Boisdale | Scottish food in London | Canary Wharf
Boisdale Scottish food in the middle of Canary Wharf.
Boisdale Canary Wharf is located at Canary Wharf in Cabot Place. It is on the Upper Level 1. It has an external entrance, or alternatively, you could access it from the Canary Wharf Shopping Mall. The restaurant is in the heart of the Canary Wharf Business District, and attracts many of the businesspersons working in the area. One could therefore group it with the upmarket restaurants around London.
The restaurant is quite spacious, yet it could be intimate, and is popular as a romantic spot, especially for late dinners. What adds to the intimacy and the ambience is the fact that it is one of the restaurants that offers live music. It is known for its jazz music, but at the time of our visit, though, the musicians were not performing. Instead, my wife and I were treated to some wonderful jazz in the background, which was quite pleasant. The restaurant often hosts Scottish celebrations, at which point you would be treated to a host of Scottish dishes and Scottish pipes. This restaurant is therefore the ideal place to be if you want to enjoy some celebrations with the Scottish people.
Tartan chair upholstery, and some of the rest of the interior, will definitely let you know that you are in a Scottish restaurant. The restaurant has a pleasant view to the outside, which gives it an airy feel. The view is available to you, should you sit at the window. If you want a cozier feel, the seating arrangement at the entrance offers just that, as well as parts of the interior area. The cozier area is part of the pub area, and could be an enjoyable hub if you like to be part of the bustling crowd.
Boisdale Menu a la carte’ prices
The menu too will let you know that you are dining at a Scottish restaurant. One clue is especially the Haggis that you will find as a starter, or first course. The prices are surprisingly not as steep as one would expect from a restaurant in this particular area. The prices also allow for a wider choice for most pockets – that is, if you do not wish to spend too much at a given time. There are a variety of dishes, which include the Haggis Scotch quail egg dish, the Dunkeld Scottish oak smoked salmon, and the Mini roast Dumfriesshire Blackface haggis as a main course.
Wine Choice – Rioja “Vina Amate”
Most of London’s restaurants offer great wines from around the world, and Boisdale Canary Wharf is no exception. An excellent wine to compliment our dinner was the Rioja Crianza Vina Amate 2015. This wine from the Spanish vineyards had a delectable full body, with a very fruity layer. The black and red fruity layers made this an excellent choice. It certainly complimented our steak choice very well. With its deep dark red colour, it was also pleasant to the nose with a deep oaky and mineral bouquet. The wine was reasonably priced at £35.
First Course – Scottish Haggis
There is no better way to state the obvious in the choice of a starter. Being in a Scottish restaurant, I felt compelled to order the famous Scottish Haggis. The dish, Mini roast Dumfriesshire Blackface Haggis, with mashed potatoes and bashed neeps, was splendidly tasty. The balance between the mash, and the bashed neeps added to the flavour. It was also at a great price of £8.5. As it was a starter, the dish was prepared at a smaller scale, and was very tasty. That is why it is called the mini roast – it is a smaller scale of the actual Haggis dish. The bottle of sparkling water I ordered, helped to clear the palate for the main dish and the wine I ordered for us.
Main Course – Ternderloin
Generous portions are often not part of many restaurant menus, but our main course certainly was a well-portioned main course. I ordered the twenty-ounce Buccleuch Estate Chateaubriand, which is a twenty-one day dry-aged, cut from the thick end of the tenderloin. As promised by the chef (on the menu) the meat was very tender. The menu stated that it was “for two to share,” and as I said, the portions were very generous. There was definitely sufficient to share between the two of us. It was a pleasant experience as it was also reasonably priced at £75. The presentation was minimal with some watercress, but I did not care to have it even though I am sure others would enjoy it as part of the meal. I added some peppercorn steak sauce to the order, as well as some fat fries
Service
I do not have any complaints about the service, as it was excellent. The food was delivered on time, and so was our wine and water.
