with translations of all the mouth-watering dishes. To start I went for fishermens soup with garlic croutons (7.45).The soup was rich and full of fishy flavour but it only really came alive after I stirred in the little dish of aioli (garlic oil) and cheese. Anyone with a dislike of garlic would be advised to give this one a miss, but for garlic fiends like myself it was spectacular. My wife, who I sometimes think loves garlic more than me, went for the pan-fried king prawns with spinach, garlic butter and herbs (7.45).From her first bite to the last she had that self-satisfied look on her face that means Ive chosen a nicer starter than you. I had to disagree, but at least we were both delighted with our selections.For my main course I went for a classic French dish duck confit in an orange and port sauce (16.95). The leg of duck, with its crispy skin and meltingly tender meat, and the sweet-but-not-too-sweet sauce was star of the night for me.The combination of salty skin, rich meat and sweet sauce was balanced to perfection. As I tucked into the duck, my wife was enjoying although not quite so enthusiastically her halibut with tomato and basil sauce (18).It was light, fresh and tasty but after sampling my duck and going wild for it, she lamented the fact it didnt go quack. To finish we shared another French classic tarte tatin (6.95). Caramelised apples, sweet pastry, ice cream... whats not to adore? The only black mark is that service was a bit slow and absent-minded (our waiter forgot that wed ordered coffee and we had to chase him up for our bill). But then again that could be down to the fact that there was a very large party of French people to cater for that night. And if this is the place French people eat out in Aberdeen, you dont get a much better recommendation than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted September 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 I smell plagiarism.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossP Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Had a PHD gatecrasher pizza on friday, which had a couple of slices of 'Simply Sausage' topping.Chorizo, black pudding and smoked sausage. Absolutely incredible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigsby Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 I smell plagiarism....*cough*, surely not. Here's another review to the same standard.Went to The Marine in Stoney for lunch yesterday. Had chicken liver and haggis pate for a starter (about 5.50 I think) and a really fine beef casserole for main (10.50 or something). Ate one of Bigsby Jr's haddock goujons that he didn't want so had no room for pudding. Pint of Guiness was just shy of three quid I think.Damn fine, and good service, recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted September 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 On the subject of French food, I took a mate to Creperie Jacques on Union Street last week for lunch, after being really impressed with it when it first opened. Holy shit what a difference a few months makes.The first disappointment was when we got the menus which showed that their crepe menu, which used to have 20+ different types of savoury crepe on it now has only 6. I picked Mexican and my mate picked Italian, with a starter of snails. His snails had according to him, "the consistency of coal". Crunchy.The crepes were awful. They used to be massive, thick things that were hanging off the edge of the plate, in fact you could fold them in half and the plate was still full. I recall likening them to duvets once. They have made way for these pishy little soggy things, about as thick as a sheet of paper that fall to bits as soon as you touch them. My Mexican crepe was basically microwaved fajita mix, with chewy chicken and no spice at all, just an overwhelming sensation of blandless. They were so dull I almost fell asleep. My mate's Italian was pretty much a tin of chopped tomatoes in a crepe, with some cheese on top. Utter balls.I used to love this place but unless they seriously buck their ideas up I won't be going back. They need to sort out the wanky little thin crepes, and bring the barbeque meatballs crepes. And the ham and cheese ones, and the chicken and cheese, and the bacon and eggs, and all the other things that were actually good. This meal was just simply shit. No wonder the place was fucking empty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tam o' Shantie Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 On the subject of French food, I took a mate to Creperie Jacques on Union Street last week for lunch, after being really impressed with it when it first opened. Holy shit what a difference a few months makes.The first disappointment was when we got the menus which showed that their crepe menu, which used to have 20+ different types of savoury crepe on it now has only 6. I picked Mexican and my mate picked Italian, with a starter of snails. His snails had according to him, "the consistency of coal". Crunchy.The crepes were awful. They used to be massive, thick things that were hanging off the edge of the plate, in fact you could fold them in half and the plate was still full. I recall likening them to duvets once. They have made way for these pishy little soggy things, about as thick as a sheet of paper that fall to bits as soon as you touch them. My Mexican crepe was basically microwaved fajita mix, with chewy chicken and no spice at all, just an overwhelming sensation of blandless. They were so dull I almost fell asleep. My mate's Italian was pretty much a tin of chopped tomatoes in a crepe, with some cheese on top. Utter balls.I used to love this place but unless they seriously buck their ideas up I won't be going back. They need to sort out the wanky little thin crepes, and bring the barbeque meatballs crepes. And the ham and cheese ones, and the chicken and cheese, and the bacon and eggs, and all the other things that were actually good. This meal was just simply shit. No wonder the place was fucking empty.and as i touched upon in a different thread, the service can be ass-dilatingly awful. the last time i went there (the last time for the following reason: ) I think i waited something like 50 minutes for soup & a sandwich, and was served my drink in a greasy wine glass with crumbs adorning the rim, much like the salt would on a glass of margherita. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted September 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Shit food, shit service. It doesn't have much going for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigsby Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Shit food, shit service. It doesn't have much going for it.How's the ambience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted September 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Some nice instrumental French music and faux-French decor. It's quite nice actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigsby Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Some nice instrumental French music and faux-French decor. It's quite nice actually.Sounds formidable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teabags Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Goulash and Carmines are the best restaurants in Aberdeen. Ace food, ace hospitality, cheap prices. Yaldie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nev Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Carmines is the dogs bollocks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discotron Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Me and a few mates went to Nawaabs last week, and it was awesome. Amazing food, quick service and helpful staff who had a bit of a banter with us when they came to our table. Definitely going back there soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TR!ΔNGL€ T€€TH Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Goulash and Carmines are the best restaurants in Aberdeen. Ace food, ace hospitality, cheap prices. Yaldie.Aye, Goulash is pretty damn good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaseyBoi Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Was hypnotised by the new pizzahut advert describing the tikka pizza . . .I thought i'm avvin one oh them...So made a big order and got it on time piping hot....Gotta say i wouldnt buy one everytime but it was superb like....Get one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Pizza Hut make really bland pizza. I only ever go for one if I just want pure stodge and cheese and Dominos is closed, which is mostly never. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarmaTsunami Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Pizza Express everytime for pizza when I'm in town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 I like Pizza Express. The pizza is good, but not really value for money in terms of quantity I don't think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain44s Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 just tried Mr Li's on crown terrace...im afraid it was bloody awful!first they brought me a meat soup (when i asked for a veggie one) then they brought me some gelatinous gloop...it tasted of stale oil. yuck.the rest of it was either bland, tough meat or not as described on the menu. and it cost 20 per head with no booze.not recommended by me anyway...maybe i was just unlucky cos the other guy said it was good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke1976 Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 Went 2 Moonfish recently and had one of the best dining experiences ever. The food was incredible and the pace of courses was bang on. I have to say the service was top notch: they were caring but not intrusive and were relaxed without pretence. They've pipped it for me over Musa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Stu Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 I don't eat out much but I really enjoyed Saigon when I went a while back. Vietnamese is the tastiest of tasty Asian foods. It didn't seem too pricey either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teabags Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 But seriously...Goulash on the Adelphi. Fucking incredible place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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