Aberdeen’s IX restaurant sits at the head of Scotland’s fine dining table

The anticipation is over for Aberdeen food lovers with the opening of The Chester Hotel.

IX Restaurant and IX Bar are part of Aberdeen’s newest high-end establishment, The Chester Hotel, which has undergone a stunning and ambitious refurbishment and extension.

IX Restaurant, under the attentive eye of Savoy-trained executive chef, Kevin Dalgleish, seats 90 diners, serving the finest food Scotland offers. The less formal but equally chic IX Bar, with its classic and inventive cocktail list, enviable whisky collection and exclusive Chester Brew, seats 60 guests, dishing up classic yet contemporary bar food prepared with the same skill and of the same high quality as the restaurant.

IX and The Chester Hotel are working directly with prime suppliers such as Simon Howie Butcher; John Ross Junior Aberdeen, which has created a special Chester smoked salmon; Valrhona Chocolate, with whom IX has a unique deal; and Harviestoun Brewery, from whom IX have commissioned Scotland’s newest beer, The Chester Brew.

The restaurant has two secluded and atmospheric private dining areas, individually seating up to eight people, and a larger private area for up to 30 diners leading on to the Granite Balcony, which has a super view of Aberdeen’s southern skyline.

The exquisite, modern venue has been designed by world-famous Graven Images, which has ingeniously reworked the large, 19th century interior of the hotel into a stylish and convivial space.

IX Restaurant executive chef, Kevin Dalgleish says: “Leading such a prestigious venue as the IX Restaurant and Bar is a great privilege for a chef, and my team and I are relishing serving our menu to guests and diners. I have spent the past year engaging Scotland’s top food and drink suppliers and perfecting new techniques and dishes to ensure that our customers are bowled over.

“Our menu weaves together the highest quality produce from Scotland’s rich larder with classic and European influences as well as inspiration drawn from my own team of talented chefs. Our restaurant and bar ingredients include prime Aberdeenshire beef, the freshest Orkney shellfish, creamy Highland cheeses and indulgent Valhrona chocolate.

“Restaurant diners can pick their own red meat, fish and seafood and watch it being cooked on the Josper grill; the open ‘theatre’ style of the kitchen sets our guests’ mouths watering as they observe their meals being meticulously prepared.

“Afternoon tea guests can enjoy the most delicate confections created by the hotel’s specialist pastry chefs, and we have designed a menu for junior gourmets with yummy dishes such as ‘build your own pizza’ and ‘my first steak’.”

IX Sommelier Alex Gerrard said: “Our highly diverse wine list suits new and seasoned palates, with a list of over 120 wines, some of which are well known and others which come from smaller scale and rarefied vineyards.

“We have painstakingly selected bottles which match our evolving, seasonal restaurant and bar menus but are also very drinkable in their own right. I’m really enjoying pouring customers our delicious white, The Crusher Viognier with its notes of tropical fruit; and red Gevrey-Chambertin, which is bold, dry, rustic and earthy; and the blushing Chateau Riotor Cotes de Provence Rose, which is pale and red-fruit dominated.

“Fans of Californian wine will be delighted to see Opus One on the list. This premium Napa Valley winery produces limited stocks only and it is exciting to see it served in a Scottish fine restaurant paired with Scottish cuisine.”

IX Bar Manager, Gary Middleton said: “IX Bar has assembled a whisky, spirit and cocktail menu to suit all guests, whether they prefer a classic cocktail, a familiar comforting dram or a rarer bottle. We have a full complement of Scottish blends and high-end single malts, and are particularly proud to offer customers the rare Dalmore Constellation 1980 and 1991. Anyone lucky enough to have sampled a measure of this superlative whisky will know its breathtaking quality and chocolate notes.

“We have also, daringly, brought in some exceptional whiskies from Japan and America, which will grace our growing collection of over 130 malts and blends.

“Our cocktails have a highly contemporary gin focus, making the most of Scotland’s growing reputation as a premium gin producer. We stock 16 different gins, predominantly from Scotland, and have been inventing new exciting ways of mixing them.

“Guests are enjoying our very own creation, the ‘Chester Jester’, a raspberry-based cocktail. Beer drinkers are also very favourably catered for with a brand new pale ale, The Chester Brew, which is being brewed especially for IX Bar and Restaurant by the Harviestoun Brewery.”