Balmedie Fish and Chips Shop

The thing about travelling with (growing) active kids is that they are get hungry ALL the time. On one of our visits to Balmedie beach, we grabbed a quick snack from Balmedie Fish and Chips shop before heading home since the kids has finished all the food we've packed for the day and were complaining that they were starving.

We ordered a scampi supper (10 pieces for £6.10) which came with chips as well as a haggis pudding (£2.70). The food is cooked to order, so there will be a 10 to 15 minute wait during off peak hours.

After we collected our order, we drove back down to Balmedie Beach to enjoy our meal there. There are several picnic tables near the children's playground. Everything we ordered were tasty; succulent scampi, crisp chips and flavorful haggis pudding. Would definitely come back if we're in the area again.

Playground at Balmedie Beach

Opening times: 4.30pm to 10pm daily.

Price: Total bill £8.80.

Location: Balmedie Fish & Chips Shop, 2, Whitehorse Buildings, Balmedie, Aberdeen AB23 8XR, Scotland, United Kingdom.

Tel: +44 (0) 1358 742730

GPS Coordinates: 57.251116, -2.061179



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Thaikhun Aberdeen, Union Square - Amazing Thai Street Food!

Three weeks into our holidays, we were craving for Asian food. So, we visited Thaikhun in Union Square, Aberdeen, which serves great, authentic Thai street food.

The name, pronounced "Tycoon", is a celebration of the street hawkers back in Bangkok. We were warmly welcomed by the restaurant staff and our kids were presented with a Kids Activity booklet each to keep them amused until the food arrived.

We were delighted to see that they have our favorite Thai iced tea (£3.95) on the menu... made even more sinful with a generous swirl of whipped cream.

It didn't take long for our starters to arrive. The kids loved the Tempura king prawns (£9), sea battered prawns in a lovely light, crisp batter as well as onion rings. No wonder it's such a popular dish here. We also had the sweetcorn cakes (£5.50), a delicious treat when summer corn come in season in Bangkok in September. I especially loved the fragrance of the kaffir lime leaves.

For mains, we selected a variety of stir fry and curry dishes to share; all these come with unlimited Jasmine rice. Baby D's favorite dish here was the Stir Fry Beef with Chili and Thai Basil (£12.50), which came with tender slices of beef with fresh chillies and basil. Mildly spicy, this was so good that the kids wiped the plate clean. Delicious!

The founder of Thaikhun, Kim, used to run an award-wnning pad thai cart in Bangkok, so we did not hesitate in ordering a Pad Thai with prawn (£11.50) to try. Thin rice noodles are fried in a sweet and sour tamarind sauce with beansprouts, carrots, egg and spring onions. Pour over the crushed peanuts, toss and enjoy! We ordered the half portion for this and the portion was substantial and enough for feeding 2 pax (sharing). It was indeed very tasty and authentic.

We also had the Pork belly in red curry sauce (£13.50); the pork has been steamed and then roasted (just like "siew yok" - roasted pork) then stir fried with green beans and red curry sauce.

Another great dish that we had here was the Thai green cury chicken(£10.50). This is often our must-order dish whenever we visit a Thai restaurant and the version here was awesome. Served with green beans, courgettes and Thai basil, we enjoyed the curry sauce with the rice.

For desserts, we shared the Mango sticky rice (£5) and banana fritters (£5) with vanilla ice cream. The mango was lovely and sweet, and it was a great take on the classic Thai dessert.  We were also pleasantly surprised with the banana fritters as the bananas were nicely ripe and sweet and the batter was nice and crispy. Loved it!

Click here for the full menu.

Opening times: 12pm - 10.30pm.

Service: Good.

Location: Thaikhun Aberdeen, Union Square Shopping Centre, 29 First Level Mall, Union Square, Guild Square, Aberdeen AB11 5RG, Scotland.

Tel: +44 (0) 1224 583477

Website: https://www.thaikhun.co.uk/thai-restaurant/aberdeen/


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Chaophraya: Fine Dining Thai Restaurant in Aberdeen, Scotland

"Sawadee ka"... The restaurant manager warmly greeted us as we stepped into Chaophraya. Located on Union Street, Aberdeen, this beautiful Thai fine dining restaurant is housed in one of the city's most notable buildings, formerlyThe Monkey House, now transformed into a Thai paradise with its ornate Buddha and elephant statues.

The menu offers an impressive selection of classic Thai and signature dishes, ranging from appetizers to soups, Thai curries, salads, stir fries, noodle and rice. After 10 days into our Scotland trip, we were desperately missing Asian food so everything on the menu sounded so good!

There are quite a number of appetizers on offer at Chaophraya, so if you'd like to sample a variety, the platters are definitely the way to go. We went for the Chaophraya Platter (£9.95 per person) for 2 pax which comes with Thai chicken tacos, Thai fish cakes, chicken spring rolls, red curry battered prawns and crispy duck salad... a nice balance of spicy and mild flavours and loved how beautiful this platter looked!

BabySumoKids' favorite was the red curry battered prawns in a light tempura batter, served with sweet chilli sauce. The Thai chicken tacos were fantastic small bites; red curried chicken finished with coconut milk and served over a lightly pan seared chewy rice flour taco. I love a good Thai fish cake, and the ones here definitely ticked the boxes..spicy and tangy, perfect for whetting our appetites. The chicken spring rolls were filled with minced chicken, carrot, cabbage, Chinese mushroom and vermicelli and deep fried to crispy perfection. The crispy duck salad was addictively spicy and appetizing, with roasted crispy duck strips tossed in a chilli and lime dressing with pomegranate, spring onion, red onion, tomatoes, celery and Sriracha sauce. A great start to our meal!

For mains, we decided to go for two mild curries (also their bestsellers), the Royal Lamb Massaman Curry (£14.95) and Beef Panang Curry (£13.95). Loved how authentic and comforting both the curries taste. We especially loved the creamy panang curry, with the tender chunks of beef which has been slow cooked with green beans, chillies and finished with kaffir lime leaves.

I was craving for some tom yum soup, so the Prawn Tom Yum (£8.95) definitely hit the spot. A fiery hot and sour soup with generous amounts of prawns and mushrooms.

A Chaophyraya classic, the Suea Rong Hai aka Weeping Tiger (£20.95) features a 21-day dry-aged sirloin steak served sliced on a sizzling platter with seasonal vegetables and black pepper sauce. We would recommend ordering this medium rare. The juicy, tender steak was beautifully cooked to our delight.

You can find Thai Riceberry, the new superfood taking Thailand by storm here at Chaophraya. This purple grain is a cross-pollination between Jao Hom Nin (black rice), Thai Hom Mali and Dawk Mali 105 (two very high-quality strands of jasmine rice) and is packed full of antioxidants and minerals.

At Chaophraya, you will also find a selection of Thai Reimagined dishes ... miang kham (£2.95) is one of our favorite appetizers, so we gave their version a try. In lieu of betel leaves, they use nasturtium leaves topped with palm sugar, coconut, and chillies for a delicious bite.

For dessert, we shared the Chocolate Bombe (£7.95), Chocolate Box (£7.95) and the Mango sticky rice (£7.45). Desserts are less Thai, with the exception of the latter which is a classic Thai dessert - sweet mango with sticky rice and coconut cream.

The Chocolate Bombe, a chocolate sphere served with a warm caramel sauce is filled with peanut mousse, peanuts, toffee and chocolate. Rich and sinful!

Chocolate Bombe

The exquisite Chocolate Box features a dark and white chocolate mousse with a lemongrass centre, topped with toasted coconut ice cream.

Great service paired with delicious Thai food, it's no surprise Chaophraya is well-loved and highly popular with the locals.

Opening times: Sunday - Thursday 12.00pm - 2:30pm & 5.00pm - 9.00pm; Friday - 12.00pm - 2:30pm & 5.00pm - 10:30pm; Saturday 12.00pm - 10:30pm.

Location: Chaophraya, 1 Union Terrace, Aberdeen AB10 1NJ, Scotland, United Kingdom.

Tel: +44 (0) 1224 061180

Website: https://chaophraya.co.uk/aberdeen/




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