Restaurant Review: Chef works miracles in memorable lunch at Falls of Feugh

By Reporter

October 3 2021, 6:00 am

The fish dish.

There are two natural wonders of the world at Falls of Feugh, near Banchory, which keep admirers coming back.

The first are the falls themselves, which swirl and crash over ancient rock formations with mesmerising force.

The cascading waters drop almost 20ft and follow the River Feugh under a narrow 18th Century bridge to join the mighty River Dee at a confluence.

People come from all over the world to see salmon battling up-river to their spawning grounds at this spot at certain times of the year.

As I stood on a 100ft metal footbridge alongside the main stone bridge it felt as though it was moving under my feet, such was the force being generated below. But it was actually the vibrations of the rushing water coming up the metal structures and making my legs quiver.

The force of nature was amazing, and it brings a tingle to many a romance judging by the “love locks” attached to the metal fencing by sweethearts enjoying this beautiful and atmospheric location.

Strictly speaking, these days they are supposed to pose for romantic selfies instead at a specially-constructed carved oak heart nearby rather than overload the footbridge with padlocks, as happened in the past.

The restaurant

I must tell you about the other wonder of the world here, which I mentioned at the beginning: it’s none other than John Chomba, chef/patron at Falls of Feugh restaurant a few yards from the famous falls.

He appeared to be working miracles on the day we visited. It was a Friday lunchtime and boy was it busy. We counted more than 20 people in the main dining room, another cluster near the entrance and a private wedding party of around 15 in a middle section.
The two waitresses were doing a sterling job, but as we left I asked if I could give my compliments to the chef.

I regretted it as soon as the words left my mouth. After all, he and his army of helpers must be rushed off their feet, I said.

The waitress was having none of it and she was in the kitchen as fast as a souffle falling flat.

John emerged and greeted me happily as though he hadn’t a care in the world.

I quickly said how much we loved our lunch and added: “How many staff are with you in the kitchen, John?”

He smiled back and said: “Apart from my kitchen porter, it’s just me.”

I couldn’t believe it, I was stunned. It seems chefs are not only struggling to get all the produce they want in these difficult Covid times, but also staff.

I was amazed as the service never faltered and his food was excellent. An Olympic medal would be in order here, I thought.

John has a background of working in Michelin-starred restaurants; I wondered how many Michelin chefs could cope solo with this kind of pressure.

Hailing originally from Kenya, John has really made his mark at the Falls of Feugh restaurant over the past few years with his own distinctive twist on traditional old favourites.

This beautiful spot must be a huge magnet for the business, of course, and the restaurant has a pretty cottage-style look; a former toll house is still occupied opposite.

I imagined this could easily be where people got the idea for picture postcards in the first place. But looks alone don’t bring diners back.

It was pleasing to see he was still putting out a varied menu when others were streamlining and restricting choice in these difficult days.

We sat at a window table overlooking a rear verandah and riverside view with the ever-present Feugh waters rushing past a short distance from the bridge. Large acer plants and hydrangeas peered at us from a well-established garden.

We drove from Aberdeen in a murky dull drizzle; normally on such bleak days at the coast the weather brightens the deeper you get into Aberdeenshire, but not today.

The food

To warm myself up I ordered Cullen skink to start. It was just perfect for the occasion and this one, packed with flavoursome smoked fish and potatoes, did not disappoint.
If we had known John was on his own in the kitchen my wife might not have put him to the inconvenience of asking to alter her salmon and prawn starter – by leaving out the salmon.

But it was done without a quibble and John sprinkled sweet popcorn over the extra-large portion of prawns and seafood sauce for contrasting sweetness and crunch, which is something I had not seen before.

For our mains we both plumped for dishes from the specials – a rib of beef for my wife and sea bass for me.

Tender and juicy, with a nice touch of pink running through it, the large slice of beef was served with creamy dauphinoise potatoes, mushrooms, green beans and carrots in a delicious rich gravy.

My fish was also a lovely dish with the sea bass perfectly tender on one side and crisp on the other, and served on crab risotto with a bisque, cabbage and peas, topped with breaded scampi.

We finished with creamy Malteser cheesecake, with strawberries and blueberries, and a small pot of apple crumble with ice cream.

The verdict: I think we had well and truly fallen for the Falls of Feugh restaurant.