Musa - Aberdeen

It's a beautiful space but a few things meant we left feeling a little disappointed in our experience here. We had a booking and were initially shown to our tab... read more It's a beautiful space but a few things meant we left feeling a little disappointed in our experience here. We had a booking and were initially shown to our table on the mezzanine. However, we were then asked to move as they had a booking and were seated at a table against a window which had a draught which meant I had to put my coat back on for the rest of lunch and generally made me a bit miffed. For my meal, I had the poached smoked haddock with creamy mash, white wine cream and poached egg. Presentation was nice, and it was a generous portion but overall it was a pretty bland dish and I wasn't all that impressed. I think there wasn't enough contrast between the flavours so it all got a bit meh pretty quickly. Our bill came to around £35 for one two course meal, one one-course and a couple of drinks. For the standard of food I found this pretty overpriced and left feeling a little let down by Musa, as I'd heard such good things about them. It is a really beautiful space though so perhaps it's worth visiting for just a drink instead.

I've been there several times and I must say the food/service/entertainment didn't change. FOOD nice and nicely presented, Scottish twist as they say, but for m... read more I've been there several times and I must say the food/service/entertainment didn't change. FOOD nice and nicely presented, Scottish twist as they say, but for me it was either too HEAVY, bland or too many different flavours at once SERVICE very good TIMING good ATMOSPHERE they have usually something going on, it is nice romantic place with life music in Aberdeen But in general pretty overpriced place for the food you get, unless you go for the life music mainly and the atmosphere. Not my taste, but then again somebody might like it.

Looking at the Main Menu Specials Menu, I honestly couldn 't choose what I wanted. Everything sounded so good especially the Black Pudding Dauphinoise which acc... read more Looking at the Main Menu Specials Menu, I honestly couldn 't choose what I wanted. Everything sounded so good especially the Black Pudding Dauphinoise which accompanied some of the dishes. In the end, I decided to order Scallops Razor Clams with Basil Pesto and Pea Shoots to start with and then Venison, Bubble Squeak, Green Beans, Asparagus, Sweet Potato Crisps a Juniper Jus for Main Course off of the Specials Menu with a side order of Black Pudding Dauphinoise (I couldn 't resist! . Gillian ordered Haggis and Coriander Spring Roll with Chilli Jam to start with and then Ginger Roast Duck Breast, Braised Red Cabbage, Spiced Apple Puree and Black Pudding Dauphinoise. Despite my ever growing love for Seafood, I 've never tried Razor Clams before so I honestly didn 't know what to expect. The scallops were plump and cooked just the way I liked them. The razor clams reminded me a little of squid. Of course, I have nothing to compare it to so I 'm not entirely sure they were supposed to remind me of squid... but they did. Both the scallops and razor clams were complimented with the warm basil pesto and pea shoot salad. MY friend Gillian 's Haggis and Coriander Spring Rolls were amazing. I know that 's a little cliche to say but trust me, if you 're ever in Aberdeen, get your butt down to Musa just to try these babies. Crispy spring roll on the outside, peppery haggis in the inside with a chilli jam on the side. I honestly couldn 't fault anything about this dish (from the bits I tried and I know neither could Gillian. We could have happily continued eating more of these until we could no longer move. That 's how good it was. After a short break it was time for our Main Courses. My venison was tender, pink had a lovely taste to it. It was a little rich but venison is a rather rich gamey meat. The sweet potato crisps were too sweet for my liking, but that 's just my personal preference. Bubble Squeak was an interesting additional to the dish. I can 't say I 've ever tried it along with Venison before, however, along with the Juniper Jus it was a combination that worked well. On a side note, it 's great to find a restaurant that knows how green beans and asparagus should be cooked. I 've been to many an awful restaurant that give me mashed up vegetables that should have been al dente. It 's rather refreshing! My specially requested side order of Black Pudding Dauphinoise was spectacular. You 'd think with the amount of Black Pudding we eat in Glasgow that someone would have invented this but I have yet to see this on the menu anywhere in Glasgow. Soft, Creamy Potatoes layered with Black Pudding. Heaven in your mouth. Even though I was pretty full, I couldn 't stop eating this. Someone has to bring this wonderfulness to Glasgow. STAT! Gillian 's Duck was delicious. Pink and tender, it melted in your mouth. I 'm not a fan of fatty duck so was glad to see that there was no fat around. The spiced apple puree gave a nice sweetness to the meat and of course, helped give some added flavour to the black pudding dauphinoise which is my new favourite thing. I never tried the red cabbage because quite frankly, cabbage is on my list of must never eat again vegetables . Gillian did say she really liked it, so I 'll take her word for that! To be honest, if I had to order a main course all over again, I 'd go with the duck over the venison. Don 't get my wrong, I did really enjoy my venison but the duck had more of a wow factor when I tried it. We were both of the verge of bursting we were so full but you can 't go out for dinner without having dessert can you? I 'm sure there is some law against it. No? Well I 'm starting that rule from now, especially when sticky toffee pudding is on the menu. Oh yes. Gillian I decided to share dessert because I honestly doubt we could eat a full one to ourselves. The sticky toffee pudding was light and fluffy with the perfect amount of toffee sauce smothered all over it. Unfortunately, I didn 't like the drambuie ice cream as it was too strong for me. Gillian on the other hand loved it and ate it all. Looking back, I 'm pretty sure we didn 't need dessert but we were greedy and it tasted so so good. It is a little expensive but in fairness, you 'd pay about the same for food in Glasgow which is not up to the same standard. Overall, I couldn 't fault the food or service at Musa and to me, that is worth every penny.

Musa is a perfect little artist food spot. I love to come here with friends for a special meal. The food is of very high quality with a Scottish twist. The menu... read more Musa is a perfect little artist food spot. I love to come here with friends for a special meal. The food is of very high quality with a Scottish twist. The menu is quite small but always a very good dish with high quality ingredients. Their desserts are particularly delicious especially in Aberdeen which is short of good dessert places! A different spot that is good to take visitors for a nice relaxing evening!

Oh Musa... This restaurant as a testament that Scottish food isn 't all deep fried confectionery and that you don 't need to be in Edinburgh to experience first... read more Oh Musa... This restaurant as a testament that Scottish food isn 't all deep fried confectionery and that you don 't need to be in Edinburgh to experience first class cooking. Set in an old 19th century church in the bottom of Aberdeen, Musa is a wee gem just waiting to convert you with top food, drink and occasionally music too. So to the food, oh the food! I began with the haggis spring rolls while my companion had the wild mushrooms on garlic toast. Beautifully presented and really tasty, these are the sort of starters that get the stomach rumbling in anticipation of the next course. My companion is not a native to these shores so raised an eyebrow at my starter, but having sampled it just smiled and said ahhhhh..... Not a bad introduction to haggis I reckon! Onto the mains he took the ginger roasted duck and I had the sun dried tomato and goats cheese ravioli. The duck was cooked to perfection with the dauphinoise potatoes providing a brilliant base with the braised cabbage. My pasta was packed with the zing and punch of the tomatoes but still enough bite to the pasta. The pesto and rocket was divine, we were practically licking the plates clean! The tie in with Brewdog means that there is a wide selection of their beers but also some carefully selected beers from outwith the Fraserburgh brewery. The menu also suggests beers to go with each dish, which is unusual but goes to show beer can match food as well as any wine. As a former Aberdonian resident, I miss being able to frequent this beautiful little restaurant as much as I once was. However I love recommending it and taking visitors to eat here as they never fail to be impressed and won over by the care and attention lavished on the place by the staff. A must stop visit if you 're in town!