The Cairn Grill Restaurant Bar

The Bothy

➤ Invercauld Road, AB35 5YP, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom

Carte • Cafés • Asiatic • British • Fast Food

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"The most amazing views from this cafe! Brilliantly cosy cafe which has lovely views of the gorge river and surrounding hills. We loved it so much we went twice in three days. The menu features classic lunch dishes such as toasties, sandwiches and baked potatoes lots of choices for fillings for all of these (meat, veggie and vegan). We had beans and cheese baked potato and tuna cheese toastie and many pots of tea after a walk around the area. Staff were bright and helpful. Delicious range of cakes do not leave without sampling at least one! We went back for breakfast lovely breakfast rolls! The attached outdoors shop is also worth a look too."

Hungry Highlander

➤ Invercauld Road, AB35 5YP, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom

Carte • Food • British • Scottish • Fast Food

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"For some reason they put a bit of paper under the food inside the polystyrene tray. My chips, cheese and curry then turned the paper to mush and mixed in with the food. Chips weren't up to much either. Made to stand and wait outside whilst your food is prepared. Sauces on a table outside are watered down and the price is unbelievable. £6.50 for chips cheese and curry. Then to top it off you need to eat it with nothing more than a tooth pick. Wasn't impressed at all. As you can see by the owners replies to all the bad reviews, the poor attempts at comedy are an attempt to mask the issues facing the chip shop. Maybe he should do stand up comedy instead of running a chip shop, because he's definitely better at that than cooking. Definitely the worst chippy I have ever had the displeasure of eating. The paper was tasty though."

The Flying Stag

➤ Mar Road, Braemar I-AB35 5YN, United Kingdom

Carte • Pub • Cafés • Asiatic • Fast Food

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"A lovely welcome from friendly and attentive staff, a great, spacious layout and good atmosphere and decor. Food was sadly way below the standard we’d expect, for such an iconic Braemar hotel. The roast chicken salad was really just a bit of chicken (perfectly cooked) on a bed of lettuce and the odd radish and green bean. No dressing, no real flavour and very bland for £18. The roast lamb was quite fatty and not much veg on the plate. Yorkshire pudding very nice though. What I’d expect from a pub in the 1990s, but Scottish cuisine has come on so far since then. Complained and staff were very apologetic and took the feedback on board."

The Clunie Dining Room

➤ Mar Road, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom, AB35 5YL

Carte • Fish • Vegan • British • Scottish

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"Dining We looked forward to dining in the pre booked Clunie restaurant on our first night. The hotel is crammed full of fascinating object d’art which have been creatively and tastefully embedded throughout the building. The restaurant was no exception which all supported the promise of a good meal. Sadly this did not really materialise despite the hotel’s website stating ‘The Fife Arms showcases the finest seasonal produce for which Scotland is world famous. From fresh seafood and game to local whiskies and spirits, many of the ingredients used in the kitchens and bars is sourced from local suppliers, gamekeepers and farmers.’ Despite the restaurant being almost full the presented menu only offered a choice of four options for starters and mains with only three side dishes listed. One of the mains was only available as a two person course thus further limiting the choice. I immediately felt this somewhat limited offering was not on par with the five star aspirations of the hotel. It clearly failed to reflect the website statement. I opted for the scallop dish which consisted of two small scallops (I used to return larger to the sea in my diving days) which were all but hidden by three scant chicory leaves and a small spoonful of hazelnut purée all for the princely sum of £20! The price is one thing but I have had a more appealing dish served as pub food! My wife opted for the equally uninspirational mackerel crudo fancy name not so fancy dish. These dishes were followed by cod on wilted greens for myself which although a sizeable portion of fish it included a glutinous skin (probably left behind after removing the outer skin post cooking) totally lacked any seasoning apart from an overwhelming acidic drench through the vegetable. My wife opted for 4 pieces of wood fired pumpkin, presumably the vegetarian dish for £22 really! While cod is not a bad fish it is hardly in the top ten of those landed on our shores. Why wasn’t there more fish or indeed seafood options on offer to showcase Scotland’s larder? Halibut, turbot, salmon, shell fish all spring to mind. Likewise I noticed a rather grand open fire range to the front of the kitchen including a josper type grill /bread oven etc which was not in use. Why not when alternative steak dishes could have been offered? Maybe this is only operated during special events. Like the hotel I purchase wine from Corney and Bowes (the delivery van was leaving as we arrived). The mark up on wines is staggering even for a hotel! Breakfast the following day presented similarly poor and limited options again bearing in mind the premier league the business seeks to compete in. The Ghillie’s breakfast was edible no more. It included spicy beans which clearly had been reheated numerous times , no mushrooms, no tomatoes which are normally standard fare in such dishes. Another odd trait concerned the toast which when ordered alongside coffee actually came underneath the brittle bacon not on a toast rack. No usual smoked haddock, kippers etc were available. I’ve had better cooked and varied breakfasts in ‘greasy spoon’ cafes. (References are available) Most of the same dishes were on offer the following day and included one of the strangest dishes I’ve witnessed broccoli and onion fritters really for breakfast! I twice asked for a copy of the previous evening’s menu to see if this vegetable had been on and possibly confirm kitchen recycling. I never got it or any further explanation. The odd practice of slipping toast under cooked food continued as I was met with one slice of soggy sour dough toast under my scrambled egg. In short the entire dining experience at the Fife Arms was hugely disappointing especially as it was meant to mark a special occasion. Again in comparison with other high end establishments we felt the kitchen lacked any imagination, creativity, finesse and ability to properly showcase what Scotland has to offer on food. Recent reviews suggest the business is striving for premier league recognition but will flatly remain in the third division unless menus and standard of cooking are radically overhauled. Otherwise I do not envisage the Michelin man visiting soon and returning a positive score. How is it that much smaller establishments can and do offer far more varied and innovative menus which showcase Scotland’s larder at much more realistic cost. I acknowledge that good reviews have been left by many regarding good standards but it does beg the question what benchmarks they are using. I for one shan’t be darkening your doorstep again and shall patronise those businesses who deserve their well earned accolades and corresponding patronage."