I have been a resident of the Mid Stocket area of Aberdeen for a number of years, and while it’s a great spot to live with plenty of amenities, one thing it does lack is a variety of restaurants and bars.
Sure, there’s the ever-popular Atholl Hotel on King’s Gate which caters for the traditional market perfectly well, but what if you are looking for something a little bit different?
Well, on that note, I was delighted when a new kid on the block opened up at the end of last year. Cognito on the Corner moved into the prominent address vacated by the Bank of Scotland at 1 Mid Stocket Road – straddling the markets of both Rosemount and Mid Stocket. A clever move on the part of owner Nicky Turnbull, who also runs Cafe Cognito on St Swithin Street, Cognito Deli on Union Grove and is currently working on yet another venture at Queen’s Cross Church.
And I was not the only one pleased with the arrival of the new cafe-bistro and gin bar – as the waiting list for a table proved. Such was the demand for bookings, it took me more than a month to finally get my name down, and even then I had to settle for the rather early dinner slot of 4.45pm on a Friday afternoon. I did this through the online booking service as the phone lines were not yet operational.
Despite being 15 minutes late for our reservation, we had to wait a few minutes for our table to be prepared, but that wasn’t a problem as we weren’t ready to eat anyway. As that was the case, we decided to kick off with a drink to ease into the evening. As well as food, Cognito on the Corner is gaining quite a name for its range of gins, so my wife decided to try a Gin Berry Fizz cocktail containing two types of gin – Brockmans and Edinburgh Raspberry – prosecco and soda. What a sight this was to behold. Almost the size of a goldfish bowl, the colourful cocktail contained at least one of your five a day in berries and was met with approval. It also lasted the entire meal. I chose a pint of Schiehallion craft lager from the Harviestoun Brewery, and we soaked in the surroundings as we pored over the interesting menu.
The menu is split into several sections and was a little bit confusing at first. There appear to be two starter sections, but the Fancy a Nibble section contains bar snacks whereas the A Little of What You Fancy section is where you’ll find your starters. At least that’s how we understood it.
My wife settled on the tempura green beans with sweet chilli dip to begin, while I couldn’t see past the ham hock and pea terrine with raisin chutney and toasted brioche. I’m not a fan of green beans, but these were presented so beautifully I couldn’t help but try them. Looking like something straight off the YL recipe pages, they had the right amount of crispiness and went beautifully with the sweet chilli dip. I kept going back for more. My terrine was packed with flavour and had a wonderful texture. Nice and meaty, but the smoked ham allowed the garden peas to come through. Delicious.
For mains, we struggled to choose as there is only a meat section – containing steaks, a burger and roast chicken – or a choice of sharing platters. As my wife is a vegetarian, the meat offering was not for her, and I wasn’t in the mood for a steak, so we decided to order a sharing platter each.
And what a masterstroke this was. My Fisherman’s Net platter was simply superb. The perfect size for a main course, it contained a generous helping of scallops, king prawns, langoustine tails, smoked mussels and garlic aioli, served with a variety of crusty breads. As someone who adores shellfish, this was as good as it gets. The smoked mussels were up there with the best I’ve tried; the king prawns were juicy and marinated in delicious flavours; the langoustine meat was fluffy and, importantly, easy to get at as the shells had been butterflied; and the scallops had a lovely texture and flavour. This was an absolute triumph worthy of the five stars awarded below.
My wife’s choice of vegetables, olives and artisan breads pleased her greatly. The selection of grilled, oil-infused peppers, courgettes and artichokes came with a huge bowl of hummus which seemed bottomless. A winner for any vegetarian.
We washed this all down with a fantastic bottle of Chilean Merlot at the commendable price of £16.
As well as the quality of the food, the surroundings have to be admired too. The exposed granite walls, illuminated local street names, cosy booths and grand bar are all impressive. And the attention to detail doesn’t stop there; the toilets are quite something too. The old bank vault now houses another precious commodity, drink, the lampshades are made from old gin bottles and old-fashioned photographs of the local area adorn the walls. All these little touches add up.
We absolutely loved the visit to our new neighbour who is more than welcome to the area. The beauty of Cognito on the Corner is you can’t pigeonhole it. It is whatever you want it to be depending on your mood. Whether you are looking to mark a special occasion, enjoy a family meal or just drop in for a gin flight, cocktail or beer, you can do it all here.
Just make sure you book well in advance.
Cognito on the Corner
1 Mid Stocket Road, Aberdeen
TEL: 01224 977896
Tempura green beans £4.50
Ham hock and pea terrine £6.50
Fisherman’s Net £18
Vegetables and artisan breads £14
Bottle of Merlot £16
Gin Berry Fizz £11
Schiehallion lager £4.60
Total: £74.60
Rating:
Food: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
