They’ve battled snow, inflation and equipment delays, but it’s finally time to get stuck into Aberdeen’s new street food market as it prepares to open its doors.
Resident X will welcome its first customers to its 10,000sqft premises tomorrow (Saturday December 17) from 5pm.
The new venture, which is based within two ground floor units at Marischal Square in the city centre, will see four food firms and two bars take up residence in the newly designed space.
The £1.3 million project has been brought to the city by local entrepreneurs Michael Robertson and David Griffiths, who had huge success with their outdoor street food event Backyard Beach Collective in summer 2021.
£107 million was invested into the Marischal Square development as part of Aberdeen City Council’s regeneration of the east end of the city centre.
A total of 27 staff will be employed by the duo, with around 50 across all of the vendors and additional roles including security.
Resident X, also known as RX, was initially scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2022, however, due to the cost-of-living crisis, increase in price of materials and other factors, was pushed back.
Who will the food vendors be at Resident X in Aberdeen?
The four vendors include Acropolis, Baby Jewel, Pluck and Dam Burger.
Newcastle Greek street food firm Acropolis, which has numerous premises in the north of England, is the only vendor from outwith the north-east catchment.
The other three businesses are start-ups or sister brands of established street food firms. While there are five spaces for food vendors at Resident X, the venue will open with four initially, adding another firm to its roster in the future.
Each will have a customer facing pod kitchen and will all benefit from use of a shared commercial kitchen, enabling them to operate on delivery platforms, too.
Acropolis
Acropolis is a newbie to Aberdeen and says it will serve up some of the best Greek food you’ll find in the city.
After Christo’s Greek Taverna closed it’s doors earlier in the year in Aberdeen, this will be welcome news to those who adore the cuisine.
You’ll find everything from gyros, halloumi bites, platters and their own versions of loaded fries at Acropolis.
Pluck
For those who love wicked chicken wings, Pluck will be the place to go when visiting the space.
Brought to Resident X by the team at Victoria Bar & Lounge in Torry, Aberdeen, this is the bar’s first step into street food.
The team have taken inspiration from American chain Wingstop to serve up delicious chicken dishes, and sauce and seasoning firm, Angus and Oink, will be providing Pluck with their products to create the ultimate menu offering.
Baby Jewel
If Indian street food takes your fancy then Baby Jewel from Aberdeen’s much-loved restaurant, Jewel in the Crown, is for you.
The Crown Street venue is breaking into the street food scene for the first time and will be serving up some of their favourite dishes in the restaurant, but, in a completely different way.
You’ll also find some new and exciting offerings from them, so there will be plenty for everyone to get stuck into.
DAM Burger
As well as bringing Resident X to the masses, Michael and David also own fast food firm Aberdam which is located on Shiprow.
DAM Burger is another take on the duo’s obsession with burgers and will see this new brand offer up something different to its sister venue, Aberdam Dutch Fries.
While they will still specialise in burgers, Dam Burgers will be focused around experimental flavours.
Four to five options will be served up here and Michael says it will be “the home of burgers” in Aberdeen. Sides of fries, sauces and seasonings will be available.
A well-known central belt firm will take over the space in the new year.
What about the bars?
Two bars will be operated by the Resident X team at the market. The main bar will boast cocktails, and usual drinks offerings including beer, spirits, wine and soft drinks.
The second bar, known as Lab X, has seen the team work with specialist drinks firm Boozy Events to create the menus.
This bar will boast a unique concept with different experimental drinks available to purchase. Top mixologists have been hired to oversee service and will be on-hand to fix up a variety of quirky drinks.
An Instagrammers playground
With it’s interior design also playing a big part, the teams at Aberdeen’s Tinto Architecture and Allan Smith’s Luxous Group Ltd have been working all hours to bring the “Instagram sensation” to life.
With light tunnels, garden areas and lots of neon, it will be a feast for the eyes.
The venue will also host multiple events, and Michael says it is as much an event space as it is a food hall, with Aberdeen DJ HomeAlone playing Thursday evenings.
Michael said: “Despite all the challenges that the last few years have presented, we are immensely proud to bring this project to fruition.
“As two born and bred Aberdonians we wholeheartedly believe in the potential of the city and we aim to lead in creating new opportunities for locals, as well as encouraging established food concepts to expand north of the central belt.”
Resident X will be open Sunday to Thursday from noon to midnight and will be open Friday and Saturday until 1am initially.
A license has been granted to operate until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays, although this will be trialed in early 2023 before becoming a permanent fixture.
David added: “Resident X has been born out of the success of The Backyard Beach Collective and the concept of STAXX. It really is am amalgamation of the two.
“We have worked tirelessly for three years to put our best foot forward in driving growth within the city’s hospitality industry.
“After extensive research across the UK we are convinced that the local economic benefits to having a diverse and exciting venue of this calibre will positively contribute to the city centre regeneration for years to come.”
For more information, Resident X’s social media handle is @rx.msq.
More pictures of inside Resident X
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