Why Boisdale founder Ranald MacDonald is a London hero
My culinary journey last week took me away from London. It was a tale of two Vikings, from Scotland to Stockholm and back again. So allow me to introduce my fellow founders, Niklas Ekstedt of his eponymous restaurant Ekstedt and Ranald MacDonald of Boisdale.
BOISDALE OF BELGRAVIA
When I began my entrepreneurial journey as founder of M Restaurant back in 2014, I aspired to be as successful as the magnificent Ranald MacDonald, founder of Boisdale. A man whose restaurant attracts the greatest business minds and not so great political minds and plenty of cigar smoking celebrities to dine together at long lunches or ‘dinners of genius’ at the restaurant he created in 1989.
The building was originally tiny, but as Ranald’s charm infiltrated councillors and landlords alike, planning permission and the expansion of the venue followed.
Ask any businessman what Boisdale means to them and the answers will vary between: ‘epic Burgundian lunches’, ‘Joules Holland’s Jazz club’, ‘Wicked Whisky Bar’, ‘Gentlemen’s’ Club’, ‘Cuban cigar haven’ or simply ‘dining heaven’. The personality of Ranald permeates into his venues with authentic soul. He is immensely proud of his heritage, which is unfortunately reflected in the décor decisions: tartan carpets and blood red walls (perhaps representing the spills of Englishmen at Bannockburn), but more positively (and with less historic bloodshed), it results in every guest being treated like family, whether arriving for a Burns Night supper or being greeted with a ‘first footing’ welcome. Whether you are Kelsey Grammer, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Muhammad Ali or Joe Bloggs, warmth and kindness is guaranteed.
Importantly, this hospitality is supported by an epic wine list curated for decades by MacDonald, matched with a superb menu of authentic Scottish dishes, with modern and traditional recipes all hitting the spot perfectly.
Ranald, having seen me take the baton and custodianship of Conran Restaurants (as they were once called, before D&D, and a year ago named the Evolv Collection), kindly invited me to join him to dine and share his own stories of Sir Terence, including their trip together to Cuba, researching for their joint venture Floridita at 100 Wardour Street.
In the comfort of Boisdale, he proudly showed me his ‘own label’ wines from Champagne, Burgundy and – ever the maverick – Muscat. They’re all excellent and eccentric in their own way, much like the man himself.
So we began with scallops, a haggis scotch egg accompanied by dashings of mutual appreciation, gentle flattery and some mild bitching about the political environment and some lowly competitors. A beautiful Aberdeen Angus ribeye followed for me, venison for the ‘laird’, both with superb origin, sustainability, story and – most importantly – flavour.
Without realising, Ranald is a visionary, in no way caught in the past, but conversely ahead of his time; the rest of us are just beginning to catch up. Brand Boisdale has a rich vein of history running through it. Legendary people find the venue a home from home to drink, dine, puff on cigars and quaff dark spirits. It is no wonder kindred spirits find joy in the shared passions of the legendary founder.
EKSTEDT: STOCKHOLM AND LONDON
The most divine dinners I can recall have taken me on a triple-pronged journey: physical, sensory and culinary (Geranium in Copenhagen and Alinea in Chicago are two of my top five ever meals for this reason). Similarly, the Ekstedt experience begins in the bar with snacks and champagne, then you are invited to stand in the kitchen as amuse bouches are prepared and served ahead of being seated (at the counter-top, in our case) for the main event.
During the kitchen segment we were introduced to the numerous wood-burning devices that toast, smoke or flambe the entirety of the menu. The chefs describe it as ‘analogue cooking’. Simply put, Ekstedt is all about fire and theatre. Throughout the meal, chefs flap at pounding flames, accelerating heat, slow cooking on coal, enveloping fine ingredients with smoke, precisely preparing dishes with microscopes and tweezers.
Early in the evening the tone of culinary excellence is set; reindeer fat, heated in an antique giant crushing device, is poured over sweet scallops, which are finished with a generous topping of caviar. Raw shrimp sits on ice while it’s smoked with juniper and birch, remaining raw, sweet and smokey, served with miniature green plums. Sublime.
Throughout the dinner, a parade of passionate, well informed waiting staff dance around the tables, attentive and caring. The sommeliers are equally outstanding, matching a little bite here, pouring a smidgen to enhance there. A generous splash of Kisler Pinot to match the remarkably tender, juniper smoked reindeer saddle – served with an intense beetroot sauce – was a spectacular pairing.
Music plays a part here too, as it does in many Michelin restaurants. But where at Mayfair’s two star Row on Five, the soundtrack distracts (Come on Eileen should be banned from any establishment where cutlery is required), here the sounds of Richard Ashcroft, Modest Mouse and Raye are part of a sensory, emotive journey. As we are moved back to the bar for desserts and another drinks trolley, I Wanna Be Adored accompanies us.
If you can’t make it to Stockholm, Ekstedt at the Yard in London has been around for five years. I visited when it first opened and found it a forgettable experience but the OG shone so brightly in Stockholm that I will return soon to see if some of the viking magic has made its way over the North Sea to Westminster. If not, you are only a reindeer ride away from Belgravia.