Lunch @ The Atholl Hotel, Aberdeen, Scotland

When researching the restaurants we should visit around Aberdeen, a restaurant would  usually get into our shortlist if it served Scottish food (or produce). Atholl Hotel's name came up a few times, and my FIL also mentioned that this is a reputable hotel in Aberdeen.

Located in a beautiful granite building

We didn't make any reservations for lunch, and it looked busy in the restaurant but luckily there could still accommodate us. The service staff was friendly, and our orders did not take too long to arrive at our table.

Restaurant interior

The homemade soup of the day was green pea and ham soup (£3.95), served with a crusty roll. We ordered this British classic as well as the Homemade Scotch Broth (£3.95), a traditional Scottish broth/soup. These were both thick and hearty, I prefer the Scotch Broth but Hubby enjoyed both.

Green pea and ham soup

Homemade Scotch Broth - something which Hubby's mum always makes for him when he was younger

The kids shared some chicken nuggets with chips. 

Moist chicken and crispy batter

My MIL opted for the warm breaded mushrooms (£5.95), which is served with a side salad and garlic and chive mayonnaise. I tried one and the mushrooms were juicy and the breaded crust was so crispy. Something I wouldn't mind having as a starter to the meal.

My FIL ordered the stovies (£5.95) without a second thought - this was the special of the day. Stovies is a traditional Scottish meat and potato stew served with oatcakes - you can find the recipe here. The portion was huge, Hubby had some of this since he had a light main. It was very tasty, one of the best ones we had during our trip.

Hubby had the pear poached in white wine (£5.95 - starter portion). This starter portion was quite substantial in size, and very attractively presented. The pear was soft and sweet, served with salad of feta cheese, pine nuts and honey vinaigrette.

After the soup, I wanted something light for my mains, so this prawn platter (£5.95) was just perfect. It's just like prawn cocktail but served on a plate - cold water prawns topped with a Marie sauce with a salad, and buttered brown bread. This was one of my favorite sandwich fillers in the past.We decided to skip desserts here since we were already quite full and the kids wanted an ice cream cone each.

Verdict: Lovely ambiance, good service and the food is fresh, tasty and comes in generous portions. Great place to try some Scottish food and produce.

Location: Atholl Hotel, 54 King’s Gate, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB15 4YN

Tel: +44 (0) 1224 323505

Website: http://www.atholl-aberdeen.co.uk/
GPS Coordinates: 57.146927,-2.136286