aberdeen tavern

on a nice thursday evening at the end of april we decided to tryaberdeentavern.  we had driven by many times and had heard a lot of good things about it and it seemed time to see for ourselves what good things were happening here. there is a lovely outside patio that is always busy during the summer months.  in its previous life it was a bank and a quiet restaurant, but the new owners breathed new life into the space and it is quite different now. the bar space is large and inviting. the layout works well. the three of us were seated at a table near the bar area and were immediately greeted with a rather classy menu folder. we selected a bottle from an extensive list of wines. it was one of their house reds quattro fontamara red and it was quite smooth and reasonably priced.  we then selected our appetizers. my son mark chose (as he always does) the pork belly - it was the hoisin glazed pork belly - he was quite impressed.

before i roll out a new series called belly monster battle - let me introduce you to my posse - we like to call ourselves the #bellymonsters and we like to spend 9 hours eating our way through the city - check out goat roti  chronicles  for the full details here . my partner in crime for belly monster battle will be justin baisden from eating your content . as far as foodies go in hamilton - justin is your man. you name it, he's reviewed it - this guys is pretty legit. creep him , stalk him - just go make friends with him already - he is good people!  anyways, onto our thoughts on newly opened restoaberdeentavern.  justin: i chanced upon theaberdeentavern accidentally. i was a bit overzealous in getting to food truck alley a few weeks ago and was 1/2 hour early. i figured i'd take a walk and then come back. on my walk i noticed the restaurant and popped in. they were in the midst of a soft open. i had a quick word with pr rep andrea cassis, she laid out the idea of a great spot whe

i'm really a fan of the environment at theaberdeentavern. the outdoor patio is where we ate and it was beautiful. the dishes were very flavourful and presented nicely. they had a fairly wide range of dishes. we ordered pumpkin ravioli, smoked salmon, scallops and tiger shrimp risotto, hamburger, tomato salad and breads and dip. everyone was very pleased with their meals, except for me, i had the risotto. maybe it's just not my thing, as my sister said "that is a good risotto". anyways, overall experience was great and the food was delicious.

i was juggling between the tavern benny and the mississippi, but the mississippi won hands down. how can you say no to bacon and cheddar cornbread? the dish did not disappoint. the cornbread was flavourful, i could definitely taste the bacon and cheddar. the extra bacon on top and poached eggs were cooked perfectly. the only draw back was that the hollandaise was a tad bland for my liking. the dish was accompanied by a side of home fries with a corn and red pepper topping, as well as some seasonal fruit. my meal was accompanied with a cup of coffee, on the house. my coffee cup never went empty - although i had a little too much, but who's to say that's a bad thing?

my friend had the monte cristo sandwich, one of the three daily specials. she opted for no ham and had tomato instead, overall she was fairly happy with her meal.

to finish off, we decided to share the dundurn market carrot cake. the server insisted it was to die for and we would not be disappointed. the presentation was beautiful, but the carrot cake tasted fairly average to me. the cake itself was moist and light. i have to admit though, i am not a huge fun of carrot cake or cream cheese frosting. in fact, i prefer not to eat cream cheese frosting. from what i did eat, the cream cheese frosting wasn't over sweet which i like and it paired well with the carrot cake. it was not a bad dessert but it was a tad expensive for just a slice of cake. 

theaberdeentavern is a great addition to hamilton and to the neighbourhood. the prices are a tad higher when compared to other typical brunch restaurants, but for the quality of food, service and the atmosphere you will not be disappointed.

since i moved to hamilton, theaberdeentavern has been at top of my list for restaurants to try. why i hadn’t made it there until last night is beyond me. i mean, besides the fact that i work like a dog and only have time to sleep, eat and (sometimes) get to the gym, i don’t have much time for myself. in any event, around the month of april, my shifts with the city are cut down a bit and it gives me some free time in the afternoon and evenings. so it was with great excitement that i accepted an invitation to theaberdeentavern’s 1st birthday bash from my new friend, justin baisden. justin is a fellow hamiltonian and runs the food blog,  eating your content . if you live in the hamilton area and love anything to do with food, you’ve probably heard of him. i have to admit, i was pretty damn nervous to attend this. i’m fairly new to the whole blogging scene, let alone being invited to media events full of professional foodies, so i wasn’t sure what to expect or how to act. once i got there, after a few minutes of chatting and two (delicious) cocktails, i realized i was in a room full of people who shared the same passion as i did. as the appetizers started to flow from the kitchen, i began to relax and find my groove. it’s amazing how food brings people together. i had the pleasure of meeting avi, who served me up a couple of cocktails (okay, a few) that were so delicious. my favourite was definitely the key west collins (left side of the picture) which incorporates bourbon, lime juice, bitters, soda and galliano liqueur, rimmed with graham crackers! it was a perfect balance between sweet and sour, super refreshing (will be an amazing patio drink in the summer) and paired beautifully with the food we were tasting. i also tried one of the draft beers which was also delicious. needless to say, it was a great start to the evening. the above dish is the hoisin glazed pork belly with avacado, pickled carrot, chili aioli and coria

the best salade niçoise ever!. i tried theaberdeentavern today and i was delighted at both the decor and the food. i had a salade niçoise that was easily the best i have ever been served and the seafood chowder was no slouch either. if only the chowder bowl wasn't quite so ornate i could have enjoyed the last few drops. next time i'll bring a straw.

there’s been a lot of good talk about theaberdeentavern lately and i was excited to finally make my way here to take a girlfriend out for her belated birthday brunch.  brunch is only served here on sundays and this particular sunday was sunny, bright and beautiful- could the food and experience inside match this glorious weather? i’m not gonna keep you waiting and just say it like it is…. this place is fab! i loved everything and can’t wait to go back.  so if that’s all you need to know then just get your butt down there…if you must be nosy and know more then here it is.  this old bank is the most charming, inviting space ever.  i’m might even say its the most well designed, esthetically pleasing restaurant in all of hamilton.  tufted leather banquettes, marble topped bistro tables, big bright windows, beautiful plates and glassware and a nod to the tudor style.  the bathrooms downstairs are especially

aberdeen tavern a lovely evening out this summer was being invited to preview what has quickly become a city favourite, theaberdeentavern. the new restaurant in hamilton’s west end is impressively located in an old bank (with bank vault intact!). unfortunately it was raining on this night (there was a storm a-brewin’!) so i will have to experience the patio another time, but i was more than happy to enjoy the restaurant’s classy yet warm interior. many were invited to preview the restaurant’s new vegetarian menu. under chef nathaniel beattie,aberdeenworks with local farmers and sustainable food importers. they are always coming up with new things, but some of the dishes i tried included: vegetarian samosas (with potato, green peas, yellow curry), tavern frites (with thyme & parmesan), waldorf salad, angel hair pomodoro (imported romas, spinach, garlic, basil, parmesan), and vegetarian quiche. one of my favourites was the potato gnocchi (sweet pea, mushroom, asparagus, tomato, basil

love it!. i have been to theaberdeentavern several times since it opened this year and everytime i am impressed by the staff and the menu. the staff is always very kind and make you feel incredibly welcome and the food is incredible! the menu is not huge but what is on there is good quality and always filling. the desserts (particularily the creme brulees are to die for!) what a wonderful addition to the hamilton food scene!

the forgotten vegetarians. my sister and i couldn't wait to try theaberdeentavern. we were happy to see a new vegetarian menu added so ventured out on a saturday evening to try it out. the menu was minimal and we chose the waldorf salad and quiche special respectively. we ordered the vegetable trio to share as an appetizer. the appetizer arrived in a timely manner and we enjoyed it with our glass of wine. that was it...we waited, and waited, and waited. i assure you we waited longer than most would. when my quiche finally came it was cold, i sent it back and we waited, and waited, we were not offered another glass of wine during our lengthy wait either. we had arrived at 6:05 p.m. and took seating on the patio (very nice). at 8:10 p.m., we decided to just pay for our 2 glasses of wine and appetizer and leave. the waiter waived our bill (very nice) and we left. we had a wonderful meal at a restaurant on locke street before we went home. will not recommend this restaurant and will not return.