England, Part IV: Not many outlets in London specialize in Scottish food. So saints be praised for Albannach, which scores with a lively crowd at Trafalgar Square.
Haggis with neeps & tatties (turnips & potatoes). The haggis (sheep's heart, liver & lungs, minced with onions & oatmeal, then simmered in sheep's stomach) is produced by Macsween, an Edinburgh-based, third-generation family business that has been dubbed "the guardians of Scotland's national dish." Tender meat, flavor-packed without being gamy (kinda like a cross between beef and lamb).
Cullen Skink soup _ traditional smoked haddock broth. Creamy comfort food.
Inverawe smoked salmon with sweet pickled cucumber & beetroot. Smoked salmon that somehow tastes ferociously fresh _ why can't we have that in KL?
Steak & ale pie, featuring hearty beef cooked with organic Caledonian ale. Might be the perfect body-warming platter for a wintry night out on a Scottish highland cliff.
Il Banchetto Bianco, Italy ('09) & Il Banchetto Rosso.
Albannach,
London.
