What did we make of Aberdeen curry-fan favourite Wild Ginger?

I have walked past the doors of Aberdeen’s Wild Ginger countless times, but I’d never actually dined there.

I don’t know why though, because everyone I’ve spoken to about it is always full of praise for the Union Street restaurant.

More surprisingly my boyfriend Doug, a big curry fan, hadn’t been in either.

And after five years together it can be tricky finding somewhere to eat in the city that one of us hasn’t been to already. Even more so if you want somewhere decent.

It wasn’t until one dreary Wednesday that I took full advantage and decided we were going to give it a try and booked a table for that night.

So, did the curries live up to the hype?

Our first impressions of Wild Ginger, Aberdeen

The entrance to Wild Ginger leads you down the stairs revealing a cavernous, but beautiful, basement restaurant.

Wild Ginger. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

It was much larger than I’d been anticipating but the soft lighting and cosy booths made the restaurant feel much more intimate.

And the exposed brick walls made the lovely shades of copper and turquoise really pop, but the space looked much warmer thanks to the lighting.

I loved the decor inside. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

We were promptly seated at a table, and after a quick glance around, we saw a few other people already dining. It was still early, at only 5.45pm, but the restaurant soon filled up.

Pretty starters were also full of flavour

We were offered popadums (£5) while we browsed the full menu, and ordered some drinks. I was on driving duties so had a Coke (£3.75) meanwhile, Doug had a medium glass of Malbec (£6.95).

The popadums came with the usual chutney tray. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

As we happily munched on the crispy popadums, loading them up with mounds of spicy red onions and mango chutney, we explored the menu.

For starters I decided to stick with a reliable favourite, onion bhajis (£5.95), meanwhile, my boyfriend the seafood lover ordered the salmon tikka (£8.95).

The perfectly crisp onion bhajis. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

We weren’t waiting long before two very pretty, and vibrant dishes were delivered to our table.

The onion bhajis were perfectly crisp on the outside but not overdone or dry. They were aromatic, and the onion was strong — which I really like.

Large juicy chunks of salmon infused with fenugreek and dill leaves. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

Across the table, Doug was enjoying the salmon tikka, which was served with a fresh mint sauce. He said the fish was cooked beautifully, it was soft and tender, and tasted fantastic.

We ditched our go-to orders and tried some adventurous curries

Neither of us had heard of venison in a curry before and were surprised to see the meat offered in two different curries.

We both tend to stick to the same things when we order Indian food, but the venison Chettinad (£17.95), one of the more expensive curries, caught Doug’s eye. He ordered khumb, or mushroom rice (£5.70) as his side.

The rich and spicy venison Chettinad. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

I also decided to try a different curry and was intrigued by the chicken tikka patalia (£14.95). The menu promised a hot, sweet and sour curry which sounded perfect on a cold wintry night.

I went for pilau rice (£5.50) and we also got garlic naan bread (£5.70) to share.

The dishes quickly arrived on a trolley, and everything just looked so colourful and fresh — to my surprise my patalia was bright red.

Our mouths were watering instantly at the delightful aromas surrounding us.

Chicken Tikka Patiala. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

We dove straight in, spooning mounds of rice into our curries and eating near enough in silence as we enjoyed each delicious mouthful.

Doug said his curry was nice and spicy, and full of tender chunks of venison. The mushroom rice complimented the hot gamey dish too.

Meanwhile, my patalia delivered on the promise. The sticky sauce was both sweet and sour, with a little bit of a kick to it. I think the ginger gave this dish the punchy taste and the chicken was nice and juicy, not at all dry.

The buttery garlic naan bread was a fantastic accompaniment. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

I had been hoping for a huge, fluffy naan bread, and was a little disappointed by the four slices we had been given. But I needn’t have been because the warmed bread tasted so fresh and was probably the perfect amount to share.

We used our leftover slices to mop up every last bit of curry from the bowls.

Ending the meal with a light, refreshing pudding

We were persuaded to take a look at the dessert menu and settled on sharing a mango kulfi (£6.50) – just what was needed after some spicy, and rich curries.

The mango khulfi was so pretty. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

It came shaped like a tower, drizzled in a chocolate sauce and some sprinkles, and looked very impressive.

And it wasn’t as heavy, or as sweet, as ice cream, it was light and refreshing. The mango flavour was subtle but absolutely lovely.

Just look at that chocolate butterfly. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

Despite our full bellies, we were scraping the plate so as not to waste any of the sweet dessert.

The verdict

We left Wild Ginger feeling thoroughly satisfied with smiles on our faces.

The staff were friendly and efficient, even when the restaurant got busier later on. But we weren’t rushed from our table at the end either, and instead were left to chatter and enjoy the ambiance which I always really appreciate.

It was a little on the pricier side, but I think that was more down to our choices — particularly when it came to the salmon starter and venison curry.