Living And Dining In London - The Scottish Way

Having a taste of the Highland life in city London is an experience "high"ly valued by many Scotsmen. As all who have eaten it will agree, there are few things as delicious in British cooking as a well-made haggis, washed down with fine scotch and ending with a delicious crannachan.

The Scottish way of enjoying life is a fine one - full of excellent food, wine, whisky and ending with a cigar-tasting session. For those with sensitive palates (and a good tolerance for alcohol), this is sheer heaven. In London, thankfully, diners do not have to keep up with the seemingly endless stomachs of the Highlanders. They can sit back and relax, putting away all the food they desire, to the accompaniment of pleasant live jazz and the clinking of cutlery.

Other than dining out, there are many aspects of the Scottish life that London-based people are mostly deprived of. One of these, for example, is the wine-and-cigar ritual of an evening, where wines and cigars are tasted and paired until winning combinations are found and enjoyed. These tasting sessions also serve as an excellent medium for social interaction - discussing the races, golf, wines, whiskies and anything that may come up in the course of the conversation. Luckily, there are Scottish clubs in London which let Scotsmen be as Scottish as they want, without annoying any proud Englishmen!

Whether dining out with a special person or hosting a business party, it is highly desirable that the food and ambience be of excellent quality. If hosting esteemed delegates, it is also essential that they get to stay at a hotel or inn that has the same level of quality as your company's business atmosphere and your relationship with the guests. An efficiently run Scottish inn, for instance, is the perfect place to host your business guests.

Food connoisseurs always demand that the preparations be authentic, rather than modified to suit the cook's or the native's palate. The sincerity and the emphasis on authenticity and obtaining the best ingredients is what differentiates the average restaurant from the premium - a divide that comes out beautifully in the not-so-recent animation film "Ratatouille".

Boisdale is one of the places in London where you can enjoy an excellent Scottish meal, whether just for yourself and your partner or for a private party for friends, family or business purposes. They offer an excellent menu including salads with roasted pine nuts, main courses such as haggis with neeps, and - for dessert - a selection of ice creams, sorbets, and pudding with clotted cream. You can end your meal with a glass of wine, and a cheese platter that will absolutely blow your mind away.

Today, London is one of the most cosmopolitan and multicultural cities in the world. From Chinese and Thai cuisine to Continental to Indian, there is no cuisine that is unavailable there. By adding Scottish cuisine to the list, London's multiculturalism goes that bit farther.