J.J. Booths pub is situated in the Back Wynd in Aberdeen, just off Union Street. The location makes it handy place to pop into for a quick pint or lunch while you are hitting the shops on a Saturday afternoon.

The pub has a very traditional feel to it - no plastic tacky bits- with the only concession being a large screen for football and a couple of TVs. There is a large bar so getting served isn't a problem. The range of beer is fairly standard for a pub - lots of lager, beers, Guinness but not a huge range of the alcopop drink variety. It's not that kind of pub!

There are plenty of seats set in cosy nooks so it feels a very warm and welcoming place. Upstairs is the best place. You can look down onto the bar below and you get a great view of the screen if you are there for a sporting occasion! The decoration is dark wood with lots of random pictures scattered about the walls - plenty to keep your eyes occupied. The "facilities" are fairly standard. Obviously I can only comment on the "Ladies" but there are only two cubicles and the toilets in general are really small. It would be a bit of a squash if there were a queue when the pub was busy! However they are clean and well stocked with all the "essentials"!

We went there for something to eat late on a Saturday afternoon. I had never been there for food and I am always willing to try something new. The menu was quite extensive with a selection of starters, burgers, filled Yorkshire puddings, baked potatoes, sandwiches and main meals. There were also platters that you could share amongst friends- even a platter of profiteroles and strawberries! The sweet selection was a bit limited with only sticky toffee pudding and something else (can't remember what!). The food didn't take too long to arrive - enough time to convince you that it as freshly cooked.

I went for a salmon pasta bake that was served with some lovely garlic
bread, my friend had a filled Yorkshire pudding and my other friend went for the poor person's option of chips. My pasta came in earthenware bowl and was lovely. Plenty of chunks of salmon but unfortunately there wasn't enough of it! The Yorkshire pudding was also lovely from what I heard (I didn't get a chance to taste any of it!) and the chips were nice and crunchy. The waitress brought a rather impressive selection of chutneys, pickles and mustards. This added a nice touch but I would have preferred my main course to be a bit more substantial!

I enjoyed my first visit to J.J. Booths and I will probably be back for a pint but not for food. Even though the menu was impressive the portions were not big enough compared to other pubs in Aberdeen city centre. Good try though!