Sunday Lunch
Who doesn’t love a Sunday lunch? Especially if someone else is saddled with all the cooking and clearing up! Here’s our pick of the best places for a relaxed time, and fabulous food whether you’re looking for something traditional or more unusual…
West End Wonders
MALMAISON
Sunday lunch at Malmaison is a bit of an institution, but in typically affable Mal style. They make doing things well look effortless. Start with a visit to the Chef’s table which comes loaded with an unlimited selection of appetisers, including smoked and cured salmon, jewelled cous cous, Serrano ham and a zingy cucumber yuzu salad. Opt for the 21 day dry aged sirloin or half a roast chicken for the main course, or choose from the menu which includes smoky baby back BBQ ribs and an oozy mac and cheese with spring greens. Leave room for dessert if you can, then head home and spend the afternoon snoozing on the sofa.
49-53 Queen’s Road AB15 4YP
Tel: 01224 507097
malmaison.com
No.10 BAR & RESTAURANT
No. 10 Bar and Restaurant offers a choice of Scotch beef rib roast or a supreme of roast chicken, both served with crisp roast potatoes, skirlie, seasonal veg and Yorkshire puds. They also have extra sides for sharing. Vegans and Vegetarians can choose from the main menu, which also includes some delicious fish dishes.
10 Queen’s Terrace, AB10 1XL
Tel: 01224 631928
no10aberdeen.co.uk
AMUSE
Amuse celebrates its first anniversary this July and chef Kevin Dalgliesh’s team has already scooped up a mention in the Michelin Guide and two AA rosettes, so you know you’re in for a special treat. Start with a glass of Tattinger, a Bloody Mary or a Sunday Mimosa while you ponder the menu. They have great mocktails too. The menu changes weekly, taking advantage of produce from local farms and suppliers just as it reaches its peak. It also reflects the restaurant’s commitment to sustainability and lowering their carbon footprint, but mainly means that what comes out the kitchen is superb. The signature Sunday roast, an aged roast sirloin that comes with perfectly cooked vegetables, rich gravy, incredible roast potatoes and cloudlike Yorkshire puddings is one not to miss. There’s a choice of five or six main dishes and there’s always a vegetarian option amongst them.
1 Queen’s Terrace AB10 1XL
Tel: 01224 611909
amuse-restaurant.com
The Albyn offers a succulent roast sirloin and you can upgrade to a giant Yorkshire pudding that makes a useful fortress designed to repel the barbarian hoards tempted by your crispy roast potatoes. If you can’t wait, then try their Boozy Brunch, which runs from 10-12 on Saturday and Sunday.
City Centre SuperStars
McGINTY’S
Our city centre picks lie at each end of Union Street. McGinty’s is great for meeting up with friends or for families with older kids and hearty appetites. The menu’s packed with pub grub favourites, but done with imagination and great flavours. The Steak and Ale Pie and Haddock and Chips both come recommended and there’s lots to tempt vegetarians and vegans.
504 Union Street AB10 1TT
Tel: 01224 626720
mcgintysmealanale.co.uk
THE ESSLEMONT
The Esslemont occupies the old E&M building at the bottom end of Union Street. You’ll find some innovative cocktails and a quirky menu that combines Scottish tapas and sharing plates with mains that make the most of local produce. Their Sunday Roast menu offers a choice of roast chicken
or roast ribeye of Scotch beef with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, skirlie, veg and red wine gravy. If you’re feeling famished, you can add extra sides too.
38 Union Street AB10 1BD
Tel: 01224 634815
theesslemont.co.uk
Other city centre choices for a relaxed Sunday lunch include tapas at Café Andaluz and street food, superlative cocktails and slow jams at Resident-X in Marischal Square.
Rosemount Raptures
Rosemount’s the perfect place to spend a lazy Sunday, meandering round the shops, having lunch then strolling in the park. Maybe round the day off with a drink at the Queen Vic or some of the best ice cream in the city from Crolla’s Gelateria? You can pootle around Victoria Park working up an appetite then tuck in to some of the city’s tastiest seasonally-inspired Scottish menus at Milton on the Corner or try Tarragon’s excellent seafood dishes.
Country Champs
GARLOGIE INN
There’s nothing better than lunch in the country. Work up an appetite with a gentle hike or riverside stroll first. For us, the Garlogie Inn is the perfect choice. Owners Thelma and John Quinn have been welcoming diners for over 30 years, so they know a thing or two about hearty food and a great atmosphere. The menu is incredibly varied with traditional favourites and plenty of choice for the non-carnivores. Try the grilled rib-eye Steak, complete with mushrooms tomatoes, onion rings and chips, or give it a Scottish twist with Chicken Braigiewell – a plump chicken breast stuffed with haggis and black pudding and served in a creamy whisky-tinged wild mushroom sauce. Vegetarians will enjoy the earthy butternut squash and beetroot wellington in flaky puff pastry. Desserts are a bit of a treat too.
On the B9119 Aberdeen to Tarland Road, AB32 6RX
Tel: 01224 743212
garlogieinn.com
THE MARCLIFFE AT PITFODELS
The Marcliffe at Pitfodels has long been known for its great food and impeccable service. For a five star hotel, their Sunday lunch menu is surprisingly good value. There’s a choice of sirloin, roast chicken or roast pork, complete with root vegetables and all the trimmings. If you want to push the boat out, try the Surf and Turf, a fillet steak with five generously plump langoustines. Vegetarians may find themselves torn between three menu choices, but can also opt for a little of each. Sadly, the same option doesn’t extend to the dessert menu, so you need to persuade your fellow guests to choose things you want to
try too.
North Deeside Road, Pitfodels, AB15 9YA
Tel: 01224 861000
marcliffe.com
MARYCULTER HOUSE HOTEL
Maryculter House Hotel offers a convivial country house setting and a Sunday Roast well worth sampling. The melt in the mouth beef comes from Charles McHardy, who’ve been butchers for four generations. Add in locally grown seasonal veg, fluffy Yorkshire puds and moreish roast potatoes as well as enticing options for vegetarians and fish lovers and you have a lunch to remember.
South Deeside Road AB12 5GB
Tel: 01224 732124
maryculterhouse.com
MISC.
Other country inns worth a visit include The Cock and Bull at Balmedie, Cammie’s at Cammachmore for seafood with a twist, Turriff’s Rustic Inn, the Kildrummy Inn, which gets a mention in the Michelin Guide, and Ballater’s Rothsay Rooms.
Bon Appetit!