Chill-out time
Published:
THERE was an almost audible frisson of excitement when it emerged one of the north-east's best-loved Indian restaurants, the Jewel in the Crown, was opening a new venture in Aberdeen.
It was being talked about as an Indian-style tapas bar, interestingly named Mim (pronounced meem), which apparently is the 24th letter of the Arabic alphabet, and means relax or chill. So far all the signs were looking good.
Curiosity quickly got the better of us and my friend and I waltzed into Mim a mere couple of weeks after it opened its doors in a prime city centre location at the top of Crown Street – close to the action but just slightly tucked back from the melee.
While word of mouth did not quite reach the crescendo of interest being generated by the Malmaison being finished just along the road, it was still pretty impressive.
With the buzz of the new venture and rumours of 24 cocktails on the menu, we were in a state of some anticipation by the time we headed off, and we took a break in the rain as an omen. After all, frizzy hair has ruined many a good night out.
The warmest of welcomes greeted us as we walked through the comfy seats and sofas in the front lounge bar area and into the lounge restaurant – lounging is a feature of Mim with a third distinct area that looks perfect for groups to sip cocktails and graze their way through the menu.
The decor could best be described as a blend of modern Indo-Chinese, easy on the eye and appealing to a broad cross-section of the discerning city clientele.
We were given a choice of tables so took advantage to wander right through and check out the other diners – a group of oil company execs playing Blackberry fast draw, women in need of a seat after late-night shopping and the guys from the designer clothes shop round the corner checking out the talent, the usual one might say for Aberdeen on a Thursday night.
Shabbi the manager eventually left us after making sure we were properly settled in and happy with our choice of location, though he was probably quite glad to go off and attend to the friction burns on his fingers received after offering up cocktail menus.
And before anyone thinks we were overly preoccupied with a certain element of our dining experience in these times of frugality and alcohol consumption warnings, it is a tradition and we always stick to just the one each. Well, almost always.
First things first, the cocktail list is split into three sections of eight – one for Mim's signature offerings (white orchids and vanilla and coconut lassis among them), one for drinks created by famous bartenders and eight synonymous with cities around the world (no prizes for guessing which is linked with mojitos and daiquiris).
So we only need to visit a dozen times to sample the entire list while drinking safely, as long as we were prepared to let the other have a tasting sip.
We finally settled on a gin-laden Ding Ho for me and an exquisite daiquiri for my glamorous companion before we eventually turned our attention to the food menu.
This came as a little bit of a surprise, and not an unpleasant one, as it explored far beyond the realms of Indian cuisine.
With a light bites section starring mini poppadoms, calamari, Thai chicken skewers and mini burgers and chips, it would be entirely possible to go for a round-the-world tapas/mezze-style experience.
But with mains such as noodle bowls, curry and rice plates, Moroccan specialities like lamb tajine, Italian dishes and even fish and chips, we went into overload.
What would we do? Go by country theme, have a few small dishes and share, or finish our cocktails and wait for inspiration?
Not being big on the whole sharing ethos, we chose carefully to encompass a wide selection of what was on offer. All in your best interests, obviously.
My starter of salmon sushi was a beautifully presented row of three rolls served with the hottest wasabi I’ve ever had. But my partner-in-crime’s potato cakes with tangy chickpeas won round one.
Bearing in mind the Jewel in the Crown’s reputation, it was hard to bypass the tandoor section, so after a little rest I had the surkh lal chicken – tandoori chicken – and my friend had the ajwani king prawn.
This time we had a tie on our hands. My chicken was incredibly succulent and perfectly cooked while the prawns looked like squat lobster and three of them managed to fill the plate quite adequately.
But being the girls about town we are, there was something lacking, and that space in our lives was filled by a side order of Mim chips.
On to pudding and a slight disappointment crept in with the chocolate fondue and Mim doughnuts across the table, as there were too few doughnuts for the vast quantity of sauce languishing in what could have passed for a soup bowl.
At my side, the spiced pear was rather average but the coconut ice cream saved the day.
Our bill came to £75.20 with wine – and cocktails – which we felt was decent value for what we got.
Mim is well worth a visit as a great venue to eat, drink and chill, just as it bills itself, either as a stop-off on a night out or as the main attraction.
The service was attentive without being irritating, the background music was just that and allowed us to chat without having to raise our dulcet tones and it’s within a stiletto throw of a decent array of bars and clubs.
Mim, 13 Trinity Court, Crown Street, Aberdeen. Phone 01224 583866. www.mimlounge.com
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