Walking through the entrance hallway of The Atrium on Chapel Street is no different to that of when it was Howie’s Aberdeen.
Having reopened under new ownership just last week, The Atrium team are slowly making themselves at home in the well-known space.
The restaurant’s décor may not be too different, but the faces behind the business certainly are.
Owned by the Clark family who operate three other hospitality firms in the north-east, the family have spent the past month or so redecorating, training staff and gearing up for opening.
I paid a visit on the evening of opening day to see what had been done with the place and to sample some of the dishes out. Alex Dando has taken up the role of head chef at the venue and with his team of four chefs, has devised a Scottish-inspired menu that not only shines a light on the classics, but other modern dishes, too.
The Atrium
Arriving we were greeted by the friendly manager who showed us to our table. Ellie would be looking after us tonight and later appeared to take our drinks order.
We were heading to Spectra, Aberdeen’s festival of light, that night so I stuck to Diet Coke (£2) while my boyfriend opted or Beavertown’s neck oil IPA (£5.75). There were a few other tables in, with majority arriving a little later into our dining experience.
Nothing looked out of the ordinary, apart from the blackboards which had once outlined the local produce in Howie’s used.
These had been updated with The Atrium branding. For those who appreciate a good seat, the comfy wooden chairs with tartan upholstery are still there.
The food
I was keen to sample a range of dishes from the menu and like the polite reviewer I am, waited for my date to pick what he wanted to make my final decision.
Our starters were salt and chilli calamari (£8) and the haggis spring rolls (£8). For mains we’d opted for the braided shin of beef (£21) and the Gressingham duck breast (£22). Ellie convinced us to order the Biscoff cookie dough (£8) so we reluctantly shared that at the end.
Starting at the beginning, I was tickled pink with the spring rolls. Given Scotland is at the heart of this menu I was chuffed to see haggis play its part.
Served with a metal ramekin of fiery yet sweet chilli jam, the one long spring roll had been cut in half and garnished with micro greens – which are proving ever popular across the city’s restaurant scene. The haggis was peppery and the pastry crisp and flakey, and there were small dollops of a tangy mayo on the plate, too.
The calamari boasted seven small pieces that were lightly fried. My date commented they weren’t crispy and that quite a few were too chewy. The citrus aioli was good and he enjoyed the crunchy texture the tiny piece of dehydrated kale added.
80s pop music played in the background and I found myself bopping along to one too many songs during our outing.
Our mains followed shorty after which brought said chair dancing to a halt.
This is where Alex’s bronze Game Chef of the Year award came into play. The duck I had was excellently cooked. Tender to the touch, it was pink in the middle and melted in my mouth.
The veg on both plates was lukewarm at best, which was a shame, but given the meat was the star of the show I overlooked this. The pak choi was a too wet for my liking, but the carrot puree that surrounded the dish and the five spice jus on top was good. The hasselback tatties were well done on the outside which made them a little chewy, too, but within was fluffy goodness.
Calum’s braised shin of beef looked delectable. The meat itself pulled away nicely but was a little too overdone for his liking. Had there been more of the red wine and thyme jus to cover it I think it would have been fine.
The bubble and squeak (cooked potatoes and cabbage) went well, as did the roast baby beets and charred baby leeks which, like my veg, were lukewarm.
Almost too full to stomach dessert, Ellie tempted us with the Biscoff cookie dough and it didn’t take much for us to crumble. The panna cotta and dark chocolate mousse also read very well on the menu, two to note for my next visit.
She didn’t take too long to appear, armed with two spoons and the dessert itself.
The first thing I noticed was the stalk of redcurrants on top of the baked cookie dough. They were tart and balanced the sweetness of the gooey dough that boasted the odd large dollop of Biscoff within. Calum didn’t seem to get much Biscoff but I got a few mouthfuls with it.
The dish was boiling hot and the creamy Rizzaʼs of Huntly Biscoff ice
cream was an excellent addition. I also enjoyed the caramel sauce and Biscoff crumb sprinkled over it – both adding texture.
While service had been a little sporadic at times, with this being their first day open I was happy with the way the team seemed to handle things.
Ellie couldn’t have done more for us and was very pleasant and happy to help where she could.
The verdict
It is great to see the former Howie’s venue reopen and another quality restaurant be added to Aberdeen’s growing roster.
While there were certainly a few teething issues, that was only expected on opening day and overall we had a positive experience.
The food was of good quality, there was plenty of it and we felt the value for money was reasonable in comparison to other venues offering similar gastro pub/Scottish options.
I look forward to returning and sampling more of the menu, including the fish sarnie and katsu chicken curry on the lunch menu.
Information
Address: 50 Chapel Street, Aberdeen AB10 1SN
T: N/A
Price: £74.75
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