Who Likes Haggis?

Yesterday (September 27, 2012) was the day where I finally get to dine on Scotland's favourite dish, Haggis. For those that don't know what is haggis, "Haggis is a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver and lungs); minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally encased in the animal's stomach and simmered for approximately three hours" (According to Wikipedia). Well folks, doesn't that sound delicious? Don't let the description fool you, it is actually quite good.

The eatery that served me such fine delicacies was on the edge of little Italy (near College and Ossington) and was called "The Caledonian." The Caledonian is a Scottish pub and is one of the nicer pubs I've been to with a great patio and a nicely decorated interior. The night I was there, the lights were turned down low and the tables had one tea light lit, which really set the mood for a perfect date night with your significant other. The patio is also much bigger then you would expect it to be and is well lit and heated for their patron's comfort.

Being a Scottish pub, The Caledonian had a wide variety of scotch, whiskeys and scottish beers. Some of the wait staff are even scottish and speak with the heavy scottish accent that we all know and love. The Caledonian makes a serious effort with a lot of little touches that really makes your night of drinking or your meal that much more enjoyable.

The first dish of the night that me and my dining partner hard was the taste of Scotland. The taste of Scotland is appetizer meant for sharing that consisted of a sausage roll, haggis fritters, and a scotched egg.

The sausage roll was quite tasty, the pastry was flaky and the sausage was nicely seasoned and salty making it a great package. The haggis fritter was definitely weird, I wonder who thought of taking haggis and covering it in batter and then deep frying it because i would like to tell him "Good Job." The best way I could describe it would be a corn dog made out of seasoned ground beef. This however does not do it justice because it was definitely a much richer flavour then simple ground beef. Most people are a little perturbed at the thought of eating haggis but if you don't think about what you're eating and just eat you'll be pleasantly surprised.  Last but not least we end the dish with a scotched egg. The scotched egg was nothing special, it was pretty ordinary and in my opinion a little over fried.

Now on to the mains ... Apparently on this night it was pie night because me and my dining partner both decided to order pies, one steak pie and one fish pie.

(Steak Pie and Mashed Potatoes)

The steak pie came with an order of mashed potatoes and arrived to the table piping hot. The pie crust was not as flaky as I would have like it to be but it still complimented the filling. The pie also contained big chunks of tender steak and was cooked in what I guess was a red wine gravy. I wasn't too sure if I enjoyed the sauce with the meat but the more i kept eating the more I grew to love it. The mashed potatoes were really nice because they actually mashed the potatoes with the skin on which i think adds a subtle texture. Overall the dish was good but I think a little too much because this was quite a heavy dish.

(Fish Pie and Salad)

My dining partner decided she would have their daily special, which was the fish pie. The first thing that stuck out when the dish was served was the large amount of cheese on top of the pie. The pile of melted cheese really took away from the dish and should've just had a little drizzle of cheese. once you dig into the pie, an abundance of seafood awaits you. There was fish, shrimp and even lobster waiting for you beneath the mashed potatoes. This all sounds great but this pie also had the same problem as the first one. The seafood tasted great but the cream sauce and the dish was just way too heavy. My dining partner could barely eat half.

I know some of the food I've talked about didn't sound too flattering but I would still eat here again. The service was superb and the other items on the menu piqued my interest enough for me to come back. I might even bring my friends next time and try their fine selection of scotches. This is a fine establishment, which I will keep in the back of my mind when I'm in the area and I'm looking for a bit to eat or a good time.

For more information:
The Caledonian