While many would argue the city centre may not be the most appealing part of town, when you find a hidden gem that boasts stunning views from its dining room, you get a whole new appreciation for it.
210 Bistro, located on Market Street, may look unassuming from the outside, but venture up to its Sky Bar on the third floor and you’ll know exactly why a visit this Aberdeen Restaurant Week (ARW) is a must.
We were lucky on our visit last night that we managed to bag a seat beside the window, so if you are booking in advance, be sure to ask the staff if you can do the same.
The views of the harbour are brilliant. You can watch the workers on the boat loading and unloading wares, see vessels pop in and out, and just admire the hive of activity which is hidden in plain sight at street level.
When we first arrived at 5.30pm yesterday the bar downstairs was much busier than the Sky Bar, however that soon changed as the restaurant was heaving, with every table taken, by the time we vacated two hours later.
210 has a range of menus and deals for ARW, but it was their tasting menus that really caught my eye. The first, taking place tonight and tomorrow, was focused on game, with next weekend being seafood. There are also two alternative veggie tasting menus to pick from.
Each consists of four courses, priced at £37 per head.
After checking into Track and Trace and ordering our drinks – a pint of Heineken and Diet Coke – it didn’t take long for our amuse-bouche to arrive.
The food
Venison tartare it was and it came served on a spoon. Initially, my boyfriend, who had joined me for the occasion, thought it was a little salty. However, once he had tried a little more of the ground meat, which had little pieces of gherkin throughout, his opinion changed and he really enjoyed the crunch from the crispy onion on top.
While it most certainly was way more upmarket than a burger, I couldn’t help but think it reminded me of one.
Service was relaxed and no one seemed in a hurry, so we got chatting to our server who had only started working there in May. He had mentioned he was too going to be enjoying the tasting menu this weekend and was very excited to do so.
The starter was pan-seared pigeon with apple and watercress purée, baby beetroot and blackberry jus. The sweetness of the blackberry jus complemented the salted seasoning of the pigeon and the bird meat was cooked beautifully.
While the apple and watercress purée was really nice, it was very apple forward. As for the baby beetroot, it had been cut into quarters and was absolutely delicious. With the sweetness and earthy flavours well balanced.
Although the pigeon was lovely it was the beetroot which was the stand out ingredient.
The intermediate took a bit of a turn, however. We were served the bramble and thyme sorbet and while this may have been to some others tastes, it was very heavy on the thyme and left a very strong aftertaste in our mouths. It was bright purple and I only tried a little of it due to its overpowering thyme taste.
I will say the bramble flavour and the blended tiny pieces of fruit throughout were enjoyable.
The main clawed the meal back though with the pheasant breast with spätzle, wild mushroom and grilled veg salad being my favourite dish of the night.
Our portions were quite the size and the microgreens scattered on top finished it off beautifully.
We got a small side of gravy each to pour all over the dish and it was very delicious. While it was just a small side, a little went a long way.
In the dish were thinly sliced pieces of Courgette around the pheasant and soft, flavourful mushrooms. A big breast of pheasant sat in the middle and had been sliced in half. The outer skin had been seared and kept the juices in which was just lovely.
Spätzle was relatively new to me. This Eastern European ingredient is a type of small noddle or dumpling made with fresh eggs. It was soft and provided a bed for the pheasant to sit on, which meant a lot of the gravy was found underneath.
For dessert, the steamed chocolate pudding came served with triple sec crème anglaise and fresh raspberries. The anglaise was overpowered by the chocolate flavour when tried together, but on its own you could really taste the orange and it was absolutely delicious.
The sponge was super light but it was rich, and, it was a fair size too so I couldn’t eat it all. The fresh raspberries were a lovely addition to the sweet and added a slightly sour punch to it which I loved.
Service had been great throughout despite the team being faced with two packed bars and a full restaurant on the second floor, everything had gone really smoothly.
The verdict
With a range of menus to try out this Aberdeen Restaurant Week, I would highly recommend giving the tasting menus a try.
They are an excellent way for the kitchen team to show off their creative flair, all while staying true to the venues offering.
The vegetarian and seafood options look just as delicious, but be sure to note the menus are only available Friday and Saturday, so check in advance to make sure you book the correct one.
Price: £37 per person.