A beautiful view might not be top of your list when it comes to finding a great place to eat out. And who could blame you, good food and excellent service is the order of the day.
But what if you could combine a very special location with delicious local produce and a chef who truly cares?
Welcome to The Falls of Feugh restaurant, situated of course right on the banks of the river Feugh in Royal Deeside.
And with autumn really showing off, the fabulous spot is looking particularly wonderful just now.
From the dramatic water falls to the story of salmon doing the almost impossible leap up stream, there’s no place quite like this chocolate box style cottage and surrounding countryside.
Owner and head chef, John Chomba, has never grown tired of the view, having taken over the site nine years ago.
From his classical French training to his love of Aberdeenshire, we were lucky to catch up with John and find out what’s next for one of the most beautiful spots in the north-east.
How did you become involved in the first place?
I was a self employed chef, and at the time I providing cover to businesses which were struggling.
I’d help out with menu planning, that kind of thing.
I was asked to help out here, and then I was asked if I’d be interested in taking the place on.
I refused initially. The market was doing ok, but there was also a prediction that oil and gas in Aberdeen was due to have a crisis.
I had two young boys, and I really had to question if it was the right time.
Of course I ended up taking the plunge.
Nine years down the line and here I am, at the most spectacular setting in Deeside.
What was the restaurant like when you first took it on?
It was a tearoom doing simple cakes and bakes.
It transformed into a full blown restaurant within the first year, we’ve won restaurant of the year three times and received a lot of accolades.
We still do cakes and scones of course.
Do you come from a family of chefs?
Ha, no! I come from a family of mathematics, books and teaching.
I was going to go into accounts.
But I knew it was not for me and ended up as a kitchen porter in a small hotel.
One day the chef never turned up, and they said could I try?
That was in Kenya many years ago, and I have never looked back.
I did internships in different hotels, I became resilient.
I learnt different kinds of cooking and how different chefs work.
I met a French chef who liked my style, he took me under his wing.
I’d do three shifts in one day, I’d come in at 6am and leave at midnight.
That’s how I grew.
What was your vision?
I like good food, I’m trained in classical French cooking.
One of the things I wanted to do was cook food I love to eat.
I wanted to give Scottish food a modern touch.
We source all our ingredients within 25 miles of where we are.
I wanted to support as many local farmers and producers as possible.
So supporting local is something you’re passionate about?
Yes! I love slow cooks, they are part of my childhood.
The detail is in the quality of the ingredient, it has to be spot on.
This is the best larder in the whole of the UK.
It offers the best fish, game and chicken, not to mention seafood.
A retired farmer provides our veg; he plants my carrots and today I’m actually due to pick up a batch.
It’s picked in the morning and on your plate by the afternoon.
I know it has been grown ethically and with love, the product you get at the end is very different.
How did people respond to the changes?
The food was appreciated because everybody looks for good food.
We sustained a lot of clientele, some inherited and some built up.
There was a little resistance when we decided not to do cakes and scones between 12 and three.
There was the minority resistant to change.
We actually had to bring back our braised beef shoulder.
We brine it and then it’s marinated overnight.
It’s braised with a little bit of chocolate, it has been on the menu from the word go.
People purposely travel for it.
What have been some of the challenges?
Hosting small conferences and providing catering stopped overnight due to the pandemic.
And with the oil downturn, we noticed that companies that would normally spend £40 a head on a conference lunch were now looking to spend £10.
So that, plus the pandemic and Brexit has been a perfect storm.
There has also been the loss of staff, I did the kitchen by myself over summer.
We’re now having to recruit from outside the country which is expensive and time consuming, but we are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
What’s next for you?
There’s a gap in the market for small weddings.
Intimate set ups where people don’t want a big shebang.
So we turn what is normally the dining room into the wedding venue, it’s become an increasingly popular option for people.
It’s been quite the journey, no regrets?
None at all, I still love what I do.
This is my favorite time of year at the restaurant when everything is golden.
I still love to go and watch the fish, it’s very calming.
We have a resident heron, we always know when the fish are leaping because the heron always sits on the rock.
I love my work and I don’t know anything else.
If you want to be a chef, you have to be passionate.
You want to inspire the up and coming, great food is not what you buy from a fryer.
For more information, head to The Falls of Feugh Restaurant on Facebook, visit www.thefallsoffeugh.com or phone 01330 824171.
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