Photo of
March 21, 2014
[Executive Chef Kevin Dalgleish in IX restaurant.][1]
Executive Chef Kevin Dalgleish in IX restaurant.

It’s Friday and the 5pm Dining blog always likes a spot of top notch luxury on Friday.

And if we can’t actually have the top notch luxury then we are nearly as happy to simply daydream of it.

Which brings us to The Chester Hotel, a new hotel which opened in Aberdeen a fortnight ago.

Formerly Simpson’s, the Queen’s Road landmark was bought by Graham and Gillian Wood in spring 2012. A year later, they closed the hotel for a twelve month refurb, spent £5 million and re-opened it as the rather luxurious Chester Hotel.

The new venture builds on the success of The Chester Residence, the Woods’ highly rated boutique hotel in Edinburgh.

Savoy-trained chef

Savoy-trained executive chef, Kevin Dalgleish heads up the kitchen for the Aberdeen hotel’s IX Restaurant.

Seating up to 90 diners, the menu offers a wide range of locally sourced fish, shellfish, prime meat, cheese, fruit and vegetables.

[The Josper in action at IX in The Chester Hotel.][5]
The Josper in action at IX Restaurant in The Chester Hotel.

Scotland’s natural larder

Kevin Dalgleish says: ‘IX Restaurant’s menu makes the very most of Scotland’s exceptional natural larder… Guests can choose their own fresh fish or meat from the IX Restaurant counter and watch every step as it is prepared “theatre style” on the Josper grill, a state-of-the-art oven, which keeps meat tender and juicy, intensifies its natural taste, and is the envy of many of the UK’s best kitchens.’

Chef Dalgleish’s signature dish is a starter of smoked duck and venison, grated foie gras, pickled vegetables and truffled mayonnaise.

Which is what the 5pm Dining blog will be thinking of while absently chewing on our lunchtime tuna sarnie.

[Careful presentation is key at IX Restaurant.][6]
Careful presentation is key at IX Restaurant.