Boisdale - Jazz, Blues and soul Restaurant & BAr

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Boisdale is a jazz venue and its opening in Canary Wharf offered a different experience to its diners.

Decked out in a hue of deep red, it lends a charmed richness. The place is huge and spans over two levels.

I would say that you don’t come to Boisdale expecting excellent food. What you come for is solid food even if it is a tad boring, to have a good time and to listen to bands playing. A worthy note goes to the oysters, excellent they were, clean and fresh. Definitely refreshing. Food is a little on the £££ side and whether it conveys a value for money would be up to the diner.

Conversations will need to be either a shouting match when the band is playing as the volume is just way too loud to be able to hold a gentle conversation or temporary silence.

I’ll say come here when there is a band or jazz singer that you’re interested to listen to.

A hip and happening place to eat, drink and enjoy.

Good (and large variety) of food and drinks.
While eating, you can enjoy the jazz music.

Great view when you are sitting next to the window.

Went here as this place is something different from all the soulless Canary Wharf restaurants. But the only thing that differentiates it is the live jazz music in the evenings. Otherwise, its just another overpriced, Canary Wharf restaurant for entertaining clients.

The decor inside Boisdale is stunning though, and service was good – as you would expect for a place like this. Catering to lowly bankers as well as the movers and shakers, Boisdale offers a £19 two course set menu, or the £40+ steak with truffle sauce (sides separate).

The food was cooked well, and especially good was the shellfish bisque as well the minute steak. Not so good were the desserts – the cheesecake seemed like it came from a Waitrose bakery counter, and the apple crumble was a bit too messy for a fine dining establishment like this.

Overall, a good meal, and great live jazz music. But it is pricey, but they’ve based themselves in the perfect location for the clientele they are looking to attract!

The London Insider
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We had a works dinner at the newly opened Canary Wharf Boisdale branch. Yes, I know your right its not a Sunday, lunchtime or in Greenwich but I definitely thought it was worth a post.

Its a Scottish / English influenced venue, and I say venue rather than restaurant because theres a lot going on here. Its a restaurant, its a oyster and champagne bar, theres a dedicated whisky bar, a jazz club and to top it all off theres a cigar room (aparantly with the only walk in humidor where you can snoke cigars to your hearts content.

Its spread across three floors above the main Canary Wharf shopping center with its own dedicate lift to each floor. For decor think big hearty reds and greens with mahogany at every turn. Think old boys drinking club, its the perfect city establishment.

But looking at the crowds on most floors it must be a winner – it was Monday night but every table was full by the time we left. Our table had a view of the jazz stage and a short but polite note told us that if we stayed at our table when the jazz started our bill would have a 10 pounds live music charge made to it!

The waiting staff were efficient and there were lots of them, picking up napkins if you happened to drop yours on the floor. The menu displayed the restaurants Scottish / English heritage there was lots of haggis, salmon, offal on offer and an eyewatering selection of caviar in both variety and price – anyone fancy some Golden Almas caviar at £3,750 for 125 grams……who says theres a recession on.

Unfortuantely our pockets were not quite so full as the bankers of Canary Wharf so we went for the set menu for £15 – not a bad price. My starter was a Ceasar salad with Ortiz anchovies followed by Salmon on a pea risotto. The Ceasar salad was good and tasty, the anchovies being the star of the dish. The salmon was filling and flavoursome. Some of my colleagues had the haggis – I must admit I was jealous, I wish I had taken the plunge, especially those that had also gone for the whisky chaser alongside it. I passed on desert but the dishes on offer looked tantalising.

Im not quite sure how I feel about Boisdales, its a little too full of itself, a little intimidating, but I definitely wouldnt turn down an offer to return, the whisky bar was mesmorising and needs sampling and the haggis is definitely calling my name….

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Recently (27th April, 2011) we visited the Boisdale of Canary Wharf in Cabot Place West (London E14 4QT) to see a great new band from LA, which is Vintage Trouble. Apparently, this restaurant, as the chain, is named for Loch Boisdale in South Uist in the Hebrides. The Scottish theme is noticeable in the tartan of the carpets and the skirts of the waitresses, too. The menu also reflects this connection, but it is broader than that.

Arriving from the conveniently very close-by DLR station, as you approach the building where Boisdale is located on the second floor, you go past some really tall buildings reminiscent of the Barbican (though, slightly friendlier). When you get upstairs by lift to the restaurant, you are surprised to find a very stylish but not pretentious place, which you might not expect in this concrete jungle. The restaurant is very spacious and has a great and relaxed atmosphere. The waiters and waitresses are very friendly and genuinely helpful.

Initially, we bought tickets for the music gig only, without dining (we got 'premium' seats in advance online for an entrance fee of £20 each to get somewhere to sit close to the stage - which was good value in the first place). Seatings are at normal restaurant tables (it is worth mentioning that the chairs are very comfortable). We only came for the music, but after reading the menu, we couldn't resist, and we didn't regret it. We got excellent food, and it wasn't even expensive.

The place deserves praise for its musical programmes, too. This time, for instance, the supporting act for Vintage Trouble was the exceptional jazz pianist's, Anthony Strong's excellent trio. We will certainly be back again.