The Atrium: Scottish food served with a modern twist in Aberdeen

When you step inside The Atrium, the first thing you notice are the friendly staff who go out of their way to make you feel welcome.

The family-owned restaurant is tucked away in the middle of Chapel Street in Aberdeen and has a great space for dining inside.

Inside The Atrium in Aberdeen — Inside The Atrium. Image: Paul Glendell/DC Thomson

It has a modern interior with wooden tables and the chairs are upholstered in tartan – just what you’d expect in a Scottish restaurant.

The Clark family have decades of experience in the hospitality sector and are passionate about bringing exciting flavours to the table using locally sourced ingredients.

Buttery, anyone? We have just the starter to select at The Atrium in Aberdeen

The Atrium chefs have come up with a tasty selection of dishes for the new Aberdeen Restaurant Week menu and at a great price – £20 for three courses which includes a soft drink too.

Some of the ingredients are vegetables you can dig out of a local garden served with a twist – such as the Korean cauliflower starter.

The Korean Cauliflower starter from The Atrium in Aberdeen — The Korean cauliflower starter. Image: Charlotte Thomson/DC Thomson

I’ve often seen cauliflower steak on menus and it’s something I’ve always meant to try; it was served with a rich smoky sauce and really is delicious.

My friend ordered the traditional Cullen skink and we were pleasantly surprised at the size of the bowl she was served.

A bowl of Cullen Skink — Cullen skink starter. Image: Charlotte Thomson/DC Thomson

The smoked haddock and potato chowder had a wonderful creamy taste and there was also something unusual about this dish.

Instead of the usual bread roll, it comes with an Aberdeen buttery served with salted butter which went down really well with the soup.

‘Generous’ portion sizes continued to impress as mains and desserts were served

Fortunately, my friend made the wise decision to leave some room for the rest of her meal because the main courses were also generous portions.

She tucked into the crispy chicken and haggis escalopes main course served with wilted greens and a whisky and chicken butter sauce.

Fish and chips served with a dish of garden peas, tartar sauce and a slice of lemon — The Peterhead landed beer battered haddock. Image: Charlotte Thomson/DC Thomson

It had a great texture with its crispy crumb coating and the thick sauce was not overpowered by the whisky.

I had the fish and chips dish, a beer battered Peterhead landed large haddock served with skin on fries and peas. The batter was crispy, just the way I like it and the fish flaky and well cooked.

We didn’t really have much room left for pudding but it’s Aberdeen Restaurant Week so we just had to try out the full menu.

Sticky toffee pudding with half a strawberry on top, a wafer and a scoop of vanilla ice cream — The delicious sticky toffee pudding. Image: Charlotte Thomson/DC Thomson

My friend opted for the sticky toffee pudding covered in lashings of fudge sauce served up with Rizza’s of Huntly ice cream.

I chose the chocolate and orange crème brulee. It’s a dessert that will satisfy the sweetest of cravings; the taste of the chocolate custard was enhanced by the candied orange peel garnish sprinkled on top.

The verdict

If this is not a restaurant you’ve tried before I’d recommend you don’t miss out and book a table to try out The Atrium food over restaurant week, which is running until Sunday, August 20.

The owners aim to give customers a place where you get ‘exceptional service and delicious cuisine’ and they’ve certainly achieved their mission with the great staff and food.