Reviews for HAAR - June 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 Google to 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.
My husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Haar last night. The restaurant is beautifully decorated, relaxed and comfortable. Every member of staff was very friendly and helpful and all aspects of service were faultless. The meal itself was absolutely outstanding. We had the Taster Menu and it was a total delight. The pace was perfect and the variety of dishes flowed to make a wonderful meal. Having watched every episode of Masterchef it was exciting to watch Dean and his team in action. They were so efficient and calm. Dean came out to speak to us which was lovely and made it even more special and signed the Menu for me! This was a dining experience we will never forget. Will recommend Haar to friends and hope very much to return. Thank you! “ - elizabethhO9329EU
“The Haar; simply unforgettable!
On Sunday May 11th my cousin and I were walking around downtown St.Andrew’s trying to find a place to eat after playing our 1st round of golf in Scotland.
After being turned down twice because restaurants in the area were closing (roughly 8pm), I saw a Hotel and thought there has to be a restaurant there, and that’s how we found the HAAR!
We walked into this quaint space that can sit approximately 20 people where we were greeted by the welcoming Fiona who was happy to tell us all about the HAAR, which means a cold sea fog from the east coast of Scotland.
We chose to go with the 6 course meal and the wine pairing which was incredible! Not only was the food amazing, but Fiona made us feel like we were long time friends and part of the community.
She was very engaging and shared with us her passion for food throughout the whole meal (see pictures below).
My trip to St.Andrews was to celebrate my 50th birthday and play at the Home of Golf (which I did ;)This was the number one thing on my bucket list, and Fiona will forever be a part of my unforgettable experience in Scotland.
If you’re looking for a great culinary experience, an exceptional service, find your way to the HAAR and ask for Fiona! Tell her Mike Masters sent you.” - iamagolfaholic
Loved the ambiance and friendly staff. We started with oysters and drinks at the bar. Great conversation with the bartender. Then off to our table where we tried practically one of everything on the menu. Each flavorful dish was well presented and put together (flavors and portions). Great desserts.” - cswayt
Visited Haar today and what a phenomenal experience from start to finish. From the clever take on an Arbroath smokie, to subtly smoked Scottish langoustines, sublime oysters, juicy pork with a punchy kimchi purée, beef with black garlic, delicate sea trout and the famous banoffee and Scottish cheeses. The menu cleverly balanced, the food cooked to perfection, subtly spiced, clever uses of citrus and seasoned perfectly. Matching wines perfectly paired and complemented each dish. Excellent drinks list, lovely cocktails. Service exceptional, friendly and knowledgeable. Book now before it becomes impossible to get a table!” - Calumpaterson
This is truly exceptional food. Every course on the tasting menu was a delight. I am not someone for puddings but the take on a banoffee pie was unlike any banoffee pie I have ever seen before and truly scrumptious. However the simplest dish, the sea trout fricassee, was the one that will linger longest in my memory, Like a lot of aspirational restaurants, presentation sometimes obstructs the dish being served (did we need dry ice and pebbles under the oyster?) and the dining room is not ornate. Steak knives would have been helpful for at least two of the courses we were served. However, to quote another source of food advice definitely 'worth a detour'.” - Aj8709
Quality food and service. Had planned to pick from Al Carte but chose the tasting menu. Restaurant happy to swap out dishes so dropped the oysters in favour of pea veloute. Stand out dish for me was the turbot and summer fricassee . Uses of Asian spices give a subtle baground flavour to a lot of the dishes. Service was friendly, informed, and relaxed adding to the enjoyment of our evening. Looking forward to the next time I'm in Fife for a return visit.” - jgbclyde
Having followed Dean's journey with great interest on Masterchef - The Professionals, my family and I had been looking forward to visiting Haar since it's opening. More so in seeing and hearing all the first class reviews both in the press and on-line over the past few weeks.
Upon arrival and from the greeting from the charming front of house staff (special mention to Amy - she was an absolute star!) we knew this was going to be something different. The decor, the relaxed atmosphere, the locally sourced produce and, ultimately, the menu - the genius of Dean's approach to fine dining with dishes that really pack a punch full of flavour - it is an absolute delight to have a restaurant of such an extremely high calibre on our door step.
Highlights of our Sunday lunch include the Spiced Octopus which is by far the best octopus dish I have ever tasted. Despite my daughter ordering the pork belly and kimchi puree which she loved, she thought the octopus was her favourite. The halibut was out of this world. The black garlic accompanying the beef is a masterpiece and the Goan curry with coley was just sensational. Dean's ability to fuse flavours from around the world to compliment the best of local produce means that every mouthful of every dish is sheer heavenly bliss.
Two scrumptious banoffee desserts (another 'must try') and two strawberry and custard desserts later (divine) and we left in a food induced euphoria counting down the days until we will come back to Haar again. And it will not be long.
What Dean and his Team at Haar have achieved in a relatively short space of time is astounding and I highly recommended you experience it for yourself.
It will not be long until Dean is awarded his first Michelin star and this 'culinary magpie' certainly does deserve it!” - PLB7400
We visited on our anniversary on a Sunday and went for the fives tasting menu. The staff were extremely friendly and attentive from the moment we walked in the door. Each course in the tasting menu was incredible and they were happy to substitute courses if there was anything in particular you can’t eat without making it feel like you were causing a fuss. The dining room was relaxed. After dinner we had a couple of cocktails in the bar. Bartender was very friendly and attentive and enjoyed the challenge of making cocktails with certain flavours. The cocktails were fantastic! We had a great time and will definitely be back” - EwanJohnston90
Enjoyed a memorable Sunday lunch at Haar. Food was wonderful, presentation and quality were five star! Very tasteful surrounds lend themselves to a casual dining experience, which is continued by the innovative 'sharing approach' menu. I think table reservations will soon be a 'must' to eat at this lovely new restaurant.” - Beitanne
We had the taster menu with accompanying drinks. The staff were friendly but not intrusive. The food was absolutely delicious. Due to oyster allergy staff happy to change. Would recommend to anyone.” - P5472ASsuzannem
“A must dinner when in St Andrews!
We had a tasting menu every part was excellent!!!! Thank you chef Dean Banks for a memorable evening!! Also for the visit to our table from the winner of the Master Chef!” - vbibler
“Casual fine dining in St Andrews
Rory served a fabulous tasting menu prepared by BBC Master Chef finalist, Dean Banks. The food was beautiful and delicious! Service was top notch. Environment was comfortable and relaxing. A must do for foodies.” - Mary G
“Incredible experience, customer service was brilliant.
I've been lucky enough to visit the Haar twice since its opening and both visits were very special. I keep seeing the Haar going up on the tripadvisor rankings in St Andrews and I won't be surprised if it reaches the top by the end of the year. I read a couple of the critisisms on early reviews before going and I was really impressed that all of these must have been learned from and changed, so well done to staff and management. I have to say that overall the customer service was really first class both times, the staff care a lot about their work, explain every dish for you and try to give you a great experience.
Food - phenomenal. Both myself and my guests both times couldn't have been happier, it was just brilliant. I'd challenge anyone to find better food nearby, we're lucky to have a top class chef and restaurant in St Andrews. Both visits consisted 4 dishes from what is labelled on the Haar website as 'sharers' but not in the restaurant's menu (maybe the website needs updating as they are possibly too small for sharing - just my opinion i'm no expert) and 2 from the mains. Despite being one of the cheapest on the menu, the crab and pea veloute might be one of the tastiest things i've ever eaten and the scallops were incredible. Two of the highlights, the rest were all amazing, i'll put pictures. I wasn't too bothered but my guests both times noticed Dean visited almost all the tables after their meals except ours, perhaps because we were a table of 2 and quite young. They were slightly disappointed but it really didn't affect our evening at all, just maybe would've been nice for them.
Looking forward to the next visit, thank-you to the great staff at the Haar for your hard work.” - Alex B
The young Chef and his team have put together an outstanding dining experience with creative dishes and excellent wine pairing. The food was cooked to perfection and presentation was worthy of a starred restaurant.” - raphaelg886
“Lovely night of romance and beautiful food.
Wonderful tasting menu. Food is delicious. Great service, and I think the restaurant has a wonderful refurbishment. It is a fantastic and stand out addition to the dining scene in St Andrews.” - ljacks
We had an evening at Haar and from the moment we walked in the door until we left we were made to feel welcomed and relaxed. We started with cocktails made by Austin who explained everything he did in great detail and even made us some of his own cocktails which weren't on the menu. Followed by a wonderful 6 course tasting menu which again was explained fully through each course, the staff were happy to swap some of the courses for us. Cant wait to return again soon.” - henry_dobbie1959
What an experience! The food tastes absolutely fantastic and looks gorgeous on the plate. The restaurant is very welcoming and the staff are very friendly. I was really happy with the diverse menu and the quality of the products because were just THAT good. While the concept of Chef Dean Banks is sharing - I wish that the dishes were just a bit bigger because some of the dishes – ex: Crab and Pea Velouté was a bit small for two people. Maybe one other reason for that was that I wanted to have the dish for myself because I haven’t tasted something so rich and top quality in a long time. Another dish I would definitely recommend is the duck – that was just fantastic and I will go back just for that!” - Ratatouille2007
My wife, 2 year old son and I went to ‘The Haar’ resteraunt this afternoon. I must admit, from the moment we entered the door we were very impressed. The decor is striking and the staff are very attentive, but not in your face and were extremely polite and pleasant at all times.
The food was the main reason we went there though and we were not disappointed in the least. We had seen Dean on master chef the professionals last year and we can understand why they raved about his food. We tried the bread and the selection of cured meats, which just watered the tastebuds. My wife and had the crab volute followed by the bbq’d roast duck and I had the pork belly with kimchie purée followed by the lamb loin and cafe de Paris sauce. They were outstanding, even my two year old son enjoyed sampling them, especially the crab volute and duck. For desert my wife had the strawberry’s and custard and I had the banoffee. What a way to end the meal, once again outstanding.
To finish, my family really thoroughly enjoyed our experience at ‘The Haar’. The service and food was excellent. To be honest we thought the price was very fair for that standard of food and service. We would like to wish Dean and his team all the success in the future and we look forward to returning there soon. I am sure he and his team will have great success.” - Mark W
“Beautiful food and attentive staff
I recently visited Haar for an evening out with my husband. We tried the taster menu as couldn't decide what to have. Im so glad we did as every course was just so tasty and beautifully presented! The staff were very polite and friendly with good explanations of what the different parts of the meal were. We can't wait to go back to try some more dishes on the menu!” - theheidster11
“Best fish dish I've ever had.
My wife surprised me a break here with a stay in the hotel. We were bowled over by both.
As loads of other people say, the staff were magnificent. Simply put, they all make you feel like a VIP.
We went for the tasting menu, and added an extra course - lobster - and trust me, it was the right decision.
There's no other way to put it than every single morsel of food on every plate was perfect. I didn't know asparagus could be a dish on its own, not did I know it could be so good!
The star of the show however was the trout. I've eaten a lot of seafood in a lot.of good restaurants, but this bettered them all. The best fish dish I've ever had. It was truly spectacular.
The staff couldn't do enough for you, were profession, yet friendly. Had a laugh with them, and they helped me with a gift for me with.
We will be back - that is a promise. I don't know what criteria is for a Michelin star, but I don't see how Haar cannot get one, and soon.
Thank you for an amazing weekend.” - Ambassador645178
“Lovely food, lovely atmosphere
Had the lunch Al la carte, and it was amazing. The flavours and texture, each dish was put together beautifully. Was for a birthday treat, and was one indeed. I would recommend to anyone looking for somewhere special to go for a night out. Or a special meal with someone.” - Chelsk92
“40th wedding anniversary celebration
What can I say. Despite my reservations on the menu and what i thought I would like everything was superb. Went for sharing and it did not fail. Staff attentive and knowledgeable and chef first class. Can't recommend highly enough.” - Standrews01
Had a lovely afternoon there today. Went for the taster menu and there wasn’t a course on it that was anything less than exceptional. Hard to pick out a favourite course but if I had to it was the cod fillet with with Goan curry, or maybe the duck, or the langoustine... actually they were all amazing from the artisan bread at the beginning right through to the cheese.
Nice relaxed friendly vibe to the place too which really added to the experience.” - mikebR7749VV
We usually xisit for lunch but went out for an evening meal to celebrate a birthday. The food was amazing and the lobster was something else, I would recommend ordering some bread with it, that mirin butter sauce is sublime. The staff and service is great and nothing is too much trouble. We would like to thank Chef Dean and his team for making it a night to remember” - pat g
As you conclude this journey through the remarkable reviews of HAAR, we hope you've gained a glimpse into the extraordinary dining experiences that await you at our restaurant. From the words of our satisfied guests, it is evident that HAAR is more than just a place to dine.
We invite you to join us at HAAR and experience the magic firsthand. Let our dedicated team guide you through our diverse menu. Whether it's a special occasion, an intimate gathering, or simply a desire to indulge in tasty cuisine, we are here to make every moment unforgettable.
Thank you for embarking on this journey with us. We look forward to welcoming you to HAAR.