It has been quite a whirlwind two years for Scottish chef, Kevin Dalgleish. In 2022 he opened his first restaurant, Amuse, a refined, relaxed dining experience at Queens Terrace, in the heart of Aberdeen.
A year later, the restaurant was featured in the 2023 Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland and Kevin had picked up the best newcomer award at the Scran Awards. He’d also been awarded two AA Rosettes and appeared on the Great British menu.
Amuse is an informal 70-cover restaurant complete with a contemporary bar, private dining space, and intimate outdoor area, The Snug for guests to enjoy. His menus highlight the best local and regional Scottish produce available from land to sea, with a touch of classic French flavours.
Menu highlights include: Ravioli of West Coast langoustine and scallop with buttered hispi cabbage and shellfish bisque; Rump of Aberdeenshire lamb, pressed shoulder, glazed spring vegetables with green tomato jam and lamb sauce; Castleton farm strawberries, pavlova with lime and black pepper. A lighter lunchtime menu features grilled seafood, seasonal fresh salads, homemade pasta dishes and specials.
On the bar menu there’s a selection of seasonal cocktails including Rock Rose Gin and Glenfiddich perfect serves and signature Amuse cocktails. Guests can also sit in the restored cosy outdoor space, The Snug, for snacks and cocktails or simply to relax with friends over a glass of champagne. The Snug seats 12 people and private dining is available with bespoke menus for up to 25 people.
Kevin Dalgleish has been one of the North East of Scotland’s most prominent chefs for the last two decades. After training under the legendary Anton Edelman at The Savoy in London, he moved back to Scotland as head chef for 10 years at the exclusive Ackergill Tower where he started The Food of Love weekend.
These events saw him joined by some of the country’s top culinary stars from Angela Hartnett and Anton Mosimann to co-host private dining weekends. In 2012, Kevin joined The Chester Hotel in Aberdeen as executive chef where the concept evolved into The Signature Food Festival and became an annual event at the hotel.
Over the years the festival continued to attract the great and the good of the UK’s kitchens to cook for charity including Marco Pierre White, Phil Howard, Daniel Clifford, Glynn Purnell and Richard Corrigan.
At the time of opening Amuse, Kevin has said: “It’s important to me to bring something new to Aberdeen. It’s my home and I’ve seen it change so much over the last few years and recognised a huge opportunity to breathe new life into the hospitality industry in the North-East.
"After years of running some of the best kitchens in the city and cooking alongside the best chefs in the UK, it’s the perfect time for me to take the jump and open my own place.
"Amuse will be the perfect balance of good Scottish food, bursting with flavour in an environment that doesn’t feel stuffy or formal. It’s all about the food and I hope guests will appreciate that.”
It’s not often that I spend a lot of time in Aberdeen, as I am usually on a flying visit for work so it’s nice to finally visit Amuse, after following Kevin’s career.
We visit on a busy Thursday night in early summer and enjoy a glass of Cremant while looking over the menu. We kick things off with a Garden of Scotland tomato dish - and it’s all very Heston Blumenthal.
An Isle of Wight tomato, skinned, has been stuffed with shallots, gherkins, capers and is served with a basil sorbet and clear tomato consommé. If, like me, the tasteless supermarket tomatoes give you the ick, then this is the complete opposite. Bursting with flavour, with added sharpness from the capers and gherkins rounded off by the consommé, it was a delightful and refreshing start to the meal.
Next was a roast Orkney scallop served with lentil dhal, onion bhaji, pickled carrots and coconut sauce. A lovely, warming dish full of spices. My main was Skate wing, deboned and stuffed with scallop and crab mousse and served with an oyster volute. The light, crisp sided fish was surrounded by the rich sauce that had small pools of green oil. A good marriage of flavour and decadent richness that didn’t overpower.
If you watched Kevin on the Great British menu, you’ll recognise the Roe deer dish, known as “Row Katherine roe”.
This is sautéed loin of Inverness-shire roe deer served with braised shin and haggis, sautéed cavolo nero, celeriac purée and beetroot all covered with a Fettercairn whisky and peppercorn sauce. A rich and sumptuous dish that really showcases some of the best local produce.
Finally dessert of baked brillat Savarin cheesecake served as a slim finger of creamy biscuity-ness topped with seasonal berries for tartness.
Amuse has a really lovely buzzy, busy vibe and it feels like one of the places to go in Aberdeen. The menus are considered and show off the local produce, with dishes cooked with skill and precision. It’s clear to see why Kevin is on top of his game.
