Opening on St Valentine’s Day in St Andrews, The Physician promises to be a stylish new addition to the university town’s bar scene, bringing ‘London and New York’ energy to the Fife coastline.
Those are the places where The Physician’s owner Julie Wijkstrom gained her experience in ‘genre-defining’ cocktail bars and award-winning fine dining – experience which she now intends to use to ‘raise the bar’ in St Andrews.
Wijkstrom said: “The world is a melting pot. The people making the freshest cocktails or doing something exciting with design might be in Edinburgh, London, Scandinavia or New York. I glean elements from the best of the best and set that as my bar. I wanted to make this the place to be in St Andrews.”
The Physician’s theatre begins with a striking entrance and ‘evocatively lit’ approach to the thoroughly refreshed interior, in ink blue with accents of paprika.
Once in The Lab, the cocktails from the award-winning mixologists take centre stage. Elements such as smoke, changing colours, bubbles and dry ice enhance the theatrical experience.
On the menu, intriguing names like The Epiphany and The Serpent, described in tasting notes as ‘charming with bite’, tantalise further. Flavours promise to be fresh, with the signature cocktail, The Physician, infused with Scottish Raspberry and Mint to cut the rounded fruit notes.
Mixologist Joe Cassidy describes his work: “Our handmade infusions are about balancing the finest, locally sourced ingredients and botanicals with just the right spirits to tease out the attributes of each in exciting and inventive ways.”
The food menu, a selection of large plates and bijou bites, was created to compliment the drinks. Award-winning head chef Rory MacCrimmon took inspiration from the phrase ‘a little of what you like is good for you’ to create dishes more conducive to buzz and conversation than traditional bar fare.
His dishes feature the finest locally sourced ingredients and range from classic Beef Tartare to zingy Korean Chicken, with world class charcuterie and cheese boards.
Wijkstrom stressed her love of sourcing locally as part of Scotland’s thriving gourmet food movement. “Top hospitality venues are excelling at fresh takes on the finest local ingredients, and it gives me joy to be a part of that scene.”
Her vision is that thriving establishments can boost Scotland, both reputationally and economically: “The wave of world class establishments moving beyond capital cities is something to be celebrated. The demand for this quality makes me optimistic about Scotland’s hospitality industry.”
The name The Physician is a nod to the eminent St Andrews physician, John Adamson, who was also a world traveller ahead of his time and a photographic pioneer, a character in step with Wijkstrom’s vision of bringing global influences, science and spectacle into hospitality.
