Under The Hammer has been through a lot in its time.
The basement bar on North Silver Street, just off Golden Square, was for many years one of Aberdeen’s classic ‘old manny’ pubs, a spit-and-sawdust alehouse barricaded in underneath the auction house that inspires its name.
Then, Covid-19 hit and in September 2020 the pub closed down as pandemic restrictions took their toll.
But a new life for Under The Hammer was set in motion in July last year, when The McGinty’s Group, the owner of glamourous Aberdeen venues such as the Esslemont Bar & Restaurant and The Silver Darling bought the decidedly unglamorous pub with a view to regenerating it into a 50-seater “modern” hostelry.
It’s this new beginning for Under The Hammer that I’m looking to discover as I walk through Golden Square on my way to sample the bar’s Aberdeen Restaurant Week menu.
And who better to join me than someone who has seen her own share of change over the past few decades?
Moreen Simpson, a veteran of the Aberdeen journalism scene, started her career at the Evening Express back in 1970. She rose to assistant editor of The Press and Journal when journalism was very much a male domain, and was an integral part of the teams that covered major stories such as the Lockerbie bombing and the Braer oil spill off Shetland.
These days she’s taking it easier with a weekly column in the Evening Express that has to be the only one of its kind to make liberal use of the Doric language. To an outsider – or ‘inabootcomer’ – like me, Moreen is the perfect person to help rate the new-look Under The Hammer. Especially as she knew the pub in its previous incarnation.
It is therefore telling when Moreen asks the bar staff after we walk in – “Didn’t it used to be bigger?”
We are assured it was not. But the bar – after its £200k refit – is certainly a lot plusher than it used to be, perhaps making it look smaller.
Wooden chairs and tables have been replaced with comfortably upholstered booths, one of which Moreen and I plunk ourselves down in to order drinks.
I take up the offer of a Peroni Libera, which is the only non-alcoholic beer option behind the bar. Meanwhile, Moreen is tickled to discover that the cocktail choice for the Aberdeen Restaurant Week menu includes two with Doric names.
Eschewing the Spring Bosie (hug) for another day, Moreen plumps for the Tipsy Quine.
“That’s me!” she says delightedly, explaining to the clueless Fifer opposite her that quine means a young lady.
Brushing off my observation that they didn’t teach Doric at Auchtermuchty Primary School, Moreen turns her attention to the food.
The food
We have the choice of three of Under the Hammer’s platters, which are usually shared between two but could feed three.
For Aberdeen Restaurant Week, the choice is the cheese, Mediterranean or Middle Eastern platters. As we reviewed the venue last Friday ahead of the event, the Middle Eastern is not yet available. So we opt for a mixed platter of cheese and Mediterranean.
The food arrives and we delve into the assortment of bread, crackers, brie, cheddar and sliced meats.
As Moreen notes, it’s not the usual Aberdeen Restaurant Week experience, but on a Friday evening for two people with plenty to talk about, it works well.
We scavenge the platter for the tastiest bites as Moreen tells me a hilarious but possibly unprintable story about an overnight stakeout she once undertook as a reporter.
Later, when Moreen shifts effortlessly from storytelling into investigative reporter mode and starts digging around in my own personal history – I deny everything! – we pick at the plate for remaining morsels.
By grazing in this fashion – assisted by some wine – we pass a couple of hours all too quickly.
The verdict
“That was lovely,” says Moreen as we walk back up the stairs to the street. “We should do that again sometime.”
Anytime, Moreen. And I promise I’ll brush up on my Doric.
Information
Address: Under The Hammer, 11 North Silver Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1RJ
T: 01224 640253
W: underthehammeraberdeen.co.uk
