The Tippling House, I’ve been reliably informed, is THE late night rendezvous spot for Aberdeen’s bar staff, who all head for the cocktail bar’s subterranean speakeasy-style refuge after their own shifts end.
Forearmed with this knowledge, I expected a bustling gin joint with music blaring and people hanging off the chandeliers.
I was surprised, then, to be faced with a completely empty bar.
And no chandeliers.
I admit, there were mitigating circumstances.
First, it was 5:30pm, which is practically the afternoon. No self-respecting cocktail bar – as The Tippling House certainly is – is busy at 5:30pm.
Second, it is probably only in my own head that bars have chandeliers, so score that disappointment down to me.
Finally, I had come to eat on my own after my intended dining companion was unavoidably detained, thereby limiting the overall headcount.
Used to dining for one, I had a book stuffed in my jacket pocket to ward off potential boredom.
Looking around the deserted room, I figured I would make plenty use of it.
I needn’t have worried. Patricia, my bartender and server for the evening, proved excellent stand-in company, ensuring that the book stayed in my pocket. And when Patricia wasn’t regaling me with stories of the bartender world and Aberdeen’s nighttime Covid revival, the food she brought out took my full attention.
Though The Tippling House is first a cocktail bar, its kitchen – manned by former Howies chef Stuart Galloway – knocks out high-quality fare. Best of all, during Aberdeen Restaurant Week, the venue is offering Stuart’s five-course tasting menu for the fantastic price of £29. (A two-course option is available for £20.)
My recommendation? Get down to the Tippling House as soon as you can because the food is delicious.
And you never know – one day they may even install some chandeliers.
The food
Chef Stuart’s ethos is to surprise, usually by adding an Asian twist to his modern Scottish dishes.
It is a trait in evidence throughout my meal, including in my beetroot tart tatin starter, which came with Japanese umami flavourings of miso.
But it is the beetroot itself that stars in the dish. I’m an unabashed beetroot lover, but the vinegary sting in the slices here was perfect.
My five-course meal included two palate cleansers, the first of which was a deliciously creamy sweetcorn velouté.
It set me up perfectly for the highlight of the meal, a venison ragu with a just the right amount of gochujang pesto sauce.
Gochujang is a Korean fermented red chili paste not a million miles away from the type used in Sichuan cooking’s tongue-numbing spices.
Blended with the venison, it left a lingering warmth on the tongue that fed the senses as well as the stomach. In fact, it was so good, I finished my plate before remembering to photograph it, hence the picture below.
Next was a small cup of coconut and mango, which like all of the palate cleansers at The Tippling House was vegan.
Dessert was next, and though I usually like my final course to be sweet, the savoury blue cheese mouse and charcoal crackers mixed in with fruits such pear and kumquat was a great way to end a meal that constantly surprised.
The verdict
Late afternoon may not be the best time to visit The Tippling House if you are looking for atmosphere.
But the food when I visited more than made up for the lack of fellow diners.
Best of all, as the restaurant is a cocktail bar, so you can expect first-grade drinks to go with your meal. My dark-fruits-inspired mocktail was excellent.
The venue is dark and cosy, and a great place to sit for a couple of hours or so, either with a book or a few more cocktails.
It leans towards the kitsch end of the Scottish décor spectrum, with pheasant feathers in the dried flower bouquets on every table.
Meanwhile, the tartan-upholstered booths are also more hunting lodge than chic cocktail bar.
But the food at The Tippling House is a rock-solid foundation for a great evening, and will not disappoint.
Information
Address: 4 Belmont Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1JE
Aberdeen Restaurant Week promotion: £29 for five-course taster menu, £20 for two courses