Last Updated on February 4, 2025
City-Style Piping in the Haggis at The Libertine
3.7 out of 5.0 stars
A sucker for the opportunity to mingle with men in kilts, I jumped at the chance to join the Burns night celebrations at The Libertine bar and restaurant. Once a year on the 25th of January, we all get the opportunity to eat haggis, drink whisky and enjoy the poetry of Robert Burns and it’s an invite I can never turn down. Not that I’m any closer to understanding more than a few words of the famous ‘Address to a Haggis’ (the first verse is below).
‘Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great Chieftain o’ the Puddin-race!
Aboon them a’ ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy of a grace
As lang ‘s my arm.
There’s always whisky – usually a good single malt – and there’s always haggis in some form or another. If you are lucky there will be a piper and a man in a kilt who makes the address to a haggis – and three toasts – to the great poet himself, then one to the ‘Lassies’ and one to the ‘Laddies’. Quite often by the end of the evening, everything descends into ceilidh driven chaos.
In the heart of the City, the Libertine is a relative newcomer and their Burns Night supper was the first in what is hoped will become a series of events celebrating the best of British ingredients. Apart from some very fine whisky courtesy of Glenmorangie, we also enjoyed an excellent dinner with a Scottish theme.
We started the evening off in style with a delicious Whisky, rosemary and thyme spritz made with Glenmorangie, honey, rosemary and thyme topped off with sparkling water and Rathfinny sparkling wine.
We eschewed the vegan Macsween haggis bonbons (though I happen to know that this brand is pretty good) instead opting for a delicious Loch Duart Smoked Salmon served with horseradish and chive creme fraiche and oatcakes. Top-quality smoked salmon is firm, fresh and lightly smokey and this hit the mark.
My carpaccio of highland beef fillet came with a delicious truffle mayonnaise and shavings of aged parmesan, along with a slice of sourdough. Another winner.
We were served a tasting of Glenmorangie Lasanta to pair with our starters. it’s a 12-year-old single malt that is matured in bourbon and sherry casks, giving it a distinctive honeycomb and chocolate nuttiness. For my money, this was a great pairing with my beef but a little overpowering with the salmon. I suspect it might also have worked well with the haggis bonbons and their plant cream whisky sauce.
I was intrigued by the baked skrei cod served in a smoked haddock ‘cullen skink’ sauce and quail eggs. I’m a huge fan of this fish, despite having been sent a whole skrei by the Norwegian Seafood Council to create my own recipes. I also love cullen skink – a delicious creamy and rich soup. I wasn’t sure how the two would work together, but I confess it was love at first mouthful – and I loved the addition of quail eggs too. Next time anyone sends me 8kg of skrei I’ll definitely be having a go!
Meanwhile, my companion opted for the delicious-sounding Balmoral chicken with haggis, served with a whisky sauce, neeps and tatties (that’s swede and potato to most of us) and tenderstem broccoli.
This time our pairing of Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, a 14-year-old whisky aged in bourbon and port casks did seem a little overwhelming – though utterly delicious in its own right – so we slipped in a crafty glass of Rathfinney. The challenge of one whisky pairing for four quite different menu choices meant there were bound to be some compromises – and I suspect this one would have been spot-on perfect for the Scottish wild venison haunch steak that we jealously watched one of our neighbours devouring.
For dessert, we both opted for the Raspberry Cranachan Parfait – a generous portion of raspberries, toasted oats, Glenmorangie, honey and whipped cream. Perfect! And, the Glenmorangie Nectar d’Or was an excellent pairing and a whisky I’d rather like to keep in the cupboard at home.
While this was a slightly pared-back Burns night we were truly impressed by the quality of the food and by the seamless service. And, we gather The Libertine is planning a series of supper clubs – the next will be a St David’s Day event on 1st March, with a celebration of Welsh food and drink, priced at £70 per person. There’s always something romantic about this kind of vaulted building and as it happens, the Libertine is in the underground vaults beneath the Royal Exchange where the first royal alcohol license in Britain was granted. If that’s not a reason to indulge yourself, I don’t know what is.
The Libertine
1a Royal Exchange,
Cornhill,
City of London,
EC3V 3LL
020 3772 6610
