Native by Nick Nairn
4 March 2014
It was my friend Laura’s birthday yesterday and she fancied a girlie evening out for dinner and a cocktail (or five). After a few suggestions had gone back and forth, she decided that she’d like to go to Native.
I had been meaning to go for a while but hadn’t quite got round to it so was looking forward to dining in Nick Nairn’s Aberdeen restaurant. With the restaurant being part of the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, I was a bit unsure what the dining experience would be like. Would we feel like we were sitting in a side room of a hotel? Or would it feel like a standalone restaurant? Being elevated from the bar area, which sits off of reception, the restaurant does feel slightly separate to the hotel. With it being a Monday evening it was quite quiet and I think we may have been the only diners that weren’t actually staying in the hotel. Business travellers are in for a real treat if they stay at the Hilton Garden Inn - having Native within the hotel is definitely a unique selling point for them and from what I could see their guests seemed to enjoy their evening.
While we waited for the full party to arrive we enjoyed some of the cocktails that were on offer. I started with the Coconut & Pineapple Mojito which was exactly what I had hoped for. I love a sweet, fruity cocktail and this ticked both of those boxes for me. As a Prosecco lover, Claire went for a Disaronno Stardust and Amy chose to have a classic Mojito. When the birthday girl arrived (fashionably late of course) she ordered a Devil’s Advocate which tasted like a strawberry milkshake (I was definitely going to have one of these later!).
Once seated in the restaurant a bottle of Pinot Grigio was ordered (which soon in to the meal became 2 bottles). While the waitress was pouring out the glasses she heard us talking about what starters we fancied so gave us the heads up that they were out of scallops. With 2 of the 3 starters I was swithering between including scallops, this made my decision very easy – so I ordered the Haggis Tortellini, Beetroot, Trompette Mushrooms (which were unfortunately vacant from my plate) and Cabernet Sauvignon Vinaigrette. The Slow Braised Pork Belly, Crispy Black Pudding, Apple Sauce normally came with Hand Dived Orkney Scallops, but as they were off the menu the waitress said they could be served with langoustines instead. The other 3 girls were immediately sold and all chose this.
A colleague had been round to Native for lunch one day and had recommended the Char-Grilled Cheese Burger so I thought this was a great excuse to tuck in to a 100% Scotch Rump Steak burger. It came with fries and onion rings on the side and had an Avacado Salsa and Paprika Mayonnaise. For my taste, it could have done with a wee bit more of the Paprika Mayonnaise, as well as some tomato and maybe some red onion, but other than that – delicious! Claire ordered Rump of Dornach Lamb, Crispy Shoulder, Scotch Broth with a side of Butter mash. Amy went with Braised Featherblade of Aberdeenshire Beef “Bourguignon”, Mustard Mash, Curly Kale and a side of Cumin Roasted Carrots (because she had been craving her granny’s carrots all day apparently). And Laura chose the Spiced Fillet of Inverurie Pork, Creamed Savoy Cabbage, Caramelised Apple, Green Peppercorn Sauce. All of the dishes were presented beautifully and would almost stop you from wanting to tuck in ….. but it didn’t, though. I think the 4 clean plates were the sign of a good meal.
I had popped in during the afternoon to drop off a birthday cake, so once we had finished our main courses the birthday cake came out along with a glass of fizz for the birthday girl. The staff were great with us and kept our glasses topped up throughout the meal. The cocktail menu was so good we decided to stay in the bar afterwards for a few more drinks. And as promised, I had the Devil’s Advocate before I headed for home.
All information is correct at the time of publishing, we recommend that you check opening times and information for individual places before visiting.