Aberdeen Restaurant Week: Ferryhill House's best brownie ever

I was suddenly glad I’d been starving myself all day when the starter arrived and my three course Aberdeen Restaurant Week meal at the Ferryhill House Hotel began.

Those late afternoon headaches became a distant memory as the overflowing bowl of nachos was placed before me, landing with a satisfying thud.

The deep dish of crunchy tortilla chips was heaped high with salsa, guacamole and chilli – and clarted in thick globules of melted cheese.

The salsa from Ferryhill House Hotel during Aberdeen Restaurant Week — The salsa was sweet and spicy. There were plenty of nachos lurking beneath these tasty toppings. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

What other starters are on the cards?

The chilli had just the right amount of kick, not too hot but enough to ensure my pint of Fierce Hazy IPA didn’t last too long.

I was trying out the special menu, available until this Sunday (August 20), which offers three courses for £30 or two for £25.

Confronted with such an array of tempting dishes, we thought we had best go for the three-course option.

A pint of Fierce beer — The Fierce beer, pictured before the nachos arrived and it swiftly disappeared. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

My colleague Denny Andonova came along, and was tempted by the haggis bon bons before opting instead for the crab cakes – which she later sang the praises of.

The seafood was accompanied by a drizzle of lemon mayonnaise, and zesty pickled apples.

Three crab cakes with chopped pickled apple and a drizzle of lemon mayonnaise — The crab cakes are a must for seafood aficionados. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

No sooner had we polished them off, the attentive waiting staff were on hand to take our plates away.

All dietary requirements are catered for

For the main course, I opted for the roast salmon, which came served with plenty of perfectly boiled potatoes, asparagus, samphire and vine tomatoes.

Denny ordered the braised ox cheek, which arrived balanced on a parsnip and sweet potato rosti and bed of hot and sour salad.

The golden-coloured salmon from Ferryhill House Hotel along with asparagus, baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes and samphire — The salmon was roasted to perfection. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

The chunk of beef was beautifully tender, falling apart at the slightest nudge of the fork.

And there was a lot of it.

The ox cheek balancing on a mound of parsnip and sweet potato rosti — The braised ox cheek, which I have been thinking about often since our visit. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

My salmon was really nice, tasting as fresh as if it had leaped from the River Dee onto my plate…

But I couldn’t help staring enviously at that ox cheek. It really did look amazing.

There’s also lentil ragu if you don’t eat meat, or a Balmoral chicken that also sounded very tempting.

Praise for the puddings, with one hailed as ‘the best brownie ever’

I’m afraid I’m pretty predictable when it comes to desserts.

Even if I’m eyeing up other, more adventurous offerings, I can rarely stop the words “sticky toffee pudding please” from falling, almost involuntarily, from my mouth.

sticky toffee pudding with a scoop of vanilla ice cream from Ferryhill House Hotel, available during Aberdeen Restaurant Week — There are few nicer sights than a huge slab of sticky toffee pudding, if you ask me anyway. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

And so it was thus.

Thankfully, I am rarely disappointed – and this proved to be the case again here at the Ferryhill House Hotel.

The thick slab was light and sauce-scrapingly moreish, with a smooth dollop of ice cream on the side.

However, my appreciation for the sticky toffee pudding paled in comparison to Denny’s rave review of her chocolate brownie.

A chocolate brownie covered in berries with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side from Ferryhill House Hotel, available during Aberdeen Restaurant Week — It looks delicious, but I was still slightly surprised by just how highly it was rated… Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

With a serious look on her face, she looked up from her plate.

After finishing a mouthful, she said: “That’s amazing. Easily the best chocolate brownie I have ever had.”

This gooey square of chocolate, suddenly exalted to otherworldly levels, was topped with a handful of summer berries – offering the perfect contrast to the sweet treat.