MasterChef: The Professionals 2018 finalist Dean Banks is celebrating having opened the doors of the new home for his restaurant Haar a week before Christmas.
The top Arbroath-born chef took on the challenge to bring his beloved restaurant back to St Andrews after closing it back in April.
Finding a new home at the former Golf Inn on Golf Place, Dean welcomed guests through the doors on Saturday evening for the venue’s first service.
Employing a brigade of 18 staff, three former chefs have been reinstated in Haar’s kitchen and his general manager has also made the move from Dean’s venue at The Pompadour in Edinburgh.
What will the food be like at Haar?
While the offering will be similar to Haar’s previous fare, Dean has made the experience more interactive for guests, adding in a different kind of chef’s table which will ensure everyone feels special when visiting.
A kitchen table, which seats eight, will also have full view of the chef team where customers can watch their dishes be served up.
However, Dean has assured that every guest should be able to view the team in action from their seats throughout the 36 to 40 seater venue.
Previous to before, Haar will only offer a five-course tasting menu priced at £65.
“It is the same ethos and same passion for local with my Asian influences in there,” said Dean.
“We’ll only have the tasting menu but it is a little more than five-courses with all of the additionals and we have a vegan version, too.
“It is exactly how I wanted Harr originally – the décor and finishing touches. We were in a hotel and had to work with what we had, now it is a lot more interactive.
“We have a kitchen table which seats eight and guests can watch the chefs work and when you arrive everyone is seated at the chef’s table. Here, they are served their snacks and aperitif. A chef will be there and will explain everything about Haar and then customers are shown to their table where the tasting menu starts.
“We’ll share stories about where the name Haar came from, why we’ve decorated it the way we have and more.
“You can see the all of the chefs working anywhere in the restaurant.”
Drinks options
Haar will also offer a range of cocktails for customers to try and the bar is only made up of Scottish spirits and will not feature brands from further afield.
Dean’s house pour is his award-winning Lunan gin and his newly-launched Mond vodka.
A wine flight pairing will be available for an additional £50 and a bespoke wine and Champagne list also features.
“I’m excited but relieved. The hard part was getting everything done – the cooking is the easy part.
“I’m not one to stand back so I was jumping in and getting my hands dirty.”
Aiming for four day working week
Currently open Wednesday and Thursday for dinner service, lunch will be available Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Lunch reservations can be made from noon to 1.30pm and dinner service kicks off at 5pm with the last booking at 9pm.
While the venue will originally operate five days a week, Dean says the move to open four days a week, similar to his Pompadour venue, is to help support his staff.
He aims to move Haar to a four day working week once the business has become more established.
The venue, which will be a restaurant with rooms in the near future, will see the addition of guest suites added in 2022.
Dean had originally planned to fund the refit of the venue by launching a Crowdfunder, however it was unsuccessful so the chef funded the work himself.
He added: “I am super happy to be back in St Andrews. It is so nice to be back in town with such a beautiful venue that I am really delighted with. It is great to be home.”
Haar will close on Christmas Eve for the festive break and will reopen on December 29 in time for New Year’s Eve.
