Review: Mara, Aberdeen

Mara brings fantastic Italian wines and inspired small plates to the Granite City. Grant Dickie heads along to try out the city’s latest eatery.    Thursday evening, and after a day of working, nothing is better than escaping the house to wind down with a bottle of wine and some delicious food.  Enter Mara. New…

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Review: David Swindle, The Makings of A Murderer at Granite Noir

David Swindle at Granite Noir festival in Aberdeen.

Scottish detective David Swindle, who caught murderer Peter Tobin, brought his show on snaring serial killers to Aberdeen’s Granite Noir festival this year. Grant Dickie headed to Aberdeen’s Music Hall to find out what really goes on behind the scenes of a murder investigation. I must admit, like most, I have always had interest in…

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Top private dining rooms around Scotland

We take a look at some of the top private dining rooms around Scotland.    Fhior Launching this December, this Edinburgh restaurant is hosting a series of supper clubs by acclaimed chef patron, Scott Smith. Taking place each Saturday evening in the restaurant’s revamped private dining room, the supper club called Mixtapes, will be available…

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Check out these hidden haunted hotspots around Scotland

The spooky season is upon us and what better place to experience than Scotland with eerie castles, misty landscapes and ghostly tales. Check out VisitScotland’s list of Scotland’s top hidden haunted hotspots.     Edinburgh  In Edinburgh, the Paranormal Activity Database documents an astounding 106 instances of supernatural occurrences since records began.  Established in the 1560s,…

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Mixing it up: Aberdeen cocktail week begins

Grant Dickie checks out the opening night of Aberdeen Cocktail week.  Are you a lover of cocktails? Needing an excuse to get out and have an enjoyable night amidst the dreich weather and darkening nights? If so, then Aberdeen Cocktail Week will be right up your street. Both of those above questions apply to myself,…

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Still Spirited: A Smooth New Scottish Vodka

Ask anyone to think of spirits synonymous with Scotland and whisky will be top of the list, closely followed by gin with the boom in craft productions. But there is one spirit that is joining these titans on the Scottish spirit market: vodka. Brought to you from Still Spirited, this new Scottish vodka certainly made…

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Comedian uses family connections to explore Aberdeen’s links to the slave trade

He is well known for his routines with irreverent presentations of traditional Scottish history and culture. But now standup comedian Bruce Fummey is using his own family connections to explore Aberdeen’s links to the slave trade. During the Covid lockdowns the comedian turned his attention to YouTube filmmaking, creating popular Scottish History Tours videos. The…

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FRINGE REVIEW: FLAMENCO GUITAR ODYSSEY WITH PHILIP ADIE

Rosie Morton reviews Philip Adie’s Flamenco Guitar Odyssey.  ONE man and his guitar. Amidst the madness of The Fringe, it pays to keep things simple. Aberdeen-born Philip Adie, who now lives in Seville, did just that with his ‘Flamenco Guitar Odyssey’. Taking to the stage in Alba Flamenca, an intimate venue on East Crosscauseway, Adie…

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National Theatre unveils Dracula and Mina

THE National Theatre of Scotland (NTS) has today unveiled the first look at its production of Dracula: Mina’s Reckoning. The play was written by Morna Pearson and shifts Bram Stoker’s narrative to the North-East. The NTS has assembled an all-female and non-binary cast for the production, which will tour Scotland, Liverpool, and Coventry in September…

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