Amuse by Kevin Dalgleish — Restaurant in Aberdeen City

Having visited Amuse on a number of occasions I have always been impressed with the food. However the service is a series of highs and lows depending on the visit. Albeit Nicola, (I think her name is), has always been very helpful and courteous. I don’t like writing reviews and had no intention of doing so, instead I contacted management at Amuse directly to provide some helpful feedback. When booking for this particular special occasion (6 weeks in advance) I had chosen the “dining” option but for the second visit in a row had been sat at a table between the bar and entrance door. To me this area is “bar” and not “restaurant”. Nicola moved us when we asked, but for the second time this was done instantly suggesting other tables had been available on our arrival. By this time we had been there half an hour and had still not been provided with a food menu. I contacted the restaurant because I wanted to explain that my earlier experiences at Amuse were much more positive and when someone pre books they would expect to be in the restaurant and perhaps the bar should be saved for walk ins. The manager was beyond defensive and abusive and commented “well somebody has to sit there”. He refused to listen to my feedback and was immediately confrontational. Despite me trying to diffuse this, the phone call culminated with me being told to “never f*ing come back to the restaurant again” and then him hanging up. Safe to say I won’t be returning, and I can’t imagine that anyone else I know will be either. Even if the manager disagreed with my comments he could have politely listened and said he would take them on board, he then would have been free to disregard them. Being aggressive and abusive was completely unprofessional and unnecessary. Not only was the whole phone call upsetting, it actually felt intimidating.

Absolutely not appropriate for any establishment, never mind a restaurant of this calibre. Maybe now living in...

We tried to book a table for 8 pm a day in advance but ended up calling and securing a table for 8:30 pm. When we arrived a quarter of an hour early, a polite waiter warmly welcomed us. Our table, located by the window, provided a view of the frozen plants outside struggling for survival.

We were presented with still bottled water from Deeside, and the menu was tempting. We opted for the six-course tasting menu with the sommelier's wine pairings. Beautiful amuses started our meal. We had to order a glass of Taittinger since the first amuse was not paired.

The first amuse was a shimeji mushroom delight, followed by pumpkin and parmesan. A South African Cinsault paired wonderfully with the flavorful beef tartare. Next came the bread and butter; the crust was crispy, and the taste was plain.

The strozzapreti in double chicken stock with truffles and parmesan was rich in taste and matched perfectly with the South Italian red wine from Calabria.

The New Zealand Chardonnay was also quite special, elevating the salmon dish beyond imagination. The gentle smokiness of the salmon, combined with the rich sauce and the acidity of the cured cucumber, exceeded my wildest expectations.

The roe deer was divine, with textures and flavors creating a culinary symphony, complemented by an amazing Portuguese Douro wine. The cheesecake was an explosion of flavor, and the South African dessert wine was equally good, owing to its quality and complexity.

Thank you, Kevin, for a fantastic evening. We truly appreciate the effort you and your outstanding team have put into the menu, the wine selection, and the service. Thank you once again for an incredible experience. We will...

A bit underwhelming. Had an afternoon to fill and found this restaurant online. We went for Sunday lunch. We had a warm greeting as we entered and were taken to the mezzanine area at the back. Had a wine order taken and received our wine. We then waited for a short while discussing if we were getting to choose off a menu for food, just getting what we were given or if they would eventually bring a menu. This was not communicated. Eventually someone brought us menus. We selected what we wanted and the waiter came over and asked if we were ready to order desserts. Can we have started and mains first? lol. Starters came. Parfait was very nice. Very smooth and a big portion. Crab and Crumpets was actually Crab and Crumpet. Singular. Small. But was ok. Crispy sole was nice but really just a posh fish finger with a bland watery sauce. And bought in chips. Roast beef was quite fatty. And about half was left. Was going to order the chocolate brownie but as we were a bit underwhelmed with a lot of other stuff we decided not to and asked for the bill. Which was wrong. Had to get the waiter to amend it as he was ready with the card machine to charge us too much. Eventually got it sorted. It is a 2/3 course set Sunday lunch menu they do but maybe that’s where the scrimped on quality. Maybe and evening A La Carte would be better. Service was friendly. Decor was nice. Nice artwork. No...