Under The Hammer is quite the hidden gem. Located just off Golden Square, the space made quite the impression when I stopped by to sample the Aberdeen Restaurant Week (ARW) offering.
I had heard many great things from colleagues about the business. Everything from its interior and feel to the food and drinks was highly praised.
It has been well-loved by locals and visitors in the city for more than 40 years, after all. It must be doing a number of things right.
Under The Hammer reopened under new ownership – The Mcginty’s Group – in 2021 and offers cask ales, wines, cocktails, small plates, and platters.
One of the greatest pleasures in life, in my opinion, is sipping away at a tipple paired with a platter. This is exactly what the establishment is offering this ARW, so it was clearly meant to be.
My boyfriend and I made our way to the venue for a lunchtime pitstop. While we were the only diners for some time into our stay, roughly four or five tables were occupied by the time we left.
The food
The basement bar was cosy and had a rustic feel to it – although the bar area itself is incredibly modern-looking.
You can opt for two cocktails and a sharing platter for just £20 at Under The Hammer – or two cocktails and a large platter for £30 – which I’m sure anyone could appreciate is fantastic value for money.
There are, however, three cocktails up for grabs – a Silverlgass Julep, Sour Ginger, and Lychee Cosmopolitan. Purely for the benefit of readers, we had to sample all three…
Esker Silverglass Gin, sugar, lemon, and mint were the ingredients of the first tipple we sampled with the primary flavours proving to be lemon and mint. This was arguably the most refreshing of the three.
As for the Sour Ginger, this was my personal favourite. Langs mango and ginger rum was the star of the show but the drink also featured apricot, lemon, sugar, and egg white. It was sweet, frothy, and had a warming ginger spice to it.
Last, but certainly not least, was the Cosmopolitan. This tipple hit the back of your throat instantly and boasted a sweet-sour fusion. Cranberry juice was the most notable ingredient, but passionfruit Absolut, lychee liqueur, and lime were also in amongst the mix.
There was still plenty of booze to go around by the time our platter arrived. It didn’t take long to prepare, after all – something that we were surprised at given how well it had been presented.
A Mediterranean platter and a vegetarian platter are included in the Under The Hammer ARW menu, but we decided on the Scottish cheese option.
Our platter was considered a small. However, it would definitely feed up to three people, in my opinion.
Three small bowls had been perched alongside the assortment of cheeses and biscuits carrying mozzarella, red onion chutney, and butter.
A basket of crispy rustic bread carried eight slices that made for a great base layer for sampling what was on offer.
The Tain cheddar was nutty with a crumbly texture, while the caboc was incredibly creamy with a pine nut crumb coating that added a slight bite.
As for the blue murder – both of our favourites on this occasion – we thought it was buttery and rich. The pair of us were thankful there were three large triangular chunks of this on the board, it went down far too easy with the crackers and oatcakes.
The chutney was stellar. Regardless of which cheese we decided to slice up next, it paired superbly with every single one and brought out more of their flavours.
Only crumbs and one or two of the frozen grapes remained before requesting the bill.
The verdict
Under The Hammer is a venue that I intend on returning to at the nearest given opportunity. I’ll also be urging friends and family to stop by.
Despite booking a table at around noon, it had a fantastic vibe. The music, servers, and space itself were great. And the food and drink we enjoyed for ARW raised the bar even higher.
Information
A: 11 North Silver Street, Aberdeen AB10 1RJ
T: 01224 640253
W: www.underthehammeraberdeen.co.uk
Price: £33.35 (including the additional cocktail and beer, which cost £13.35)
Aberdeen Restaurant Week promotion: A small platter and two drinks for £20 or a large platter and two drinks for £30.
