Restaurant review: Fine fare & slick service at Forbes of Kingennie

We are lucky enough to live on the outskirts of Dundee so, as the crow flies, Forbes of Kingennie is our “local” restaurant.

However, having small children means big nights out are few and far between at the moment.

For our anniversary, though, we wanted to enjoy a meal out as a couple. Babysitter booked, we decided on Forbes of Kingennie as it is within sauntering distance of our house – so we could enjoy a wine or beer each without the need for a designated driver or a taxi home.

Forbes of Kingennie

When I phoned to book a table, I was asked whether I’d prefer to sit in The Scullery Restaurant or the Cairn O’Mount bar. I picked the restaurant, since it was a special occasion, but the same menu is served there as well as at the snug bar.

On arrival, I was glad we had booked rather than taking a chance as a walk-in – the car park outside looked busy and the restaurant inside was bustling.

We were shown to our table by a friendly member of staff. A chilled bottle of tap water was brought over almost immediately, too, which I appreciated.

The restaurant felt cosy yet contemporary – the coppery tones of the decor worked well with the rustic elm tables and comfy leather chairs.

Although it was clearly a busy night and all the tables were full, they
weren’t so close together that we felt crowded.

From my seat I was able to see the lochans outside, one of which has a floating fountain that lights up. As dusk fell, it looked very picturesque.

The food at Forbes of Kingennie

We decided to take advantage of that night’s dining offer – we were there on Burger Thursday, but there is also Steak Tuesday and Fish or Fizz Friday.

As a vegetarian, I’ll be honest – the menu is more meat and fish-focused. However, I’d rather see a smaller selection done well, than a bigger menu of mediocre meals.

And on this point, Forbes of Kingennie did deliver.

Burger night is obviously popular, and so my husband was slightly disappointed he couldn’t try the chilli cheese burger, as the kitchen had run out.

I chose the Moving Mountains plant-based burger, served with cos lettuce, sliced tomato, pickled gherkins and vegan mayonnaise in a burger bun (£15.50, as part of dinner offer £22 for two burgers).

I asked the server if I could have regular mayo – as I’m vegetarian, not vegan – and it was no issue. She offered me coleslaw, too, which I accepted happily.

I opted for chunky chips, while my husband chose Cajun fries, and we both added caramelised onions to our burgers (£2).

Unfortunately, the kitchen had run out of coleslaw as well as chilli cheese burgers – however our cheerful server was apologetic, and kept us in the loop on our food.
It was a busy night, but she was calm and composed, and let us know that our meals would be the next out of the kitchen.

We didn’t have to wait too long for our food, though, and were more than happy to relax and enjoy our drinks.

My meat-free burger was juicy and the sesame-seeded roll was soft – the sweet, sticky caramelised onions inside the bun were a welcome addition, recommended by our server.

The accompanying salad came with a dressing that we both remarked was particularly tasty, and I loved the crisp chunky chips which were perfectly fluffy on the inside.

The sriracha chicken burger at Forbes of Kingennie. — The sriracha chicken burger.

My husband’s second choice of sriracha spiced chicken burger (£15.50) was just as tasty – well, according to him! I didn’t try it, but he assured me the chicken was juicy and on the right side of spicy.

The sriracha burger also came with cos lettuce, sliced tomato and pickled gherkins, and the accompanying skinny Cajun fries were plentiful and well-seasoned – again, not too spicy, but enough of a kick to earn their name. The indulgent caramelised onions added a sweeter element and elevated the burger from great to excellent!

Despite being somewhat full, we were still in the mood for a dessert, so I went for sticky toffee pudding (£7.95), while my husband chose the cheesecake of the day (£7.95), which was Biscoff.

My sticky toffee pudding was dark and treacly and paired well with the Chantilly cream and honeycomb ice cream. The accompanying toffee sauce was rich and delicious, too. I tried valiantly to finish it, as it was so tasty, but had to leave a few crumbs of the pudding.

Biscoff cheesecake at Forbes of Kingennie. — Biscoff cheesecake.

The Biscoff cheesecake was quite subtle in taste and my husband would have preferred the base to be a bit crisper. He enjoyed the accompanying ice cream – we thought it was Biscoff-flavoured, too – and Chantilly cream more than the main event, however.

The verdict

We had a great night and ate some delicious food for a very reasonable price, thanks to the burger offer.

I enjoyed two glasses of wine – a crisp pinot grigio and a refreshing picpoul de pinet, which was lovely with the sweet sticky toffee pudding – and my husband savoured two pints of Staropramen lager, which was on draft.

The cheery staff definitely made the night for us, they looked after our table so well and it was easy to attract their attention – nothing was too much trouble for them.