The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Ship-shape
We sample the “ultimate comfort food” at Atlantis Restaurant in Aberdeen
It was all aboard in the Atlantis restaurant at the Mariner hotel with a nautical theme running deep here – as soon as you enter, seafaring references are everywhere.
The foyer boasts a ship’s control box, with the classic “full steam ahead” and “astern” orders leaping out at you, along with other important-looking objects from a ship’s bridge which I could not fathom out, and some wonderfully evocative sea paintings including a magnificent late 18th/early 19th-century ship-of-the-line, with gun-hatches open and ready for action.
Some early navigational advice: turn to starboard for the Atlantis restaurant otherwise you will end up going around the horn – and into the Cape Horn bar-dining room on the left as you walk in, occupying the front of the building. Atlantis, where we were bound, is to the rear.
The first thing you notice about Atlantis is the rich-textured comfortable decor: plush tapestries hang from the ceiling and rub shoulders with more sea references and wood panelling, while the cosy, subdued lighting helps to create a relaxing atmosphere. There is a split-level layout with the dining area extending down some steps and into a conservatory, which continues the theme with similar decor and lighting.
It was early one Saturday evening and it appeared fairly quiet at this stage in both dining rooms, so we were surprised it took longer than we expected to take our orders. We could not fault the friendliness of the staff and their warm welcome, however. We took up temporary residence in the conservatory area, which was all set out for a busy night by the look of some larger reserved tables, but only we and maybe two or three other couples were around at this point.
We had menus in hand and the staff also carried specials boards around, which offered plenty of choice overall.
We noticed that scallops did not appear as a starter on their own, but as an accompaniment to a main dish. When my wife asked, they were only too happy to serve scallops as a starter. For me, a die-hard traditionalist, it had to be Cullen Skink.
The scallops arrived as a mini-version of a main course, where they were served on a bed of sweet red cabbage and chopped black pudding. Combined with the plump scallops, they made a delicious dish. I enjoyed the soup, but it seemed a little on the watery side as opposed to creamy, which I prefer.
For mains, they were just as accommodating about impromptu alterations to the running
order on the menu. For example, I did not fancy chips with my main course of smoked haddock and prawns, so I asked for sauteed potatoes from another dish, and they were happy to do this.
We noticed that another couple both ordered six-ounce fillet steak without hesitation. After all, if you are dining out as a treat, a good self-indulgent steak is usually at the top of the list for many people. So, steak was one of our mains, with the usual trimmings – baked potato, tomatoes, mushrooms and onion rings. We love red wine jus, but we don’t see it much these days. Peppercorn and the usual line-up of sauces did not appeal, but unfortunately they could not manage to rustle up red wine jus when we asked. They offered house gravy instead, which was better than no sauce at all. The steak was ordered well-done as we have had a couple of mishaps elsewhere lately when “medium well-done” arrived medium rare – but the Atlantis steak was cooked perfectly.
My smoked haddock and prawns, baked with cheese and tomato, is listed on their menu as the “ultimate comfort food” and it turned out to be a perfectly accurate description. This was one of those dishes which doubles as a starter or main course. It was filling, of that there was no doubt, especially with vegetables and their soft, crispycoated sauteed potatoes. I enjoyed every mouthful. I thought afterwards that I must be a Cullen Skink addict as the main bore a striking resemblance to my starter in terms of overall flavour, but with a fuller creamy texture.
It seemed as though the Mariner was coming alive now as the flow of people through the doors of both dining rooms began to accelerate. Perhaps that is why it took longer than we felt comfortable with for our plates to be cleared away before ordering puddings. It was a lovely way to round off a pleasant evening, though: sticky toffee pudding with ice cream, and sultana and raisin pudding, with custard ice cream.
More people were arriving as we left – we could tell Atlantis was on their compass setting.