Friday, March 06, 2009

A little gem in the city sidestreets

Down in the docks area of Aberdeen is a location I know little about, and not an area I'd tend to wander around unless heading from one place to another. However, we were directed today to a little cafe there, and we'll need to thank the lady who sent us there.

Musa Art Cafe is located off the main road that passes by the docks, and the bus and railway stations, on Exchange Street. A little converted church that dates from 1880, it has been restored to show off the beautiful wooden carved beams in the ceiling and the rose windows.






Inside it is rather chaotic, but in a fun, just-give-into-it kind of way. You need to identify the best path by which to weave through to your chosen table, but the staff were immediately welcoming, friendly, and able to assist in finding a spot. It was quite busy when we were in so we missed the ceramics and some of the art that it claims are on offer, but as we sat upstairs we had a good overall view of the cafe, and a stunning view of the elaborate ceiling and the windows.

The menu was a rare thing for me - I was actually stuck for choice on several possible options. I picked "chilli cooked haddock with mash, crispy bacon and a poached duck egg". It was several meals in one, really, and came with a rich creamy sauce around the haddock. The chilli wasn't intrusive on the haddock, and the egg was poached perfectly - something I had been experimenting with last week, with much less success! The mash included spring onions, so was actually champ - a real home favourite for me that I don't get often enough over here. We were seriously tempted by some of the desserts, but were too full to try some, so happily agreed that we will be coming back.

So, a delightful surprise in a part of the city I never would have considered for good healthy food. Highly recommended.