Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Restaurant review: Quality service and stylish surroundings the star of the show at The Terrace at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen

The menu at The Terrace includes dishes like halloumi fries, burgers, salads and seafood. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson.
The menu at The Terrace includes dishes like halloumi fries, burgers, salads and seafood. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson.

It’s not every day that you’re treated to a glittering light show before dinner.

But that is exactly what happened as my other half and I made our way through the huge crowds who had turned out in force to soak up Spectra, the city’s urban light festival.

Stopping to admire Union Terrace Gardens in all its illuminated glory, it really lifted the spirits to see Aberdeen abuzz with excitement as we made our way to The Terrace, the new bar/cafe at His Majesty’s Theatre.

Wonderful views over Union Terrace Gardens can be enjoyed from The Terrace. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Word on the street has been positive about the new space since it opened in December last year.

So we decided to ditch the oven gloves and washing up for the night and head out to the Rosemount Viaduct venue to sample the wares.

The Terrace

Walking into the theatre foyer, a friendly staff member directed us up the stairs to The Terrace.

First impressions were excellent as a friendly server quickly appeared and showed us to our seats.

With the streets so busy outside it was a surprise to find that the spacious cafe was largely empty apart from two other tables who were in for drinks.

After shedding the winter layers, I sat and drank in the super-modern surroundings.

The Terrace boasts stylish surroundings. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

From futuristic lighting and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Union Terrace Gardens, to the replica tree festooned with fairy lights and leftover Christmas baubles, the interiors set a chic and stylish tone.

The only minor faux pas was the rather tall and imposing metal table number holders that we ended up moving out the way.

From the word go the service was faultless as our server quickly placed a large bottle of water on the table before we even had the chance to ask.

Relaxed and raring to go, we wasted no time in scanning the menu to see what tasty treats were on offer.

The food

Made up of 12 small plates, five specials and four desserts, the menu was easy to navigate.

From Cajun chicken skewers and a homemade hummus bowl to Korean cauliflower buffalo wings and torpedo prawns, the small plate menu was oozing with options.

After much deliberation, we decided to share three small plates: halloumi fries, katsu fries and garlic and wine prawns.

After putting our order in, we asked if we could move over to one of the window seats so we could enjoy the glowing Union Terrace Gardens and our server was only too happy to oblige, kindly helping us to move our drinks over.

The halloumi fries with sriracha mayonnaise were a winner. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Sitting back and enjoying the light show with a nice glass of white wine really was the perfect apéritif.

Our dishes arrived quickly so we dug right in.

The star of the small plates was undoubtedly the halloumi fries.

All too often, halloumi can be overcooked, leaving it rubbery and a bit too chewy in texture, but in this case the cheese was gooey perfection and ideal for dunking into the accompanying sriracha mayonnaise.

Also tasty were the katsu fries served with a sweet flavoured katsu sauce, fresh chilli, cheese and spring onions.

The katsu fries featured a sweet katsu sauce, fresh chilli, cheese and spring onions. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

This dish also came with cheddar type orange cheese which we both felt was an unnecessary addition.

Seafood obsessed, my other half enthusiastically forked one of the juicy king prawns, served in a garlic and Chardonnay sauce with toasted ciabatta.

We both agreed that while not rave worthy, the prawns were tasty enough, although the crusts of the accompanying toast were a bit overdone which was a little disappointing.

On to the mains and there were five options to choose from including breaded fish and chips, a halloumi burger and a Caesar salad.

The prawns were served in a garlic and Chardonnay sauce. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson.

I opted for the breaded monkfish on flatbread served with dressed rocket with homemade mango salsa and sriracha mayonnaise.

Eyeing up the huge flatbread, which took up the whole plate, I had no idea where to begin.

The breaded monkfish itself was perfectly cooked with a nice crisp to it and a mild sweet flavour.

A tad on the dry side, I struggled to get my fork through the large flatbread and, I hate to say it, but on the whole, I just didn’t feel that it worked with the breaded monkfish and salad.

The breaded monkfish on flatbread was served with dressed rocket, homemade mango salsa and sriracha mayonnaise. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Perhaps if the flatbread was a little thinner and lighter it would complement the fish a bit better.

Next to me, the other half tucked into his Angus burger with cheese and fries.

Asked for his verdict, he said he found the burger lacking flavour while the cheddar style orange cheese wasn’t especially tasty and the burger bun was a bit over done.

On a positive note though, the fries were a winner as he polished the lot without complaint.

Too stuffed for dessert we instead nursed our wine while taking in the beautiful views towards Union Terrace Gardens before asking for the bill.

The Angus burger was served on a brioche bun with burger sauce, cheese and a crisp salad. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

The verdict

With excellent staff, wonderful surroundings and an amazing view over Union Terrace Gardens, The Terrace certainly has an awful lot going for it.

To be fair, there might just be a few teething problems with the menu which is understandable given the venue has only been open since December 2022.

As I mentioned, the food was fine and with a few tweaks it could really be something special.

I for one will be returning to The Terrace to sample a few more dishes, especially as the staff were so warm and welcoming.

The Terrace is located inside the iconic His Majesty’s Theatre. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson.

Information

Address: His Majesty’s Theatre, Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen AB25 1GL

T: 01224 641122

W: aberdeenperformingarts.com/the-terrace/

Price: £76 for three small plates, two mains and a bottle of white wine.

Conversation