The Parade, Alford

I can't make up my mind about the Parade. On the one hand, it has a clean, modern interior, the "freshest" menu in Alford, and plenty of highchairs (all will become clear...). On the other, you can see right into the kitchen and storage area, the owner/manager rarely has so much as a smile (and can be direct to the point of rudeness), and I was once served a piece of mouldy lemon cake there (once I pointed it out I was quickly brought a replacement, but there was no apology). Anyway, we ended up in the Parade for lunch because the Bistro only has two highchairs, both of which were occupied! My husband and I both had the soup and half sandwich deal; sweet potato and wholegrain mustard soup (a lovely combination I'm going to try at home), a prawn marie rose sandwich for me (it was unusually sweet), and brie and cranberry for him. They were served with a nice side salad drenched in a honey and mustard dressing, and a small handful of plain taco-style crisps. We finished with a pot of tea, a latte, a slice of sultana loaf (served with a pat of butter), and a piece of apple and cinnamon cake (a little bit dry, and not nearly enough apple). All in all a pleasant visit - I had change from £20, and I didn't eat nearly as much as I would've had the Bistro been able to accomodate us!

http://www.paradehome.co.uk/stores.php

Visited 12pm Saturday 11 June 2011

Peckhams, Union Square, Aberdeen

Before catching the train home I went into Peckham's for tea and a little something. Peckham's does table service so I found a space at the end of a table already occupied by a couple and their daughter, ordered an earl grey tea with lemon, and asked what kind of cakey things they had. The waitress showed me to the counter in the shop and I quickly scanned for something suitable. It was all a bit more decadent than I wanted (alas, no scones here!) so I ordered a slice of an innocuous looking lemon and yoghurt sponge. And what a slice it was! One of the biggest pieces of cake I've ever been served (outside the privacy of my own home, obviously), it was also one of the densest - indeed my fork and spoon were barely up to the job. It was served on a plate "garnished" with two blackberries, a cherry, and a drizzle of maple syrup (which doesn't go at all well with lemon, in my opinion). I should have known what lay in store from the fact that the family group beside me had one plate and three forks between them.... Still, I was up for the challenge and gamely did my best, but my fork was no match for the outside edge of the "sponge" and I was defeated. My sense of defeat was deepened when I took my bill to the main till in the shop (not a good arrangement as you have to queue behind people actually shopping, making a quick getaway to the railway station difficult) and was charged £5.25: £1.50 for the tea (which was, by the way, an unlabelled tea bag served alongside a pot of hot water - my pet hate as you have to add the teabag to the water when it should most assuredly be the other way around) and a mighty £3.75 for the cake! Good grief. So, while the cake was pleasant enough and certainly generously proportioned, it was very pricey, "garnished" with a completely non-complementary syrup, and accompanied by a pot of tea served in completely the wrong way. I won't be hurrying back.

http://www.peckhams.co.uk/USQ1.htm

Visited 4.30pm Saturday 14 May

1906 Restaurant at HMT, Aberdeen

I always enjoyed eating at The Foyer at HMT, but their contract for this location ended in January of 2011. I wasn't sure how APA (Aberdeen Performing Arts) would handle the restaurant, so gave it a whirl before the Scottish Ballet's Saturday afternoon performance of Alice (really good, by the way!). Not much has changed in terms of decor, and why would you? It's still lovely and open, with a few new discreet screens bearing the distinctive crown logo placed between some tables. The service is just as good as The Foyer's was. The lunch menu is concise but allows for enough choice. In saying that, however, my dining partner and I both chose the goujons of local seafood with a garden salad and aioli dip. It was a nice, neat portion of gojouns, with three different types of white fish, and a small fresh salad of leaves, cucumber and tomato. Very nice and just right for a light lunch. We had time for pudding, so I had the ginger and lemongrass fresh fruit salad - apple, melon, strawberries, grapes and pineapple, with a hint of ginger - served with passionfruit sorbet. It was very good, and accompanied by a feeling of virtuousness. My partner had the ice cream and sorbet selection - mango and passionfruit sorbets, strawberry ice cream, and one other ice cream which neither of us could identify (usually I would ask but I forgot), although it had purple berries and what I would swear was a hint of aniseed in it. We had tea and coffee, which is served with what I suppose is chocolate fudge, but was more like a cube of chocolate icing - still, chocolate is chocolate! Along with a bottle of sparkling water to share the bill came to £30 - very reasonable I thought, so much so that we examined the bill again once we'd taken our seats in the theatre, and discovered we hadn't been charged for our tea and coffee. So, if you're reading this, 1906, sorry and thanks!

http://www.boxofficeaberdeen.com/content.asp?CategoryID=8632

Visited 12.45pm Saturday 14 May 2011

Gadie's, by Oyne

We decided to nip out for lunch at Gadie's, and were there pretty sharp at 12pm. I really like Gadie's, but sometimes the service is a bit slow - or perhaps it just seems that way when you have a baby in tow! We weren't greeted when we arrived, so I asked at the till/bar if there was a table. I was told we could sit anywhere, but only two tables weren't reserved, and one of those needed to be cleared, so it was a limited choice! I had to go back to the till to ask for menus, but after that we were taken care of more efficiently. The specials board at Gadie's really adds to the standard menu, but today we both stuck to the menu and ordered old favourites - an Ugie smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich for me, and "the Duke" burger for hubby. I also ordered a bowl of the lovely chunky, skins on, chips - yum! The sandwich was good (although made with white bread, whereas I prefer brown), and served with a small dressed salad on the side. Hubby's burger looked lovely, a proper homemade burger on a toasted cibatta roll, served with chips and salad. The bill for our food, two soft drinks, a latte and a pot of earl grey tea came to £27.20. If you haven't been to Gadie's I really would recommend it - they are open through the day for teas, coffees, cakes, and lunches, and sporadically (or so it seems) for dinner, so definitely phone ahead to book for dinner. It's a lovely place, light and airy but cosy at the same time, and the food very good, and all locally sourced. The round sunroom would make a lovely setting for a private function, too!

http://www.touchedbyscotland.com/gadies.php

Visited Saturday 7 May 12pm

Tinderbox, Union Square, Aberdeen

My Tinderbox receipt proclaims "Coffee In Aberdeen Just Got Better". I don't know about the coffee but the tea and cakes are pretty good! My friend and I visited Tinderbox twice on the same day, first for a quick lunch, and later for tea/coffee and cake. Lunch was a pre-prepared roast vegetable and mozzarella panini, chosen from the chiller cabinet and toasted. Food and drink is normally collected from the end of the "bar", but the staff very kindly took our orders to the table for us, as we each had babies and buggies. The panini was served with a small pot of mayonnaise and, rather oddly, an unmarked silver foil bag of crisps - I wonder if it was supposed to be opened and served on the side of the plate? Whilst paying for lunch I spotted the lovely looking cakes and waffles, and we came back later to sample them. I had a pot of earl grey tea - turns out it's Suki tea they serve - and a piece of apple and spice tray bake, which was very nice. Tinderbox is quite "grown up" in both decor and the food and drink they offer, and I think attract a slightly more mature customer than Starbucks. It's somewhere I'll be happy to visit again for tea and cake, but perhaps not lunch - anyway, I definitely want to try a piece of that decadent red velvet cake! My tea and cake cost £4.80, and my lunch around £7.

http://www.unionsquareaberdeen.com/website/Modules/StoreDirectory/StoreListing/StoreDetails.aspx?retailunitid=355983f4-faa6-4e8b-993a-8c8d1cec92a0&pageid=10

Visited 12.30 and 2pm Tuesday 3 May 2011