BEN HENDRY: What does Dundee have that my city Aberdeen doesn't?

When my parents recently planned a mid-week break in Scotland, it was Dundee they chose to visit.

Not Edinburgh. Not Glasgow. And certainly not Aberdeen (I tried not to take this personally).

So there must be something about Dundee, and this something was enough to convince them to drive there from Wick.

As the leader of the P&J’s Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire team, the notion that Dundee has overtaken us as an attractive place to visit (and invest in) is not a new one.

But is this perception right? Is Dundee really all that better?

I decided to hop on a train the other day, notebook in hand, to conduct something of a field trip to the City of Discovery and find out.

‘Brilliant’ V&A Dundee

I began with the main draw, the deciding factor in my parents’ (and doubtless many others’) decision to visit Dundee.

The V&A Museum.

The V&A is quite a spectacle! Image: DC Thomson

Pretty handily, it’s right next to the train station and barely a stone’s throw from the city centre.

Despite living an hour away from this stunning venue, I have visited its lookalike Titanic Museum in Belfast more often than it.

And I have only been there once.

The Titanic Museum in Belfast. Image: Supplied

So this was an overdue visit anyway.

And, yep, it was brilliant. An awe-inspiring building filled with fascinating displays all about design – whether we be talking about buildings, clothes or all things in between.

A particular highlight is a Charles Rennie Mackintosh tea room, expertly reconstructed from the original Ingram Street fittings and plonked right in the middle of the museum.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Oak Room has been meticulously restored, conserved and reconstructed through a partnership between V&A Dundee, Glasgow Museums and Dundee City Council. Image: HuftonCrow

While Aberdeen has the revamped Art Gallery and Provost Skene House (both of which I really like), it’s fair to say neither of these has the wow factor of the V&A.

Nor have they pierced the public imagination in the same way, luring visitors from across Scotland and beyond. Within five years, the V&A was visited by 1.7 million people…

As I headed back out into the sunshine, it was time for lunch.

So what is the city centre’s food and drink offering like?

Strolling towards the town from the V&A, my eye is drawn to Dundee’s pedestrianised Union Street.

It’s pretty colourful, so this is probably the idea.

It draws you in, and before you know it, you’re exploring the rest of the city centre.

Aberdeen has seen many rows over the idea of a pedestrianised Union Street (Dundee’s above). Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

Passing the rows of outdoor seating, you get the feeling that Dundee is a bit further on when it comes to the idea of cafe culture (one of Aberdeen City Council’s aims).

There are quirky gift shops, not one but two record stores, and a few hairdressers along the lane too.

Branching off into the side streets, there are some that have the trendy feel of Aberdeen’s thriving Rosemount area, except they are located right in the centre.

Exchange Street is one of these trendy lanes. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson

You can’t help but notice the abundance of independent cafes, coffee shops and bakeries on each street.

I pop into a place called The Selkie for lunch, and pick up a coffee from The Flame Tree across the road.

This steak salad was very nice! Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

What next on Dundee city centre mission?

So what else does Dundee have that Aberdeen city centre doesn’t?

Well, an independent cinema. For now, at least.

I popped along to the Dundee Contemporary Arts complex on the Nethergate to see what it was like.

The modern venue. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

As it happened, I got there just as a film called My Favourite Cake was starting so bought a ticket and was ushered to my seat as the room was bathed in darkness.

This is a Dundee review, not a movie review, so I’ll spare you my thoughts – other than to say it’s not really about a cake.

Back on topic, I was impressed by how busy the place was.

There was a decent crowd in there, especially for a Thursday afternoon screening of a subtitled Iranian film about loneliness among older people.

The cafe/bar was busy too.

It made me wonder if this perhaps bodes well for a relaunched Belmont Cinema, and it certainly made me yearn for a time I can go to see some weird film in Aberdeen city centre again.

So does Aberdeen or Dundee have a better centre?

Don’t get me wrong. Dundee is not a magical land of milk and honey.

Like any Scottish city centre, you won’t have to look too far to spot the familiar sight of “to let” signs above whitewashed windows.

And it also has the vape shops, bookies and slot arcades that many Aberdonians complain about in their own city centre.

But what does it have going for it?

Apart from a world class museum, a seemingly booming cafe culture scene and an independent cinema, I mean…

Well, it has something that I hope Aberdeen might soon possess: A positive perception.

Dundee has gone from a punchline to punching above its weight.

Dundee’s Union Street. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson

Aberdeen, following the oil and gas downturn, might seem a place of doom and gloom, but Dundee feels like a place on the up.

A reputation reinforced by the upcoming £130 million Eden Project destined to transform the run-down East Dock Street gasworks.

While Aberdeen’s regeneration stalled for years amid bickering and axed plans, particularly around whether our Union Street should be pedestrianised, it looks like Dundee has just got on with it.

We can only hope that the new market will lure folk in from the city and Aberdeenshire, and that the colourful beach playpark will indeed bring in families from further afield.

Dundee’s turnaround proves that perception is everything. And a bad reputation can be fixed.

Ben Hendry is the leader of the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire team at The Courier’s sister title, The Press and Journal.