Over the last few years The GreenTrees pub has become something of a regular haunt, mainly due to the fact that the BF worked there for many years, and so we often pop back so that he can catch up with friends and regulars.
A favourite of many Dyce inhabitants, the Greentrees is one of those good old fashioned locals, with a bar, lounge, restaurant and function room all in one. While it’s always an enjoyable visit, sinking a pint or five over a few games of pool, I’d be lying if I said that it was the food menu that kept us coming back time after time when in the mood for a bit of gastronomy; it’s always been good hearty pub-grub. For many years now, the menu has been exactly what you’d expect from a traditional bar such as this, with classic crowd-pleasers such as fish and chips, steak and ale pie and lasagne, and the ever popular carvery on a Sunday, so when I was invited along to try out the newly revamped menu, I wasn’t expecting major transformation, but boy was I wrong!
With the promise of an expansive new vegan and vegetarian menu, I was more than a little intrigued to see what was in store for us. For me the test of any good eatery is always the merit of their, usually solitary and often bland as hell, veggie option, but thankfully it looked like we were going to be spoiled for choice here.
The new menu comes courtesy of Argentinian head chef Javier who has taken charge and dreamed up a more exotic and varied menu featuring dishes that wouldn’t be out of place in a high end restaurant, mixing British ghastro pub classics with dishes from around the continent. You can tell instantly that this is a man who is truly passionate about food, and has travelled the world to learn his trade. Having lived on a vegan diet himself for some time, I’m delighted to say that the vegans/veggies out there have been well and truly taken care of.
Javier has also made it a top priority of his to source as many ingredients as possible locally, tracking down top quality beef from Aberdeenshire, and veg from local suppliers. He understands the importance of supporting local businesses, but also the incredible quality of foods home grown in Scotland.
Even the bar snacks menu is seriously impressive, with a selection of baskets on offer, featuring the likes of ‘Battered scallops with chips and garlic mayo’ (drool!) and ‘pate with pickles and bread and butter’. They have seriously elevated the standard greasy and usually beige bar snack!
The food…
It’s safe to say that we were thoroughly spoiled with our trip to the Greentrees, getting to sample not just a couple, but SIX different dishes to allow us to fully explore the menu – and yes, I had to be rolled home afterwards…
Of course we we went entirely veggie; it was an absolute treat to have so many genuinely enticing meat-free options on offer, but the rest of the menu sounds equally delicious, with dishes likes of ‘Chicken Shnitzel with wild mushroom sauce’ and ‘Scottish lamb cutlets with mustard and rosemary mash’ on offer.
Here’s what we thought about each and every fabulous bite.
To get our bellies warmed up for the main event, we began with the soup of the day, a delicious and aromatic sweet potato, coconut and chilli soup.
Subtly spiced and silky smooth, this was the perfect introduction to the feast that lay ahead of us.
We could hardly believe our eyes when shortly afterwards, three stunning plates of food arrived in front of us – this was going to be a challenge alright, but one that I was going to do my bloody best to rise to! Straight away I was struck by the artistic presentation, these were some seriously gorgeous plates of food that sang of careful consideration and pride of plating.
Vegetable Grill Stack
This artfully arranged stack of gorgeous grilled aubergine, courgette and baby potatoes layered with oozy melted brie and drizzled with a tangy tomato compote really hit the spot. Bursting with flavour thanks to the herb oil and balsamic glaze garnish, this dish wouldn’t have been out of place in a high end restaurant. It was almost too pretty to eat…but not quite, and boy was I glad I ate it! With dishes as flavoursome as this, it’s easy to forget that meat was ever on the menu.
Grilled Goats Cheese Salad
Though simplistic in nature, this salad was possibly my favourite dish of the night. The generous round of freshly baked goats cheese was perfectly offset by the sweet delicious pear and tart raspberry dressing, with none of that more-ish goats cheese going to waste thanks to the soft brown bread served alongside it. This really is a dish that I could eat over and over again.
Wild Mushroom and Pea Risotto
I’d like to take a moment here to just say YUM.
All to often risotto’s are the easy way out when it comes to imagining a veggie option, but this one arrived here with a purpose. With the fully present earthy woody flavours of wild mushrooms and the sumptuous texture of a lovingly prepared risotto all pulled together with spot-on seasoning, this dish is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Elevated comfort food at it’s finest. Can I eat this all over again please?
Greentrees Halloumi Burger with Chilli Sauce
No sooner than we had just about managed to polish off the first four dishes (diet absolutely starts Monday…) Javier appeared once again brandishing a lethal looking halloumi burger, insisting that we just HAD to try it. Well, it would have been rude not to, right?
With a more than generous hunk of halloumi grilled to perfection between a sweet brioche, it was crisp on the outside, and soft and chewy in the middle, just the way it should be. The chilli sauce was sticky and sweet, with a decent kick, and offset the salty savoury halloumi perfectly. Complete with the classic burger serve of homemade slaw, fries and salad, this was a triumph of a burger offering, and one I’ll be ordering time and time again when we next visit.
For all of the non veggies out there, the beef burger is sure to satisfy, hailing from Inverness and 28 days hung it’s bound to be super tasty, and offers a variety of awesome toppings to choose from.
Churros.
Need I say any more? I mean just Churros – if you’re not a fan then we need to have serious words.
Actually I do need to say more, because not only was this sweet, doughy, crisp Argentinian classic fried to perfection and drizzled with delicious chocolate sauce, there was also chocolate INSIDE the churros. I don’t know what kind of voodoo this is, but I’m 100% here for it.
The New Greentrees have seriously outdone themselves with this new menu thanks to Javier’s inspired input, so for all us city dwellers looking for somewhere different to dine out now and then, the short trip to Dyce to check out ‘The Trees’ as it’s usually referred to by locals is well and truly worth it. Family friendly and with something for everyone, there really is no excuse not to pay a visit and try out the incredible new menu.
Head to the facebook page to check out the full menu for yourself by clicking HERE or give them a call on 01224 799990 to book a table.
Serious thanks once again to The GreenTrees for inviting us to try out their fabulous new fare, we’ll be back again soon for sure!
Until next time,
B x
*** EDIT – this meal was gifted pre-lockdown, so menus and menu items may now be different to those shown in the review, check out the facebook page or get in touch with The Green Trees directly for any queries! As always, all views are my own.
Lipstick & Late Nights 