Reviews for HAAR - April 2019
WHERE CULINARY EXCELLENCE TAKES CENTER STAGE.
We are thrilled to present a compilation of the best reviews from our valued guests, capturing the essence of what makes HAAR a truly remarkable restaurant.From TripAdvisor, we've gathered a selection of reviews that highlight the unique aspects that have earned HAAR its esteemed reputation. Each testimonial serves as a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence, ensuring that every visit to HAAR is an experience to be cherished.
Haar is a fine dining experience like no other. The excellent and attentive staff talked us through each course, where the food was sourced and recommended drinks to accompany the menu. You can pick anything from the menu and in any order or even repeat a dish if you wish. No rules which I thought was very novel and allowed us to share and taste dishes We would not normally have ventured towards. Everything was quality and the different fusions of flavours incredible. My own favourite was the duck dish closely followed by the grass fed beef with black garlic. My wife enthused over the Arbroath Smokie (presentation was first class). Stayed for coffee a few cocktails afterwards again all sourced from local brewers/suppliers. Congratulations to Dean Banks (Masterchef) and Ruairi and staff for a fantastic experience.” - fraser m
We were blown away by the flavours, presentation and attentive staff. Goan curry is a must! Best lunch we’ve had in a long time. Can’t wait to go back!” - ChezzaCuthy
“Take the journey enjoy the experience.
This is top level fine dining in a relaxed casual atmosphere. Having followed the chef Dean Banks through his Masterchef exploits we have been so fortunate that he chose St Andrews to open his first restaurant.
The menu is set up so that you can choose and share (if you wish!) any of the courses and even revisit a course if you are so taken with it. This was a birthday treat for me and for both of us there was never any doubt that it was going to be seafood and fish all the way. Having watched Dean create so many fine seafood dishes on Masterchef this was the only way to go for us.
Every single dish was fantastic and so different from the one before. Each dish was presented by one of the chefs explaining the dish, the ingredients and the provenance.
I cannot pick a favourite dish but if pushed it would be between the Octopus or the Mackerel or maybe the halibut or cod.
On the next visit we will try to indulge in some of the meat dishes but I have feeling that it might just end up trying every fish dish on the menu. Well done Dean Banks and his team at Haar.
My wife's leaving statement was this is a quantum leap for fine dining in Fife.” - Frank D
“Sublime flavours....out of this world prices.
We were keen to get to Dean's new restaurant having followed his journey on Masterchef, and visited with friends from England pretty much the day after it opened.The staff were very attentive and the decor is understated, comfortably, modern Scottish.
I'm vegetarian and was treated to a specially made starter of asparagus with smoked mayonnaise followed by the most flavoursome curry I have ever tasted. My eating companions, all meat eaters, shared their starters and mains as we were following the tasting menu that was available that evening.They expressed the same enthusiasm for their dishes and nothing was left on their plates.
The food was amazing, however, there wasn't that much of it and it was incredibly expensive. I'm not sure how quickly I'd go back at those prices.” - Ali M
We booked dinner last night ~ food was utterly divine x Chef Dean came over to speak with us which was a real added bonus and huge pleasure x
The smoking Arbroath smokie has to be tasted and seen to be believed ~ my fave dish of the evening with rose veal cafe de Paris a close second but I simply can’t rave enough about the beautiful dishes we were spoiled with x
The waiting staff were pleasant , knowledgeable and a real asset to the experience x
Thank you SO much for opening in St Andrews ~ a real treat x” - rainbowrhona
“Great new addition to fine dining in St Andrews
A birthday treat at Dean's new restaurant. Very modern, fresh and flavoursome dishes. We both had the Tasting Menu with variations to accommodate us both. All the dishes really excellent including my favourite halibut spring fricassee. Enjoyed a really nice selection of wines from wine flight. Could have been a bit more information on them as feedback. Enjoyed it so much that we have booked again and this time in the Chef's Table. Looks interesting. Good luck to Dean and his team. A very talented chef and great to see him in St Andrews.” - packngo61
“Fine dining with relaxed twist.
Dined here on their opening weekend. As a single diner, I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. Ruairi and his team made me feel most welcomed. Dean’s dishes are fantastic. Just the right portion sizes with great flavours and some quirky sensory twists. I had some nibbles, then starter and main...just managed to squeeze a dessert in too! Best Rhubarb Trifle ever!
Also the Cuve Rose is a must!
Thank you again! Great addition to St Andrews.” - Victoria M
Excellent culinary experience provided by Dean Banks (2019 Professional Masterchef finalist) and his team tonight! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻” - anner16
“A dining experience like no other
Excellent food in a relaxed warm and friendly atmosphere. Well worth a visit, never had oysters , scallops or mussels like it so fresh and extremely well cooked. The presetation of the food is matchec by its quality and taste, definitely a must try place to eat in the heart of St Andrews. Will definitely be back” - pat g
“Fantastic Easter Weekend Lunch
Being avid followers of Masterchef we were quick to hop over the bridge to experience Haar and the menu of Dean Banks. We were not disappointed. The interior looked very clean and contemporary, but given the weather we chose to eat outside, it is on one of the main high streets in St Andrews, so it is busy, but 23c in Scotland is not to be passed up and we were glad of the option. Proceedings kicked off with a a very refreshing cocktail for 2 called "storm in a tea cup", a refreshing gin based cocktail with raspberry and elderflower, perfect for the weather and a little bit of theatre with some dry ice to boot. We were keen for a light lunch so chose a selection of 4 small plates and two sides, all were excellent. Top quality produce handled with care, and a focus on simple flavours as opposed to over complicating the dish with too much on the plate. Hard to pick a stand outs as I thought they all hit the spot, if pushed the Octopus dish with a very rich tomato/paprika base was amazing, whilst the simplicity of the beef with a slow cooked black garlic sauce demonstrated the chefs confidence, sometimes less is more. We opted to share a dessert, and again were not disappointed. The Rhubarb with lemon thyme custard and honeycomb was a delicious and light finish to the meal. My better half could have ordered it again. Super lunch and I look forward to coming back again for dinner. Highly recommended.” - MichaelDinwoodie
“Saturday evening tasting menu
We visited Haar at the weekend for a family celebration. We all had the tasting menu, everyone enjoyed it immensely. The food was excellently cooked, in particular the sea trout was superb.
The restaurants only been open a few weeks and there were one or two small teething problems but nothing that detracted from what was a lovely evening. I'm sure that these will be ironed out.
Looking forward to visiting again in the future as I think Dean and the team are very much on an upward spiral.
A high end restaurant that if St Andrews supports, will be hugely successful.” - paulmK6095FH
We’ve eaten in a lot of good restaurants and Haar is one we’ll definitely be going back to.
A very relaxed atmosphere. Staff attentive and knowledgeable but not overbearing.
Dean Banks was more than happy to chat with guests.
Everything we ate was delicious but the Goan curry and banoffee desserts are to die for.” - bomber602
Dean you didn't disappoint, Haar is definitely a great choice and I could feel Haar's concept while I was having my lunch. Haarbar has lovely cocktails and I cant wait to be back. Thank you for my unique experience. - Isatins
I watched Dean Banks on Master Chef Professionals and just had to go and witness this talent for myself. From start to finish the entire experience was flawless. Loved the ambiance and friendly nature, the FOOD of course spoke for itself. The Arbroath Smokie (winner) and the Scottish Duck just topped off a great evening. In true Schwarzenegger style.... I'LL BE BACK!!”
We booked for lunch in Haar on 21 April and had Smoking Arbroath Smokie, Scottish Grass Fed Beef, Black Garlic, Asian Salad and to finish Banoffee. Every dish was superbly presented and enjoyed every mouthful. The staff were very friendly and knowledgable and we found it a great experience which we long to repeat.”
An evening of fantastic food and great service! Each course came out with us all staring in awe. Every plate was as if it was a display, perfection to look at and then to eat had all our taste buds doing somersaults!
Would I go back? 100% I have already booked for myself and some friends and cannot wait!
Thank you guys, you all did amazing ❤️”
Have visited here twice now and what a fantastic experience each visit was. Chef Dean does not disappoint in the slightest. His Masterchef Professionals Finals place was clearly well deserved. The restaurant itself is very comfortable with comfy chairs and well spaced tables. The staff are very well trained but not stuffy leading to an attentive but relaxed atmosphere. They seem to have specials each day according to what was available at the harbour. The food is obviously the star of the show and I couldn’t find any fault. The menu covers fish, beef, pork and vegetarian etc and each dish is a delight of flavours and textures. Each course teases your taste buds and leaves you looking forward to the next course. The Chef's world travels are highlighted by his varied dishes, Goan Curry and Asian sauce on the mussels to name two, and the quality fresh ingredients are outstanding. The attention to detail is amazing right down to the seaweed used to salt the butter. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending this place for a truly unique dining experience and their cocktails are pretty awesome too. I can highly recommend the Lunan. I am a huge fan and can’t wait for my next visit.” - 918mandys
Went to haar with family and friends for a birthday meal and it was incredible 😋the staff looked after us from start to finish they couldn’t have done anymore for us they were fantastic 🥰 would definitely recommend haar 😍” - Jennifer M
Could not rate the food any higher, Chef Dean really lived up to expectation.
The other members of the team were equally great and made us feel welcome and relaxed, not to mention the impressive cocktails.
Oysters with jalapeños and coriander......this is what dreams are made of!” - harry_walker7