To the far north. Or at least as far north as Aberdeen.

The Granite City’s chefs and bar owners have been busy. Of most interest to 5pm Dining is the news that The Courtyard Restaurant on Alford Lane has been closed down to open CUE.

Smoke ’em

Billed as a ‘high quality, casual barbecue restaurant’, CUE is the latest from Beetroot Restaurants Ltd who also run The Adelphi Kitchen.

The new restaurant’s motto is the faintly unsettling: rub me, smoke me, sauce me, eat me.

While that slogan may not have everyone watering at the mouth, the menu has plenty of options to tempt the carnivorous.

Burgers, tacos, chilli, gumbo and wings line up alongside brisket, ribs, pork shoulder and hot link sausages from the smoker.

Of course, CUE has a food challenge. Diners are invited to wolf down four 4oz burgers, a portion of cantina chilli, 1/4lb jalapeno sausage, pitmaster pulled pork, sliced brisket, smoky bacon, onion rings, cheese sauce, chips and slaw in 30 minutes or less.

It’s free if you finish it in under half an hour and £30 if you don’t.

New bars

In other Aberdeen news, The Office on Crown Street has changed hands and is now Halo bar. Sport seems to be a major part of the offer.

Halo has twelve HD screens – one of reach of the bar’s booths.

Less happily, The Evening Express is reporting the imminent closure of The East Neuk Bar on King Street.

First opened in 1905, it is scheduled to close on 27 February. The downturn in the oil industry and changes in the drinking culture are being blamed.

Heading out of town to Kintore, the mothballed Kintore Arms Inn is to re-open as The Square Bar and Lounge on the 1st of April.

Built in 1855, The Kintore Arms Inn was built in 1855 but has been closed since July 2013.