Restaurant review: A feast for the eyes and the mouth at Rustic Grill in Aberdeenshire

By David Dalziel

August 6 2022, 6:00 am

Delicious food and fantastic presentation were on the menu at the Rustic Grill in Turriff. Pictures by Wullie Marr / DC Thomson.

Who needs Tenerife when you can have Turriff?

That’s how I sold our recent summer holiday to the children when we decided to stay in Scotland rather than risk the airport nightmares that have been so common of late.

Not being used to foreign breaks anyway, they were perfectly happy to stay local when we showed them all the fun things on offer at the super Greenwood Loch Holiday Park.

We had a wonderful time kayaking, quad biking and playing table tennis, but took our chance to sample the culinary delights of Turriff on a rare rainy day.

Whenever we are on our travels, I like to seek out somewhere nice to eat for the purposes of these pages, and I’d had a tip off from none other than my wife that the Rustic Grill was well worth a visit, so we headed along after a family swim at Turriff pool had worked up an appetite.

The venue

The owners of the Rustic Grill have managed to turn a rather unremarkable building into a stylish, contemporary dining space that wouldn’t look out of place in a city.

The exterior catches the eye, and the decor inside is modern and on-trend without being pretentious.

The Rustic Grill catches the eye from the street.

Upturned metal buckets act as lampshades while exposed wooden beams are adorned with pretty fairy lights creating a lovely atmosphere, further enhanced by plants peppered around the dining space.

We were immediately impressed.

Despite the restaurant being busy for a Thursday lunchtime, the service was friendly and efficient and we set about studying the menu.

The bucket lampshades and fairy lights create a lovely atmosphere.

The food

With the menu offering a huge choice, I became one of those annoying people who just could not decide what to have. Everything sounded so good

There were no starters as such, but you can choose from a variety of small plates as you would tapas. I love tapas and was tempted by options such as whisky and bacon steamed mussels, blue cheese macaroni gratin, and sweet chilli pork belly, to name but a few. However, as soon as my eyes fell upon the Rustic mixed grill I was blind to any other options.

The Rustic mixed grill was a carnivore’s dream.

This mixed grill was something else. Gargantuan would be the word to do it justice.

It included: a 6oz sirloin steak, jalapeno and herb chicken breast, tandoori prawn skewer, maple and chilli sausage, barbecue pulled pork, fries, onion rings, coleslaw, chimichurri sauce and cowboy butter.

I had to have it. And even though it cost £29.95, I must say it was very good value for money, but more of that later.

For review purposes I also ordered the brie and mozzarella breaded bites with sweet tomato relish.

My wife decided on the crunchy cashew salad, a side of cheesy mashed potatoes and battered onion rings with cheese and vegetarian bacon.

There was also a good selection on the children’s menu and my daughter chose a hot dog alongside a small dish of halloumi fries from the main menu. My son, on the cusp of becoming a teenager and with the appetite to match, took the breaded scampi and chips as well as a small plate of coriander and chilli monkfish cheeks.

It was quite an order, especially as we asked for it all to come at the same time so we could mix and match. The staff duly obliged and we didn’t have to wait too long at all.

Everything looked beautiful. They clearly put a lot of effort into the presentation of every dish.

The coriander and chilli monkfish cheeks had lots of flavour.

My mixed grill was a sight to behold. Atop a thick wooden board sat the steak, chicken, sausage and onion rings, but my heart sank when I couldn’t see the prawns or the pulled pork. I need not have worried however, as they were hiding beneath the other elements such was the competition for space on the platter.

The steak was cooked just as I had requested and the various flavours were keeping this carnivore very happy.

I particularly liked the cowboy butter which had a little kick and worked well with the sirloin steak, and the barbecue pulled pork was sweet and sticky. I also liked how the thick, creamy coleslaw was served in a miniature saucepan.

The brie and mozzarella bites and tomato relish were a match made in heaven.

There was absolutely no need for the small plate I ordered, but the brie and mozzarella bites were a delight. The gooey melted cheese had a lovely consistency and the sweet, chunky tomato sauce was the perfect partner.

My wife enjoyed all the elements 0f her dishes with the presentation again impressive, especially the onion rings, which looked like a work of art.

The vegetarian bacon onion rings were beautifully presented.

The hot dog got the thumbs up, as did the halloumi fries which were large, thick and plentiful.

My son’s scampi was finished off with approval and he loved the monkfish. Four large pieces came coated in a crispy batter with a lovely flavour and were his favourite part of the meal.

The verdict

The Rustic Grill is already a popular venue in Turriff, for locals and visitors, and it is easy to see why.

A lot of thought clearly goes into the food and its presentation. The service is friendly, surroundings stylish and the atmosphere relaxed.

Every aspect of the Rustic Grill has been well thought out.

It attracts a variety of customers including families, couples, groups of friends and tourists, all there to enjoy a good selection of drinks and a menu that caters for many tastes.

And as for value for money, after everything I consumed that lunchtime, I didn’t eat anything until the following lunchtime.

I would probably recommend ordering two or three of the small plates as a main course as that would satisfy most appetites.

And as far as holiday meals go, why travel abroad when the food at home is this good?