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Scotland isn’t exactly famous for its world-class cuisine and being a London-based Scot myself, I’ve suffered years of abuse about Scottish grub; but if one more person says the words ‘deep-fried Mars bar’ to me, I’m going to ram a can of Irn Bru down their throats. And then I’m going to take them to Albannach to say sorry.

As one of the few designated Scottish bars/restaurants in London, I have known Albannach for a while – mostly as a pre-rugby drinking venue or a place to take fellow Scots who are staying in central London. It is also a celebrated Burns Night venue – so much so, in fact, that tickets sell out months in advance.

Situated immediately opposite Trafalgar Square, it’s impressive from the outside, complete with bouncers and door-staff, and has a gorgeous interior – all high ceilings and dark wood panelling – grandiose but very tasteful. There are three levels each serving a different purpose. The ground level bar is somewhere for drinks and snacks – and is also home to the celebrated whiskey bar – upstairs is the restaurant, which overlooks the bustling bar, and in the basement lives a cosy late-night bar, live music venue and club. This place really does have all bases covered.

The menu at Albannach is as impressive as the venue itself. Starters range from crab risotto and beef carpaccio to Scottish smoked salmon and sausage platters. We plumped for the pan-fried king scallops and aforementioned risotto – which was garnished, heavenly, with caviar. Both tasted sublime and were fairly priced.

The mains on the menu offer good old British favourites – including burgers, steak sandwiches and fish and chips (reasonably priced) as well as a mouth-watering selection of dishes from the grill (naturally, slightly more extravagantly priced). I couldn’t resist the haggis, neeps and tatties and my other half treated himself to Albananach’s signature fillet mignon. Both were cooked to absolute perfection with wonderful yet simple flavours. My other half had never sampled haggis prior our meal at Albannach. Did he enjoy it? He ordered a side portion for himself instead of dessert. I think that’ll be a yes then.

The drinks menu itself is worth a separate mention. Albannach is famed for its obscenely large whiskey collection with apparently over 130 variations (they even host their own whiskey master classes here). We spotted one brand that was £110 for a single short! The wine and cocktail lists are both equally as impressive ¬– with decently priced vinos and delectable cocktails – including some house whiskey specials. And the champagne, oh the champagne. They stock everything from prosecco, to trusty Veuve, Dom Perignon and the king of champers – Louis Roederer Cristal (at £350 a bottle – yikes).

But even the drinks list couldn’t hold a candle to the service we experienced. I can quite honestly say it was the best I can recall from my three years in London – friendly, efficient and extremely attentive – nothing was too much trouble (including the aforementioned haggis as dessert). I’d go as far to say that, despite the wonderful food and drink, the service was the highlight of our night.

If I had to critique The Albannach it would be about one single point: while the food tasted delicious, I think that the meat and fish could be of better quality. My (slightly pretentious) other half informed me that really good caviar should burst easily on the roof of mouth¬ ¬– and ours didn’t. But this is like complaining that the rubies on my slippers aren’t shiny enough.

Overall, if you can overlook the fact that, given the location, this will inevitably be a fairly touristy spot, Albannach is a wonderful place for a fancy meal – ¬the perfect date spot or for a business lunch/dinner to impress. You can also be comforted by the fact that, according to the Guardian, 33% of American visitors to the UK believe haggis to be real animal. Pure brilliant.

Reviewed by Sophie Atkinson

DESCRIPTION: Albannach showcases the best the food and drink industry has to offer. As well as an award-winning chef, Albannach offers guests unrivalled access to one of the UK’s top drink experts, Ian Wisniewski; an innovative cocktail list created by one of London’s star bartenders, Tony Conigliaro and a stunning wine list devised by Sam Caporn of Wine International. Add to this, superlative business and leisure facilities, including the latest technology in sound and lighting, and Albannach is destined to become a mecca for gastronomes, wine buffs and cocktail connoisseurs.

Boasting a ground floor bar, a lower ground vaulted cocktail lounge, a mezzanine restaurant and a private room, Albannach offers a superlative range of Scottish malts served by their whisky sommelier, contemporary and classic cocktails as well as fabulous food using only the best of Scottish produce such as seafood and Angus Beef.

The stunning interior steers away from obvious Scottish imagery and memorabilia to create a stylish and contemporary environment for diners and drinkers alike. With its LCD screens for laptop presentations, a 50” plasma screen, DVD, CD and VCR and internet points, Albannach is an unusual location for corporate meetings and events throughout the day whilst the cocktail lounge and private room are available in the evening for exclusive dinners, parties and product launches. (Updated 21/06/2010)

Customer Reviews for Albannach

“I came to this restaurant with a couple of friends and thought 'wow', its fantastic sitting upstairs and watching the crowd below, the service was great, all the staff wear kilts and the food was delicious. My friends and I will be back again definitely.”
Rating: — natalie small, london (23 Jun 2007)

“I love this place, the food, the drink and the kilts - i came here with a group of friends and had dinner. The atmosphere was fantastic, the staff very attentive and the food was very well prepared. Later we moved down to doon and had some cocktails and a dance - will definitely be going back.”
Rating: — johnathan Blackman, london (23 Jun 2007)

“Beautiful beautiful place. Had read quite a bit about Albannach and then brought a date here to check it out. Well I looked great and in the know, to bring her to this undiscovered gem. Encyclopaedic Whisky selection, exquisite fine-didning restaurant, staff in trendy kilts and a fantastic Basement Cocktail Lounge. This venue has it all. Albannach is an undiscovered Gem.”
Rating: — Liam Brady, London (13 Aug 2005)

“It's time to move over, Mr. Sanderson Hotel, there's a new kid on the block! I just love this spin on Scotland and the beautiful men in kilts. Plus, where else can you find such a cool place south of the Soho crowd? I love it!”
Rating: — Emma S, London (13 Jun 2005)

“This tastefully decorated intimate yet grandiose venue has much to offer compared to the normal bleak London restaurant. It boasts true flavor and Scottish Culture along with fantastic food. I enjoyed a friday evening dinner there with friends only to be pleasantly surprised by the sheer perfection in quality of the food and drink. I've heard that this venue has just recently opened and was suprised by the smoothness of the experience. There is a lovely cocktail bar in the lower level which serves some interesting drink choices. I think I had a blackberry fizz which was quite nice and my friends enjoyed some pineapple drinks. I really like the way they keep the whole tartan theme throughout...they have some intimate seating areas lined in tartan which are arc'd booth seating. If you get a chance to try one of the hundreds of whisky choices they have a well educated bar staff to help you with your selection. I tried a nice whiskey that had a light smokey flavor, it was age”
Rating: — Michelle Silva, London (06 Feb 2005)

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