Review: Amuse, Aberdeen

Aberdeen’s Amuse by Kevin Dalgleish has updated its menu with new summer offerings and Grant Dickie went along to sample what is on offer.

Nestled below the row of granite that is Queen’s Terrace you’ll find one of Aberdeen’s two Michelin-starred restaurants, Amuse by Kevin Dalgleish, and it has just launched a new summer offering. 

On arrival we enjoyed a glass of Taittinger champagne along with cheese and onion gougères in the lovely bar area, something to whet the appetite and get us excited for what was to come. 

I opted for their ‘6 of the Best’ menu, a curated six-course dinner sampling some of the new summer offerings. Along with this menu, you have the choice of two wine pairing options: the Fine Wine Pairing and the Sommelier’s Choice Wine Pairing (a combination of both new and old world wines) which we opted for.

The opening course was ‘a pair of Amuses’ – two amuse-bouches, the first a cone of whipped smoked salmon mousse complete with caviar, apple and dill; the other a salt and pepper crisped cluster of shimeji mushrooms with mushroom ketchup. Both were delicious and full of flavour, setting the expectation of standard high for what was to come. If you’re not a lover of mushrooms, I implore you to still give these a try. The ‘Amuses’ also paired really well with the first round of wine.

Course two arrived. Stepping away from the more traditional French flavours that are celebrated at Amuse, the crudo of sea trout combined fresh trout with kohirabi, chilli, lime ponzu and sea herbs for an amazing dish. My standout of the night. This also paired extremely well with the Handewald-Schwerdt Riesling, so much so, I had to ask to see the bottle that I can try and source some for myself.

It was time for the third course: roast crown of quail with young leeks, carrots, onion, nutmeg and roasting juices. Quail is not something you see very often on a menu or readily available in shops, so I was looking forward to trying it. The bed of young leeks was the perfect accompaniment to the richer, slightly gamy flavours of the quail. It was also a great decision to include both breast meat and leg meat as, to me, each had a unique taste. 

The fourth course was extremely fresh tasting, and a good palate cleanser after the rich quail. Dressed crab, pickled radish, apple, cucumber, came beautifully presented on a warm crumpet. The freshness of the crabmeat really shone in this course and was complimented by the zing of the pickled accompaniments. Personally, finding a crab dish that excites me seems difficult when I’m dining out, however this dish has rekindled my love of crab.

The roast crown of duck, young carrots, pommes anna and madeira of the fifth course paired very nicely with the fruity apricot. I can be rather fussy when it comes to duck, but it was cooked perfectly, just the right level of pink to keep all of the flavours strong while the meat itself just melted in the mouth.

The final course, a baked Brillat Savarin cheesecake topped with raspberry jelly accompanied by raspberry ripple ice cream, arrived. I’m not usually the biggest fan of a baked cheesecake, however this was great. The raspberries’ freshness and tartness balanced the richness of the cheesecake while the champagne undercut it all complimenting the dish by the way it contrasted the sweet.

There is the option to add a serving of Ripe Baron Bigod brie with toasted sourdough and warm truffle honey, but, as divine as this sounded, we were verging on being full and had to retain some modicum of self-control. Next time.

Overall, the Amuse experience was fantastic, from the top-notch food to the welcoming and knowledgeable staff. If you live in Aberdeen or are visiting the area and looking for a dining experience you surely won’t forget, then I highly recommend Amuse by Kevin Dalgleish.

To find out more about Amuse.

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