Something wild was going on beneath Union Street as people rushed here and there on a Saturday night full of the usual anticipation – with hopes of enjoying a fine meal, making new friends and even exciting new encounters.
We found them all in abundance at this new eating place, which will give the aristocrats of Indian cuisine in Aberdeen a run for their money over who is top of the pecking order.
An elegant slim door at street level, as wafer-thin as a poppadom compared to the bigger business facades showing off along the street, beckoned us seductively – and we were descending into a subterranean culinary pleasure palace that is the Wild Ginger Indian restaurant.
A warm smile greeted us from a charming young woman on duty at a door at the bottom of the stairs at the start of what was to be a memorable night.
A partnership of two well known Indian restaurant owners in the north-east have joined forces to launch Wild Ginger. They invested heavily in a makeover of the cavernous dining room they have taken over below street level to create a relaxing area full of light and shade, stylish exposed granite walls and tables for groups or intimate booths for two.
The first things that struck us was that it was busy with diners by 6.30pm, and had plenty of staff. One of them confided in us that they had 100 bookings for this night alone and by 8.30pm the place was packed: word must be spreading fast among curry lovers. A week later, I could not resist a return to pick up a takeaway meal at the same time – and it was heaving again with bodies. It pays to book, I would say. Anyway, back to our inaugural visit.
The maestros behind this performance have clearly made the most of their combined experience of running Indian restaurants in the north-east.
Their over-arching ethos was to create a menu with a contemporary twist on Indian food – revamped old favourites mingling with exotic dishes I had never encountered before.
You can enjoy lingering over the various sections in this menu, which are clearly laid out and demand your full attention. The fish section alone, or example, is packed with goodies. You don’t see two separate monkfish dishes, for example, in many places, if at all. Prawns are often the mainstay of Asian fish curries in many establishments.
They have poured all their combined expertise into this pot to create sparkling dishes with a difference, which just leap out at you.
Finally, we had come to a decision over starters – meat samosas for my wife and salmon tikka for me.
My wife had chosen from the standard starters, whereas I had ventured into an upgraded appetiser section sitting below that, grandly listed as “connoisseur fusion appetisers”.
The samosas were larger than normal, light and fluffy. They were so tasty, we ordered another four to take home afterwards. I know, you don’t have to say anything.
My salmon was fresh, tasty and delicate – and set me up nicely for my main course without being too filling.
For mains, “monkfish clay pot” and “sizzling masala lamb”. You won’t be surprised to learn that my chunks of monkfish had been baked in a clay oven. It was then cooked in the chef’s “special opulent sauce” to give it a depth of flavour. The chef’s mysterious sauce was a hit: spicy with a hint of sweetness.
My wife’s masala dish had plenty of tender lamb pieces which were prepared with green peppers, onions, cumin seeds, roasted garam masala and an excellent tandoori sauce.
For sides we enjoyed a sag aloo of spinach and potato and a light garlic naan bread, sliced into neat triangles which were very handy for scooping up the sauce.
The friendly staff were always on hand, eagle-eyed and hovering in the background so that you never had to wait for attention.
It was easy to see why everyone is going wild about Wild Ginger.