Partnerships with Flor De Caña rum and Rooster Rojo tequila mean frozen cocktails on offer alongside tapas dishes
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The vibrant hues of the tartan carpet that greets visitors to Boisdale Of Canary Wharf are a direct link to its owner’s heritage – as potent a visual flavour as its oxblood red walls for locating the mind in a space dedicated to hospitality and relaxation.
There’s always been a solidity about the place, which owes a not inconsiderable debt to the generations of Clanranald Scots who came before and begat its singular owner, Ranald Macdonald.
It’s perhaps one of the reasons the restaurant is celebrating 15 years since opening its doors on the estate.
Appropriate then, that Bosidale has chosen to partner a brand that also boasts significant lineage to garland its outdoor space in recognition of the anniversary.
Flor De Caña has been making rum in Nicaragua at the base of the San Cristóbal volcano for five generations and lends both its flavours and decals to Boisdale’s Tropical Garden Terrace – now open to drinkers and diners.
“We’re lucky to have an extraordinary florist who has helped us create the look,” said Tony Havin, general manager at Boisdale Of Canary Wharf for the better part of eight years.
“Rum felt like the right flavour and then the idea of frozen cocktails came alongside the decision to offer tapas and a menu that’s not so full-on because it’s summer and guests want something lighter.
“The terrace is really a tropical paradise.
“I love Boisdale, it’s so much more than a restaurant.
“The only other place I’ve worked at for this long was at Mirabelle for Marco Pierre White.
“In Canary Wharf we offer such a lot – there’s a thousand whiskies, a great wine list, the food in the restaurant, the live music, the cigars and, of course, the terrace.
“It’s the diversity that first made me excited to work here.
“Not all amazing places have an outside space and the terrace is so important for us.”
icy refreshment at Boisdale Of Canary Wharf
Playful as ever, the terrace menu includes four rum-laced Daiquiris and a pair of Rooster Rojo tequila Margaritas all served frozen to take the edge off the heat for £14 a pop.
There’s a kiwi juice-based mocktail too for £10.
Light bites come in the form of tapas with salt cod doughnuts, black bean and corn empanadas, ham and cheese croquetas, crispy smoked haddock tacos, prawn ceviche and crispy fried whitebait available.
The Jacobite Lunch Menu offers Wharfers one course for £15 or two for £19 with the option to upgrade to a carafe of wine with
the latter for an extra £10.75. But perhaps the most compelling offers come further down the menu.
For £29.95 per person, pairs of diners can order the Surf’n’Turf sharing platter with a whole lobster and a 600g sirloin steak to fight over.
Then, in celebration of the restaurant’s 15th birthday it’s turned the clock back to 2010 price-wise with its classic burger and Scottish margherita pizza both available for just £8.
creating the food
Andrew Donovan, executive head chef at Boisdale, is the man marshalling the pans behind the scenes to deliver flavours on the plate.
He said: “I’ve been working here for more than 10 years and the Wharf has changed. Boisdale was always an oasis in what was quite a sterile, corporate environment back then.
“But now, as the area has become more residential, it’s been humanised.
“There’s open water swimming, go-karting and rooftop gardens where once there was barren concrete.
“Our terrace has never been more beautiful and that’s because every venue here has had to step up its game.
“Boisdale Of Canary Wharf has always been about being true to itself – an eclectic collection of things that shouldn’t necessarily work together but do.
“We want people to come here and enjoy it whether it’s for a cocktail, some tapas or a three-course meal. You can have all that here and more.
“My favourite dish on the terrace menu is the haddock tacos.
“We take the fillets and trim them down to little goujons that are deep-fried and then served in the little wraps – built so you can enjoy all the elements and the garlic aioli comes through.
“What’s better than a fish finger sandwich?”
mixing the drinks
Dirty vodka Martini devotee Malika Kirchel-Sharper is responsible, as Boisdale’s bar manager, for the refreshment of those frequenting its terrace.
She said: “The highlights are the frozen cocktails including the sweet Manzana Loca, a pineapple and apple daquiri made with Flor De Caña sever-year-old rum.
“The quality of the syrups we are using to make these is really fantastic.
“I’ve been here since 2019 and it’s a brilliant place to work.
“After university I began my career working in pubs including the one that was used to film Bridget Jones in Borough.
“It was lovely, but didn’t really offer cocktails so I came to Boisdale to explore that.
“I love making Martinis, although I’m not a fan of a Pina Colada.”
There are sharp options with maraschino and grapefruit, bitterness with pomegranate and Campari and even a fiery chilli-laced tipple that’s billed as “like snogging fire”.
a tempting Tropical Hour…
All can be enjoyed before 7pm on weekdays at double the volume during Boisdale’s Tropical Hour where it’s buy-one-get-one-free on frozen Daiquiris and Margaritas – two for £14.
“We wanted to create something that felt like a true escape,” said Ranald Macdonald, founder of Boisdale.
“The Tropical Garden Terrace captures the essence of summer – sun, flavour, music, and good company – right in the heart of Canary Wharf.
“This is our way of celebrating the summer and our 15-year milestone with the people who’ve made it all possible.”
There are few better ways to escape than via a frozen tipple or two.
key details: the Tropical Garden Terrace at Boisdale Of Canary Wharf
Boisdale Of Canary Wharf’s Tropical Garden Terrace is now open, overlooking Cabot Square from the restaurant’s lower level.
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