Let’s hear it for the Bois…

Voucher dinner at the Boisdale.

The Boisdale is a mini chain of Scots themed restaurants thinly spread west to east across London, ranging from Belgravia to Canary Wharf. It was the end of January, pay day and my first real night of 2020 when I made way with the Captain, to that part of Belgravia that will always be a bit too close to Victoria coach station.

From the outside the Boisdale Belgravia looks like what you’d imagine a Regency off licence would look like, if that thought had ever occurred to you. The interior is what would happen if Scotland’s biggest Tory, bought two adjacent, but not very similar townhouses, knocked them together then splashed a lottery winners prize money on décor that heavily suggested, but wasn’t actually tartan.

The Captain and I were on a budget Groupon deal, Chateaubriand for two with unlimited chips for £48. This meant we were shown to a budget Groupon table, right next to where the band would play, too close to see them you understand, but also so close you wouldn’t be able to hear anything else.

Of course, this being a budget deal, the owners weren’t going to miss an opportunity to upsell. We were presented with an optional starters and extras menu and then a book which contained a lot of names followed by big numbers, which I took to be a phone book, but was the wine list.

It was a nice selection of starters with a mix of Scots and international dishes. Scallops, smoked salmon and haggis were all featured, but I choose the pate de foise gras, to celebrate the auld alliance, whilst the Captain made do with the chilli squid. Prices ranged from about £8-£20ish, and both were good, but did appear suspiciously quickly.

The foise gras was succulent and savoury and of a portion size that was enough to leave you sated rather than sickly. The squid tasted fresh and well-seasoned so both of us were happy.

I’m not kidding about the wine list; it is one of the most extensive and expensive I’ve seen. Prices vary from weekend minibreak up to decent secondhand car. There were however some wines at the front of the book, which will now seem cheap in comparison (though not with wines available elsewhere.) I ordered a sangiovese at £39, which was very pleasant, so much so I don’t how a bottle £200 more expensive would have been much better.

The main event followed soon after the starters, and this for me was the let down of the evening, though I don’t really think it was the Boisdale’s fault. The chips of which we could have an unlimited amount were at least double cooked and to my mind excellent. The French beans with parmesan also great. No, it was the Chateaubriand itself that caused my lips to droop.

It really did look the part, like one of those how it should be done pictures in cookbooks. It to me though lacked flavour or was too subtle for my tastes. As I’ve said I prefer the fattier cuts such as ribeye or sirloin where the fat boosts the flavour. This might have been healthier but was also blander.

What wasn’t bland though was the bearnaise sauce, which was truly excellently tangy with tarragon and the service which was friendly but professional. The bill when it came was another £80 on top of the roughly £50 the voucher had cost, so £130 for 2 courses with wine. Now that’s expensive and it could be much more were you to explore the delights of the spirit, fine wine or cigar menu. The latter is also supported by one of the best examples of a cigar terrace I’ve seen in London.

It did feel like dinner here was an event, it was an event that cost too much and was over too soon, but still enjoyable. Looking at the regular menu, I’d suggest that is better value than the ‘deal’ myself and the Captain enjoyed. I’ll be back, but next time without a voucher.

Boisdale Belgravia

15 Ecclestone Street,

London, SW1W 9LX

www.boisdale.co.uk