Restaurant of the Week: Atholl Hotel, 54 King’s Gate, Aberdeen

The Atholl was originally built as a private residence in 1892, at a cost of £1,225 to original owner William “Raggie” Morrison. An extension was added in 1910 and it became a hotel 34 years later.

Location

In a prime site on leafy King’s Gate in the west end, just a short stroll from the city centre.

First impression

Busy, buzzing, warm and friendly. Clearly a popular place with tourists, business types and loyal locals.

Service

First class. Within minutes, a smiling waitress was at our side. She offered us drinks, and found a comfortable spot where we could wait the few minutes it took for a table to become available.

Menu

A mix of the exotic and the traditional, with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options, too. Dishes contain the finest local produce with the menu changing seasonally.

Taste

We started with chargrilled Halloumi cheese and sweet chilli pork cheek skewers with a salad and chilli dip. For mains, we chose sticky Hoisin noodles with broccoli, broad beans, peppers, cobs and spring onions, along with a slow cooked feather blade of beef with pancetta new potatoes, grilled broccoli and a port jus. All were utterly delicious and so plentiful we struggled to finish. However, we did find room for an orange sorbet, specially adapted at our request, and a raspberry crème brulee. Scrumptious!

Ambience

Soft lighting and smart décor lend a warm, classic but comfortable ambience that makes leaving difficult, especially when the staff cannot do enough for you. Our helpful young waitress Nicole Brown made our visit especially pleasurable.

Price

For the quality of fayre, comfort, and location, we considered the final bill, around £60 with drinks, to be reasonable.

Toilets

As with the rest of the interior, they were smart and clean – a feat in itself given the large footfall enjoyed at the Atholl Hotel.