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Dundee Beefeater, Discovery Quay (36/50)

By Kerry Moores

December 9 2017, 8:00am

Watching the Dundee Waterfront change is so incredibly exciting. The imposing V&A is rising from the Tay and parks, buildings and incredible artworks are popping up all over the place.

We know there are big things planned for restaurants along the quay but a new one has already opened in a prime location overlooking the bridges. This week we popped in to rediscover our guilty pleasures.

I have not been to a Beefeater for many years but remember them fondly, being taken by my dad for something with chips and an ice cream sundae. I booked a table hoping to get the same buzz from the relaxed and cheery atmosphere. I have driven past this new branch on the riverside many times and have often thought about the fabulous location. Sharing the building with the Premier Inn, this chain has really picked a prime spot.

It is totally worth asking for a table by the window as the views across the water are lovely. Actually, all tables are great as you either get the view, or can enjoy being nosy and staring in at the open kitchen, watching the chefs hard at work. Having worked in restaurant kitchens with some volatile chefs, I am always amused by the open variety as tempers need to be kept under control as customers are watching and more importantly, listening. Good for the morale and the waiting staff, I would think.

The decor is lots of bare wood creating warm tones. There are trendy industrial touches with lighting, such as the low hung copper pendants over the kitchen pass. It feels new and fresh and inviting. The menu is large and pleasingly, as I had hoped it would be, packed full of comfort food and deep-fried treats. Gammon with fried egg and a pineapple ring seems to have fallen out of favour, and I don’t know why as it’s a great combination. Standard pies and fish and chips are available, as well as less fried alternatives such as oven-baked sea bass and seafood rigatoni.

There is a large choice of steak cuts with a variety of sauces and sides to choose from. I remember when I was younger, Beefeater was seen as a value place to go, but with the price of steaks stretching from £11.49 up to £21.99, there is something for all budgets.

My starter was entitled “loaded potato dippers”and I chose them as I immediately thought of potato skins filled with melted cheese, bacon and spring onions, served with a soured cream dip. I was so disappointed with my choice and it turned out I had completely misinterpreted the description. What arrived were kind of thin potato wedges and the cheese could only be described as a meagre sprinkle at best. This was probably my fault for getting carried away, but next time I’m going for the prawn cocktail.

Mr Kerry chose the flat cap mushrooms which were thickly sliced and deep fried in a crispy crumb. The mushroom was chunky enough to retain its texture and earthy flavour, and this was a good starter which I stole a lot of.

Rump of lamb was up next for Mr Kerry, which was served pink as he requested and came with kale, and should have come with dauphinoise potatoes but he swapped those for sweet potato fries. The lamb was cooked well and although the kale looked anaemic, it was tasty too. It was a good dish but I couldn’t help thinking that he should have gone for a classic instead.

I pushed the boat out big time and ordered the steak, prawn and ribs combo. I couldn’t decide what I wanted and so this seemed like the sensible option. I have nothing negative to say about this vast plate of food. The steak was lean, juicy and cooked medium as I had ordered, spicy as advertised, the prawns were huge and juicy and the ribs still had some meatiness to them and weren’t all jelly-like as they can sometimes be.

I couldn’t even eat half the steak, which was a shame, but this dish is definitely worth it if you’re very hungry. This is the kind of food I thought of when I booked at Beefeater and it didn’t let me down. My dad wouldn’t have dreamed of spending £18.99 on it back in the day, but then times change.

For dessert, we went retro and shared a black forest trifle. Proper yellow ready-made custard, soaked cherries, squirty cream and rich, oozy brownies. It was a very heavy, sickly dessert and even between the two of us we couldn’t finish it, but I was glad we gave it a go. There are a few dishes on the menu that are marked as being under a certain amount of calories. This most certainly was not one of them.

Mr Kerry and I had a lovely time at Beefeater. We were relaxed and well looked after by our charming waitress and looked at the menu with eyes much bigger than our bellies – or at least they were when we went in. I would suggest this isn’t a place to stick to a diet, as even though items such as bean salad are on offer, really, you’ll want to go all out on the good stuff.