When her bar manager ran up to her with the idea to take on the empty shop across the road, Jeanette Forbes was dead against it.
Without hesitation, she replied: “Absolutely not!”
El Mehdi Belkour had been running the show at her Thistle Street venue, Grape and Grain, since its inception eight years ago and she trusted him explicitly.
But to start yet another business – while juggling her duties at the luxury Aberdeen wine bar and her IT company PCL Group – seemed too heavy of a task for her busy schedule.
Just a few hours later though, Jeanette found herself on the phone with the landlord, discussing details about renting the former Gallery Heinzel on 24-26 Thistle Street.
It’s now about 18 months later.
And mere days away from opening on Tuesday, January 28, the Aberdeen tycoon says this is “the best decision she has ever made”.
To commemorate Mehdi’s contribution to making it a reality, she has called the venue Mediterranean as a nice sentiment to her dear friend.
“It would have never happened if it wasn’t for him,” she smiles.
“And now I can’t wait to see people chatting, laughing and having a great time here – whether it would be over food or a glass of wine. That’s what inspires me.
“It’s about giving back to Aberdeen. We have made our living from the city, we want to invest back into it.
“Mediterranean is about creating something different that’s ready for Tall Ships, for Offshore Europe, for the general public to come and enjoy.”
In our exclusive interview, Jeanette reveals:
- Why she chose Thistle Street over Union Street
- Just what will be on the eclectic menu
- And her fears over whether she is “doing the right thing” in such a hostile trading environment
‘Coming to Mediterranean will be like going on a holiday in exotic country’
Mediterranean is not your usual dining venue, Jeanette tells me as she takes me around the restaurant for a first look inside.
The moment you walk in, you are transported to a far-away land – with Moroccan tiles, pots with lemon trees and flowers hanging from the ceiling all painting an exotic picture.
The continental music quietly playing in the background sets the scene perfectly, giving the feeling you are in a swanky little restaurant on the seaside in Sicily.
Here, customers will be able to explore the flavours of all of those picturesque countries along the distant Mediterranean in one place – without having to even leave Aberdeen.
Looking back at the last 18 months of trying to get it off the ground, Jeanette says this has been a “labour of love”.
Everything in Mediterranean, to the last wine glass and decorative vase, has been personally hand-picked by her.
She is a “perfectionist”. But for Mediterranean every minute spent getting the venue just right has been worth it.
And all of this has been to give Aberdonians a place like no other, where they can sample dishes from more than 25 countries – some of which they may never have heard of before.
As we take a seat at a neatly laid-out table, she says: “You know that feeling when you go on a holiday – the aircraft door opens, you’re stepping off the plane and you suddenly feel that heat hit you…That’s my happy place.
“And that’s the feeling I want people to get when they walk through the doors of Mediterranean.
“I just wanted it to breathe Mediterranean, and to remind people of that nice holiday in Greece, or Spain, or Italy – or maybe give them inspiration for their next destination.”
What cuisine would you be able to taste at Mediterranean?
The word to describe the menu at Mediterranean would be “variety”.
Jeanette wants to encapsulate the distinctive culture and cuisine of dozens of countries all in one place.
From dolma (a Turkish stuffed vine leaf appetiser) and lamb kofta, to plump balls of Italian arancini and Greek yoghurt and honey cheesecake, the menu reflects the traditional food of nations across the sun-soaked region.
It’s a difficult task to prepare all of them at once, Jeanette admits, but head chef Gary Owens – who has more than 30 years of experience – simply says “it’s easy when you are passionate about food”.
There will also be themed nights every six to eight weeks, where the menu will focus solely on a specific country.
“It’s not five-star dining – it’s casual dining, but with an edge” Jeanette adds as she flicks through the freshly printed pages of the menu – stopping to point out some highlights.
“Most importantly, it will give customers a chance to sample all of these amazing dishes that they normally can’t get in Aberdeen.
“What I want is to open the door, take in all of these different smells and hear the chat, the laughter, the music, and the clinking of glasses from time to time.”
‘I give everything my best shot’
This is not Jeanette’s first rodeo.
Now a thriving firm with dozens of employees, she founded PCL Group in 2000 with the £100 she had in her pocket from her redundancy pay out.
And in 2017, she decided to try her hand at something completely different and opened Grape and Grain without any previous experience in running a hospitality business.
But even with all of these successes under her belt, Jeanette says there is still that little part of her that is somewhat worried when venturing into something new.
“You always have that anxiety of ‘Am I doing the right thing?'” the 66-year-old admits.
“But I’ve read the book Face the Fear and Do It Anyway and that’s the mentality that I have now.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that if it’s going to fail, it will fail… But first, I give it my best shot.”
How does Jeanette plan to make Mediterranean a success?
But have well-publicised challenges in the city centre, and the recent closure of The Esslemont amid plunging footfall, shaken even Jeanette’s steely resolve?
The grand dame of the Aberdeen business scene is not blind to the struggles the food and drink industry has been facing in the last few years.
She tells me she recently read an article that claimed 2025 would be “the worst for hospitality” – throwing her ambitions for Mediterranean into even more doubt.
But Jeanette believes she has all the right ingredients to make the restaurant a success.
“It’s about how much you’re going to put into this to make it work,” she says.
“Fitting Mediterranean out has been challenging but that’s easy compared to how I will keep people coming through the door and keep the till ringing.
“The day that the door opens is the day that we start to dig deep, and it’s the citizens of Aberdeen and beyond that I’m going to be looking at to help me keep this place afloat.
“I have always felt that it comes down to two things – quality of product and standard of service. If you hit those two – perfect.”
But why did she choose Thistle Street again and not Union Street?
And if there was any place where Jeanette would roll the dice on, it would always have been Thistle Street.
The thought of opening on Union Street never even crossed her mind. It’s not because there are no opportunities there, but because this west end lane feels like home.
It’s Aberdeen’s “most independent” street, and she says this is where her venues “belong”.
The area is becoming something of a “foodie hub”, with wine bar Mara opening nearby last year, Cafe Moyo soon to arrive and a range of cosy cake shops and decades-old businesses.
Jeanette adds: “I could have put either of them on Union Street and lots of people ask me why I didn’t. But would they have worked there? No, I don’t think they would have.
“Grape and Grain and now Mediterranean are independent establishments, and I just felt that they were more suited on Thistle Street.
“It really is like a little Chelsea – you’ve got your high-end clothes and shoe shops, you’ve got cafes and nice little cake shops, and now it’s becoming a real foodie hub.”
Would you like to visit Mediterranean when it opens next week? Let us know in our comments section below
Curious locals can’t wait for opening date
In the 45 minutes that I am chatting with Jeanette, and even being shown the fancy lampshade in the bathroom, a number of curious onlookers can’t help but squint through the window as they stroll along Thistle Street.
Some passersby even pop their head in the door to ask when it will be opening.
Jeanette can’t hide her joy at the rising excitement, and buzz beginning to build ahead of the opening.
When the doors are finally open, she will be the first to welcome customers.
I leave with my mouth watering, and wondering when I can book a table…
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