Vovem Meat & Liquor — Restaurant in Aberdeen City

Really hard to review negatively as much of the experience was good. unfortunately at these prices Good doesn't cut it.

A dirty side plate was quickly dealt with by a very attentive and professional server. Drinks order was quick and the menu was comprehensively explained.

The steaks arrived quickly and were superb cuts but were clearly overcooked to medium instead of medium rare. In addition the meat wasnt even warm enough to melt the butter on top. This was exacerbated by cold serving plates. The steak was very tasty but it had to be rushed to retain any sense of warmth.

Truffle manchego fries were very good.

The biggest single reason for not recommending however was witnessing a tragic level of customer service inflicted upon another table. The couple were paying with a gift voucher which the manager refused to give change from, even in the form of another voucher. The couple offered (very kindly) to credit our bill with the change but this was also refused. All this over £12.

Management. Think about the cost/reward ratio and the longer term implications. Issuing a voucher in change would have forced the customer to return. Given that little can be bought for £12 you would have gained a further profit opportunity AND left your customers happy. Your business has had the cash flow benefit of the voucher purchase for many months and you could have effectively banked a future sale. Instead the affected customer and all in earshot leave with a bad impression.

There are plenty of decent steak houses in Aberdeen. Up your kitchen game and adjust...

First and foremost, the steak. I had the standard ribeye, which was cooked to my liking. Strangely though Vovem uses a slotted grill, which would be good if the attempt at criss-crossed grill marks wasn't a complete failure. So despite the internal temp being perfect, the sear on the steak was pretty poor. The seasoning was an absolute disaster. I hope whoever seasoned that steak was on their first day because my word was it salty; I had to take a drink after the first bite! The 'bone marrow jus' tasted like a standard gravy - nothing special. £27 for that and no sides felt like daylight robbery, especially with the steak being served on a giant plate.

The sides were also poor. Mac and cheese just tasted like a standard microwave dish. 'Triple-cooked' chips were quite underdone and don't bother with the parmesan and truffle extra £2, the amount is minuscule. Advertising the sides as enough between two is very misleading. 10 chips and a small bowl of mac and cheese is not gonna feed two.

Service was friendly but not very attentive. Waited 10 minutes after getting drinks to order food and a further 10 minutes after receiving the bill to actually paying. This was also when the restaurant was dying down so no excuse I can see. Nice restaurant decor is about the only saving grace.

Overall, a disappointing experience from a place for which I had high hopes. Miller and Carter down the road is slightly cheaper and delivers a comparable, if not better, product. Don't waste...

The appetisers and steak were spot on. Unfortunately they ran out of the size of Chateaubriand we had wanted but the KC sirloin and the fillet were cooked and seasoned perfectly. We started with Loch Fyne oysters (amazing!) which came with a scorchingly delicious scotch bonnet chilli, scallops with pork belly (incredible!!) and steak tartare. The steak tartare had a lot of capers which was a bit overpowering but putting that aside, overall very good.

Only real disappointment was the sides. Triple cooked chips were greasy and not crispy. Triple cooked chips can be superb but these were disappointing. Savoy cabbage with pancetta was alright but could have been so much more delicious. A bit of a creamy mess is the best way I can describe it. Finally, the grilled asparagus was soggy and the (hollandaise?) sauce was not very good. The sauces for the steak were also a little bland. We tried the blue cheese and peppercorn sauces.

Having said all that we would defo go back. Maybe give the sides another try but the steak alone was worth the visit and we would call ahead to make sure we had a chateaubriand waiting for us next time.

Oh, and the ambiance was top notch! Felt like we were at a chic big city restaurant. Very sophisticated. Can’t wait for the bar area to open up again. We could only drink at the table which was not the end...