I don't know about anyone else, but I think that discovering a really good coffee shop or restaurant is one of the most pleasing things to do. Doing the research, taking a risk on something new and then watching as friends are pleasantly surprised by a proper cup of coffee or some high quality food? So good!
I've been really bad at sharing any of those discoveries recently, despite having a backlog of photos saved on my computer and phone, but I'm going to make it my goal to be better at writing up reviews this year, starting with some of my highlights from the local area.
My sister, Christy, gets married this year (!!) and bridesmaid duties were well under way back in November when we returned for a second look at her favourite dress. It was a very successful visit, resulting in her officially "saying 'Yes!' to the dress," and so it was only right that the bridal party should track down some cocktails and dinner to celebrate.
So it was that we found ourselves at Tiki Park on the city's Market Street.
Owned by the same folks as Granite Park up on Golden Square, the off-shoot venue underwent a complete revamp this summer, transforming it from its previous guise of Park Lane into Tiki Park - a restaurant and cocktail bar with a Caribbean theme. With its beach hut bar, tiki carvings and its rope and bamboo decorations, the desert island vibes made for a warming refuge on an especially cold day in Aberdeen.
The Caribbean theme is most notably at play when it comes to the menu - both cocktails and food. Think coconut, pineapple, spices ..and rum!
Once drinks were sampled it was straight on to food. With a menu full of burgers, salads, "filled buns", fish, fajitas, chilli and BBQ'd meats or aubergines, there's plenty for everyone to choose from, including us vegetarians.
There was a bit of fajita feasting happening at the other bridesmaids' end of the table - one opting for steak; the other for chicken - and they looked so tasty, sizzling away alongside their chunky salsa, guacamole and sour cream dips that I'd definitely try the vegetable ones on another visit. Christy and mum both opted for the chicken salsa burgers - a chargrilled chicken breast, lightly spiced and served up in a pretzel bun with salsa, guacamole, coleslaw, salad and sweet potato fries - and they seemed to go down pretty well. I'm a bit of a weirdo when it comes to meals at the moment and opted to have a starter as my main - an amazing sweet potato and squash soup flavoured with coconut, chilli and lime, served with a slice of cornbread - and ordered some Cajun spiced fries in their cute little coconut shell dish for extra grazing.
After mains, it was back to the cocktail menu for the girls and straight to the coffee list for mum and me, before finally getting round to dessert. Some opted for an extra liquid pudding (told you the cocktail menu was good!), but I found the Tiki Park cheesecake with its rum, raisin & white chocolate too tempting to resist. It came beautifully served up with a sprinkle of chopped fruit, some delightfully sweet fudge and a swirl of dark chocolate sauce.. And it tasted just as good as it looked. Mum and Christy were food twins again, both choosing the key lime pie on a ginger biscuit base, which seemed to be scrummy, just perhaps not big enough!
I had to run off pretty quickly after dessert as I had somewhere else to be, but I would love to go back for a more leisurely visit sometime when I'm able to enjoy a cocktail or two of my own and sample some more vegetarian treats. I'm pretty sure there's a chargrilled aubergine and a chocolate brownie with my name on it!
For your own little taste of the Caribbean, you can find them at:
11 Market Street, Aberdeen
2 Comments
Yuuuuuummmm! That looks amazing!! Will need to go there sometime and give it a try, it's good to go somewhere different. We usually head to Union Square and eat in TGI or Wagamamas, Market St isn't too far from there. Hope you had a fab holiday xx
ReplyDeleteDefinitely check it out. It's probably much the same price-wise as the likes of TGIs, with the added bonus of supporting somewhere more local, which I love. (Though I am partial to a good Wagamamas, I must admit!) xo
Delete