As far as Christmas party themes go, a Scottish highland shooting lodge is a pretty nice one. This will be provided at Mac & Wild’s central London venue, which is known for being one of the most prominent Scottish restaurants in the capital.
It’s also known for having one of London’s best burgers, the Venimoo Burger, which has been given the accolade twice. Food really is at the centre here and we wouldn’t leave without having tried the haggis pops, the venison scotch eggs or the truffle mac and cheese. It would be silly not to try one of the great Scottish butcher’s cuts, too, sourced from traceable producers and prepared by in-house butchers. The ‘Deer and Dive’ (Scotland’s take on a surf n’ turf) is a big slab of grilled venison fillet with a whole butter-poached Cromarty lobster (to share between two), and we couldn’t recommend it more.
The option between two specific Christmas menus are also available. For £42pp, you can get a three-course meal either for lunch or dinner, and for £7pp extra, you can throw in a welcome drink, whisky and mince pies. The menu features Christmassy twists on the traditional dishes – the scotch egg is given some cranberry ketchup and pine salt; the Christmas burger gives promise of pork stuffing, venison patty, melted Morangie Brie, red cabbage, shredded sprout tops and
festive fries; and there is even roast turkey with all the trimmings.
For a more private affair, head downstairs to the basement. It has a minimum spend, but with a complete Scottish menu with some seriously delicious treats and a wide selection of whiskeys and cocktails, that won’t be an issue. Dimly lit and with dark green wooden walls and exposed brick, the space is definitively atmospheric and with a rustic highland theme.
Alternatively, you can hire out the entire restaurant exclusively and be given access to the narrow and intimate upstairs main restaurant, too. What we especially like about this space are the antlers and stag skin that hang from the ceiling as decorations – plus, it’s is where the bar is.