Down an atmospheric side street off Aberdeen's main drag, this bar and kitchen couldn't have a better location for city-centre carousing. Limited opening hours for the kitchen side of things at the weekend indicate that the focus here is more on drinking than eating, but there's still more than enough to tempt if you're in search of a meal.
The menu is based around the idea of Scottish tapas, priced individually for a fiver or with three available for £14. Choose from the likes of cullen skink, wild haggis spring roll, Shetland mussels with Bloody Mary sauce and beef stovie croquettes. It's not all so Scottish, however – other snacks include nachos, Toulouse sausage with Dijon mayo, plus hummus and dahl for dipping and veggie options such as beetroot wedges and dill, or mushrooms with blue cheese and chestnuts.
If you're after something a bit more substantial, larger plates include pub classics of beef brisket burger sandwiched in a brioche bun with streaky bacon, Emmental and the house burger sauce, or beer-battered coley with dill pickles and paprika-dusted chips in case curry sauce isn't enough spice for your fish and chips.
Cocktails (well priced for under a tenner) range from classic mixes such as the Aviation, Sazerac, Manhattan and vodka Martinis (available with an olive or twist, Dirty or as a Gibson) – possibly all easier to order with a straight face than pun-tastic in-house creations such as the Pedal to the Nettle (whisky and dry white wine with honey and nettle), Pina So Cold'a (a slushy take on the 60s classic) or the Grunny’s Gairden (a potant brew of rum, vermouth and Calvados).
Other boozy names to conjure with include club nights (Tiki Tuesdays and Corpse Reviver on Sunday) and if cocktails aren't your thing, there are big-name bottled beers too from the likes of Sol, Birra Moretti and Innis and Gunn.